Travelers are quietly rewriting the rules of wine country. As Napa and Sonoma grow more crowded and more expensive, a new generation of visitors is chasing something looser and more authentic — and California's Central Coast is answering the call. Paso Robles has become one of the state's most compelling culinary and wine destinations, and this fall it gets a marquee event to match.
From September 18-20, 2026, The Ava Hotel Paso Robles, Curio Collection by Hilton will debut Epic Fest Paso Robles: Harvest Culinary & Beverage Festival, an immersive harvest weekend built around the chefs, farmers, winemakers and producers shaping the region's fast-evolving food and beverage scene.
What Epic Fest Puts on the Table
Hosted at Paso Robles' newest lifestyle hotel, Epic Fest is designed as a curated journey through the destination — a mix of food, wine and wellness experiences that spotlight the people and places behind the region's rise. The lineup includes:
- Chef-curated wine pairing dinners at EMRE, including an exclusive dinner with Michelin-acclaimed chef Julien Asseo.
- Winery and distillery excursions with some of Paso's most celebrated producers, including DAOU, JUSTIN and Booker.
- Elevated brunches, rooftop yoga and more, all built to showcase the flavors that make Paso Robles one of California's most inviting wine country escapes.
It's a deliberately experiential format — less trade-show tasting tent, more weekend that layers destination dining, hands-on producer access and wellness into a single stay. That combination is exactly what today's high-intent leisure traveler is booking for.
Why Paso Robles, and Why Now
Paso Robles has spent the last decade shedding its "up-and-coming" label. Its winemakers now stand alongside the state's best, and the arrival of a lifestyle-branded hotel like The Ava — anchoring a festival of this scope — is a signal that the region is investing in the full hospitality ecosystem, not just the pour.
The timing is smart. A September harvest window ties the event to the most photogenic, most story-rich moment of the wine calendar, and it positions the festival to capture shoulder-season demand as travelers look beyond the usual wine-country marquees.
Why It Matters
For hospitality operators, hotel F&B directors and destination marketers, Epic Fest is a useful case study in how to turn a property into a demand engine. A few takeaways worth acting on:
- Bundle the experience, don't just sell the room. Pairing dinners, producer excursions and wellness programming give a hotel multiple revenue streams and a reason to command a premium rate over a peak weekend.
- Lean on local partnerships. By putting named winemakers and a Michelin-acclaimed chef at the center, The Ava borrows credibility and reach it couldn't build alone — a playbook any independent operator can replicate with regional producers.
- Ride the "authentic over crowded" shift. The move away from saturated destinations is real. Operators in emerging regions can win by leaning into place, people and access rather than competing on name recognition.
For restaurateurs, sommeliers and beverage buyers, it's also a reminder that harvest-season storytelling — the farmer, the vineyard, the release — still moves guests and drives spend when it's done with genuine access.
Programming a fall event, planning wine country coverage, or rethinking how your property packages food, beverage and wellness? Epic Fest Paso Robles is one to watch. Explore more of our culinary festival coverage and experiential hospitality reporting — then tell us in the comments: which emerging wine region should be on every operator's radar next?
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Top 40 Under 40” for founding American Wholesale Floral. Politz is also the founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
