On June 8, 2013 I attended Wine in the Pines (WITP) in Pine Mountain Club with my girlfriend and a group of friends. Last year, around the same time, we attended the Ojai Valley Wine Festival (OVWF) at Lake Casitas. Both wine festivals are impressive but I think WITP will be my new yearly festival.
The main difference is the size. There are about 25 wineries in attendance at WITP and the event does sell out. The OVWF, on the other hand, caters to a large number of people and rarely sells out. It is far more crowded than the wine festival in the Pine Mountain Village.
Although the Ojai Valley Wine Festival has about 100 wineries and Wine in the Pines has only about 25, I felt that the quality of wine was better at the latter festival. One of my favorite wineries was Pear Valley, a Paso Robles winery that had a delicious orange muscat and syrah. Another bonus of WITP was that festival organizers provide free bottled water and many local restaurants offered samples of free food. Tickets were $45 a person, making this festival a far better bargain.
At Lake Casitas I camped, whereas in Pine Mountain Club we stayed in a cabin. It was a really nice cabin for a very reasonable price. Our cabin had 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a loft, fireplace, full kitchen with silverware and dishware provided, and satellite TV. It was large enough to accommodate at least 10 people, though rental management does put a limit on the number of occupants allowed. It was a nice change of pace staying in a cabin especially since the weather was so hot. It was also nice having access to a full kitchen. For dinner one night, we had baked jalapeno poppers and beer-boiled bratwurst wrapped in bacon that were finished with a quick grill on the barbecue located on the cabin's deck.
I feel that both wine festivals have pros and cons but Wine in the Pines is my new favorite. I suppose if you are really adventourous you would be able to attend both wine festivals in the same weekend, as one occurs on a Saturday and the other on a Sunday. Which wine festival do you prefer?
More information:
Near Pine Mountain Club:
Wine in the Pines:
http://www.wineinthepines.com/
Cabin Rentals in Pine Mountain Club:
http://www.pinemountainrentals.net/
Camping in Pine Mountain Club:
http://www.pinemountainclub.net/index.php/recreation/campground
Pear Valley (my favorite winery at WITP)
http://www.pearvalley.com/
Near Ojai:
Lake Casitas Updates and Review:
http://www.campingfantastic.com/2/post/2011/06/ojai-valley-wine-festival-and-camping-recap-and-updates.html
More Lake Casitas:
http://www.campingfantastic.com/2/post/2011/01/lake-casitas-recreation-area-ventura-ca.html
Ojai Valley Wine Festival:
http://www.ojaiwinefestival.com/
The main difference is the size. There are about 25 wineries in attendance at WITP and the event does sell out. The OVWF, on the other hand, caters to a large number of people and rarely sells out. It is far more crowded than the wine festival in the Pine Mountain Village.
Although the Ojai Valley Wine Festival has about 100 wineries and Wine in the Pines has only about 25, I felt that the quality of wine was better at the latter festival. One of my favorite wineries was Pear Valley, a Paso Robles winery that had a delicious orange muscat and syrah. Another bonus of WITP was that festival organizers provide free bottled water and many local restaurants offered samples of free food. Tickets were $45 a person, making this festival a far better bargain.
At Lake Casitas I camped, whereas in Pine Mountain Club we stayed in a cabin. It was a really nice cabin for a very reasonable price. Our cabin had 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a loft, fireplace, full kitchen with silverware and dishware provided, and satellite TV. It was large enough to accommodate at least 10 people, though rental management does put a limit on the number of occupants allowed. It was a nice change of pace staying in a cabin especially since the weather was so hot. It was also nice having access to a full kitchen. For dinner one night, we had baked jalapeno poppers and beer-boiled bratwurst wrapped in bacon that were finished with a quick grill on the barbecue located on the cabin's deck.
I feel that both wine festivals have pros and cons but Wine in the Pines is my new favorite. I suppose if you are really adventourous you would be able to attend both wine festivals in the same weekend, as one occurs on a Saturday and the other on a Sunday. Which wine festival do you prefer?
More information:
Near Pine Mountain Club:
Wine in the Pines:
http://www.wineinthepines.com/
Cabin Rentals in Pine Mountain Club:
http://www.pinemountainrentals.net/
Camping in Pine Mountain Club:
http://www.pinemountainclub.net/index.php/recreation/campground
Pear Valley (my favorite winery at WITP)
http://www.pearvalley.com/
Near Ojai:
Lake Casitas Updates and Review:
http://www.campingfantastic.com/2/post/2011/06/ojai-valley-wine-festival-and-camping-recap-and-updates.html
More Lake Casitas:
http://www.campingfantastic.com/2/post/2011/01/lake-casitas-recreation-area-ventura-ca.html
Ojai Valley Wine Festival:
http://www.ojaiwinefestival.com/
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