The now biannual Park City Wine Festival returned for its fall edition to Canyons Village at Park City Mountain, setting up a maze of tents and booths featuring over 300 different wines, as well as spirits and light bites from food vendors.
Grand Tastings ran Friday and Saturday, and festivalgoers got a taste of a true Park City fall, with peak yellow colors painting the slopes and, of course, unpredictable weather. While blue skies and sun held Friday temperatures in the 70s, Saturday’s forecast plummeted to the 40s with heavy rain.
Friday’s Grand Tasting was sunny with blue skies, and festivalgoers enjoyed live music between wine tastings and vendor shopping. Credit: Jonathan Herrera/Park Record 
Friday at 2:30 p.m., Grand Tasting attendees swarmed in for their two-and-a-half hour tasting event. Credit: Jonathan Herrera/Park Record 
The Park City Wine Festival didn’t just have wine vendors, and a variety of artisan booths sold products to attendees. Credit: Jonathan Herrera/Park Record
During the Friday tasting, attendees and vendors chatted wines and weather, as most strangers do, with many a “I’m glad I won’t be here tomorrow!” overheard during the afternoon.
Friday’s event for general admission offered two-and-a-half hours of unlimited, all-included tastings from 2:30 p.m. until 5. Early-access tickets got an extra 30 minutes on the grounds, and “First Sip” access started a whole hour earlier at 1:30 p.m., designed for industry attendees to have a quieter, slower chance to taste and talk wines. That’s the other perk of a Friday tasting, when restauranteurs and managers could attend before the start of a busy service.
Getting wines in front of industry people is an important draw for the brands who participate, said a spokesperson with Washington’s Delille Cellars. While their wines aren’t available in Utah liquor stores, many are available through special order, which means restaurants are key clients for spreading awareness.
That’s one of the reason’s Edge Steakhouse Manager Matt Brewster was at the event. Currently training to be a sommelier from the Court of Master Sommeliers, the Park City Wine Festival was a great place to test his knowledge, while also representing the nearby restaurant.
While most of the booths were manned by representatives of larger agencies, some vendors were the vineyard or brand owners themselves. Like Barr Smith, owner of Barlow Vineyards, who worked his table with his cousin. For the California native, Smith said he’d never turn down a trip to Park City. Plus, it was a family affair: His cousin, who also worked the booth, lives out near the Jordanelle Resevoir.
Up from Salt Lake City for the festivities were Mountain West Hard Cider husband-and-wife owners Jeff and Jennifer Carleton. Showcasing their hard ciders made just down Parley’s Canyon, the couple also featured their new wine project called MWCellars. They served their canned wines, Summit Rose and Summit Sparkling, which are available in the state, as well as their line called Capitol Hill Cellars.
Jennifer said not many people know about their wine project, so these festivals are great ways to spread the word. Plus, Park City naturally draws travelers, so word spreads far, too.
The party continued Saturday despite the weather, with two Grand Tastings scheduled in mid afternoon and evening. The Park City Wine Festival will return for their second-ever spring event, with 2026 dates coming soon. Check out their website to learn more: parkcitywinefest.com.