The Pensacola Wine Festival is a collaborative event created by the fine dining restaurants and wine merchants of Downtown Pensacola and the Pensacola Downtown Improvement Board. Now in its 3rd year, the Pensacola Wine Festival features a four-day sequence of events to celebrate the multitude of quality wine offerings available year-round in the Pensacola community.

Thursday, April 2
5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Gallery Night Special Edition
Free to Public

For the first time ever, Gallery Night will take place on a Thursday evening as the kick-off event for the 2009 Pensacola Wine Festival.  This special edition Gallery Night includes complimentary wine tasting and a free Wine School featuring the Spanish wines of Jorge Ordonez, one of the largest importers of Spanish wines in the United States representing 130 wines from 40 wineries.

• Free Wine School will help attendees better understand various types of wines, their tastes, and composition. Curtis Flower and Shelby Daniels will teach a wine class every 30 minutes during Gallery Night in Downtown Pensacola. Participants in the Wine School must be 21 years of age.
• Complimentary Wine Tasting will be available from participating Gallery Night venues pouring select table wines of Jorge Ordonez. The entire event is free to the public.

Five Fridays each year, the arts community of Pensacola presents its varied and rich offerings at Gallery Night .  More than forty venues participate by featuring the works of a regional artist.  Artistic mediums often displayed include paintings, music, precious stones, culinary arts, pottery, and dance.  During the event, many galleries and participating businesses offer refreshments to those in attendance.

Friday, April 3
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Pensacola Celebrity Chefs Reserve Wine Tasting
Ticket Sales for Friday's Event are now closed

Join Pensacola Celebrity Chefs and renowned Spanish wine makers for an evening of fine wines and delectable cuisine inside Distinctive Kitchens Culinary Arts Center in Downtown Pensacola at 29 South Palafox Place. The event begins with a reception at 6:30 p.m. and features award-winning creations from executive chefs Irv Miller, Jim Shirley, Gus Silivos, Dan Dunn and Frank Taylor.

Fine Spanish wines offered by Jorge Ordonez, two-time recipient of the Wine Personality of the Year, will be poured for those in attendance. Participants must be 21 years of age. Seating is limited. For additional information, contact Laura Lee at (850) 434-1234.

Saturday, April 4
3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Pensacola Wine Festival Grand Tasting
$45 per person
Tickets available at the door!

Enjoy the premier event of the festival, “The 2009 Grand Tasting,” from the top floor of the Baylen and Main Street garage (401 South Baylen) overlooking Downtown Pensacola with a view of beautiful Pensacola Bay.  Sample more than 150 wines from almost a dozen distributors throughout the world, including a large selection of Spanish wines to commemorate Pensacola’s 450th anniversary. Spanish influenced Jazz will be provided by Stephanie Pettis and RIO, frequent participants in the Pensacola Jazz Festival being held the same day just four blocks away. Originally from Atlanta, the group has toured throughout the US, Spain and Europe in its twenty years of playing together. With music of Jazz and Latin flare, they join us from their current home base of Panama City, Florida for a lively afternoon of entertainment. Only 1,000 tickets are available for the premier event, which is expected to be larger than both previous wine festivals. This event will take place rain or shine. Tickets are $45 per person and are available at the door. For more information please call (850) 434-5371 or click here to email us.

Saturday, April 4
3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Paella-Cooking Contest
Free for Attendees of Grand Tasting

In addition to fine wines, the picturesque backdrop of Pensacola Bay, and lively Spanish-influenced jazz, Pensacola Celebrity Chefs will test their skills at a paella cook-off inside the event. Each of the five executive chefs will prepare and explain his version of this longtime Spanish culinary staple as attendees sample the dishes and sip wine. In an open-air setting full of aromas from many a Spanish kitchen, renowned PBS food critic John T. Edge will judge the paella creations. Mr. Edge, also known as “ the Faulkner of Southern Food”, will crown one chef the best Paella cook in Pensacola. A ticket to the Grand Tasting is required to view the Paella Cook-off.

Sunday, April 5
4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
A Spanish Sunday of Sound Side Splendor
$100 per person

Pensacola Celebrity Chefs hosts "A Spanish Sunday of Sound Side Splendor" in an exclusive waterfront setting at the exquisite Portofino Island Resort & Spa. Complete with tapas created by the Pensacola Celebrity Chefs and sommelier service, guests will be treated to hand-selected reserve wines. Jorge Ordonez , importer of over 140 wines and several of his winemakers will be special guests at the event. Tickets are $100.00 per person and tax deductible as a charitable donation to the Childrens Home Society.

Saturday, April 4 and Sunday, April 5
10:30 a.m. - 6:15 p.m.
Pensacola JazzFest 2009
Free to Public

The 26th Annual Pensacola JazzFest takes place four blocks east of the Grand Tasting Event throughout Saturday and Sunday. Presented by the Jazz Society of Pensacola, wine festival attendees can enjoy an impressive repertoire of music.