Gastrovino Food and Wine Festival: A Must for Foodies & Wine Lovers

Gastrovino is going Greek!

The annual Gastrovino Food and Wine Festival, scheduled for November 11 – 13 in the colonial city of Todos Santos an hour’s drive north of Cabo San Lucas, is harking back to the days of Bacchanalia.

“In the religion and mythology of ancient Greece, there was a god who was very fond of partying,” states the festival’s program. “This was Dionysus, the god of the grape harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, madness, rituals, religious ecstasy, and festivity.”

As every mythologist knows, Dionysus was also known as Bacchus. Whenever someone threw a big party or fiesta in those ancient times, he was known as Bacchanal.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary next month, the Gastrovino Festival will showcase the regional cuisine of Baja California Sur, pairing tapas and other dishes with the acclaimed wines of Mexico.

Gastrovino 2022 will expand the city’s available gastronomic and wine selections. In fact, the festival’s agenda has been broadened to include the area’s finest and most in-demand restaurants.

If you haven't visited Todos Santos recently, you'll be amazed at the wide range of exciting new restaurants that have sprung up in the city, a designated “Pueblo Magico” (Magic Town).

Friday, Nov. 11 kicks off the festival with the ‘Gastro Tour to the South,’ which will visit a pre-selected itinerary of 10 or more participating restaurants on the south side of town. Following check-in at Plaza Amigos at 4:00 p.m., patrons can enjoy a glass of award-winning wine paired with a special culinary creation prepared by a local chef. The Gastro Tour South adventure will culminate in a party at Oystera with live music, dancing, entertainment and more.

Scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 12 is the ‘Gastro Tour to the North’, an additional excursion created to encompass the city’s growing culinary scene. As above, Gastro Tour Norte will guide revelers to 10 or more participating restaurants on
the north side of town, with well-chosen Mexican wines paired with delectable tapas. This Gastro Tour starts at Casa Tota at 4:00 p.m. and concludes with a lively fiesta at DUM, with the same party ingredients as Friday night: live music, dancing and entertainment.

Also scheduled for Saturday is a Blind Tasting Contest. If you consider yourself a wine aficionado, are or interested in furthering your wine education, this is the event is for you. A professional sommelier will guide you through a blind tasting of more than 20 different wines, including red, white, rosé, and other varietals. This really is a "blind tasting" - participants are blindfolded. The person who correctly identifies the most wines will win a fabulous prize.

The Gastrowine Festival, the main event, is slated for Sunday, Nov. 13. Doors open at 1:00 p.m. at Jazamango, the renowned farm-to-table restaurant. In a beautiful outdoor setting, chefs, restaurateurs and winemakers will share their finest food and wine offerings, inviting patrons to eat and drink like Greek gods.

Throughout the day, patrons can sample a superb array of wines with special guests from Baja California and Todos Santos’ sister city of Yountville in Napa Valley, California. Twenty winemakers, 20 restaurants and a beer garden sponsored by the Baja Brewing Company will be on hand, highlighted by live performances, entertainment and more.

At the conclusion of the festivities, a silent auction, featuring art from talented local and international artists, will be held to support La Sociedad de La Palapa de Todos Santos, AC.

One constant is the festival’s fundraiser, which has raised more than $63,000 USD to date with the help of local non-profit organizations and the Todos Santos Delegation.

Tickets and more information: https://www.gastrovino.mx