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This is a great article on the Temecula Balloon and wine festival that is held annually in southern California. It gives a brief history of the festival, what goes on at the festival and covers the history of the Temecula festival. It's a big event and nationally recognized, so if you are planning to be in the area in May during that time, it's worth a swing by to check it out and experience. It has become a great way to showcase the wineries of Temecula.

While the Temecula Balloon Festival allows you to take advantage of the open skies, many locals and visitors to this popular annual event prefer watching the majestic balloons take to flight with their feet planted firmly on the ground. The colorful displays of hot air and steady baskets are usually considered the most unforgettable part of this Southern California celebration, but there are most certainly plenty of other things to keep your attention just as well.

There is definitely something for the entire family when paying a visit to the Temecula Wine and Balloon Festival, which presents the refreshing blends of chardonnay and merlot; sweet treats; kid friendly activities; and music that easily energizes the soul. In the end, participants and visitors leave with extraordinary fun on their mind and cherished memories tucked inside their pockets.

Brief History of the Temecula Balloon Festival

In 1983, the first Temecula Balloon Festival entertained the masses with the vision of commercial airline pilot and balloon enthusiast, Walt Darren and the help of event organizer and fund raiser, Evelyn Harker. A combination of wine tasting, entertainment, and other culinary delights was all the Temecula Balloon and Wine Festival needed to attract the public.

In the beginning, only a few wineries and vendors participated, but the coming years would soon see various venue changes and musical performances, such as the Beach Boys and the Coasters.

Event Details

Before you can enjoy entrance to the Temecula Balloon Festival, tickets are required. There is no need to worry about purchasing your admission early, as there are plenty to go around and no one is turned away. Participating locations about town can provide you with festival tickets if you do not want to wait for the entrance ticket booth. Typically, the cost for entrance into the Temecula Balloon Festival is between $15 and $18 for adults, which generally depends on the day of attendance. Other ticket prices will see children (ages 7 to 12) pay $5, whereas kids under the age of 12 are admitted free of charge.

With the price of admission, guests will enjoy all of the basic features of the festival (with the exception of food, beverage, and other outside purchases). Event features typically include:

Balloon Launches

When the weather allows it, hot air balloons will launch into the air around 6:30am and touch back down to earth about 8:30am. The excitement of soaring through the air in a pre-arranged balloon ride is made possible with an advance reservation.

Wine Tasting

Wine and beer are served at booths situated in the main stage arena or at the location of the wine garden. In the past, enjoying seven chances to wine taste, as well as take home a souvenir glass cost only $15.

Food Court

The Temecula Balloon Festival is also filled with a collection of treats that will bring you back to memories of childhood enchantment and amusement park dreams. Hot buttered popcorn, invigorating scoops of ice cream, and a variety of culturally diverse dishes (including Mexican, Chinese, Italian, and Greek cuisine) are more than willing to appease your appetite.

Kids Faire

As for the younger guests that attend the Temecula Wine and Balloon Festival, a section to call their own greets kids under the age of 14. Inflatables, rock climbing wall adventures, friendly faces at the petting zoo, face painting transformations, and other child friendly outlets are just some of the things typically available. Parents should keep in mind that some of these entertaining activities for the kids may require a small fee to enjoy.

About the Author

Rikki Quay supplies locals and visitors with great suggestions and detailed information on exploring the ins and outs of Temecula, Southern California by continuously updating her site with information on attractions, accommodations, singles, weddings, wineries, and real estate. To learn more about this Southern Californian gem, please visit her website at best-temecula-guide.com.

The Epcot Food and Wine festival is an experience in itself that requires an entire day. The festival remains with the theme of Epcot, where you can experience the wines and foods from around the world. I myself didn't have a chance to experience the entire festival as I didn't get there early enough, but I did make it about 3/4 of the way through.

I was able to experience food and wines from Peru, Canada, France, Oklahoma, England, Japan, Australia, Germany, California, Greece and Italy. There were other countries that I didn't have a chance to get to unfortunately.

There were actually 2 different ways to experience the food and wine festival at Epcot. The first way would be the standard Epcot experience, where you would walk around the park and stop at the different countries of your choosing and pick the food and wine you would want to experience.

The 2nd way would be to purchase a special food and wine festival pass that would allow you into a building where you could eat and drink all the food and wine from the entire festival that you could handle. If I were to attend the food and wine festival again, I would do it this way. I would come early in the morning, and stay all day. Of course it would be best to come with a designated driver in either case.

All in all, the Epcot food and wine festival is an experience I would certainly have again, as it allows you to experience different kinds of food and wine on a grand scale.

Tags: epcot food and wind festival - wine festival - epcot - food - wine

Almost every state in the country has a wine festival. It is a great way to sample the wines of the region and to become familiar with some of the great wineries that are right in your backyard.

If you decide to go to a wine festival, there are some things you can do to make the most out of the wine festival you are attending. Coming back from the festival with your favorite bottle of wine is always enjoyable, but to get even more benefit, you can follow these tips.

1. Decide beforehand if you will do wine tasting or not.

If you decide to taste the wine, you will need to make sure of at least 2 things: First, bring along a designated driver who will decide to go dry during the festival, or, if you do wine tasting, make sure you spit the wine out in one of the many buckets they have available.

Another thing you will need to decide, is which wines you would like to taste. Many wine festivals are arranged by types of wineries and the wines they serve. Most wineries will have their own booths which are easily indicated on the maps of the event that are given out at the wine festival.

2. Sample the foods at the food booths at the wine festial

One of the great pleasures of having wine is the combination of the food and wine together. Many of the food booths that are on display are great in combination with the wines that are in the tasting tour.

Be sure to ask the vendors at the food tables what wines that are currently in tasting go best with their foods. The vendors should have a list of the wineries and wines that are up for tasting, so they should be able to give you some additional insight with the food and wine combination.

Another benefit is that it will put food in your stomache, which will keep you from being tipsy early on in the wine festival.

3. Sample some of the wines from each of the different wine regions

Depending upon the size of the festival, the variety of wineries will dictate how many regions are introduced. At the Lafayette Wine Festival in Colorado, there were several different regions throughout the state represented.

Colorado has some varied climates so there are a number of wines that should be tasted, to experience the variety of flavors that come from the Colorado wineries.

4. Keep track of your wine tastings on a score card

Most wine festivals will give you a card or sheet of paper to be able to keep track of your wine selections. As you taste the wine, keep track of the wine you tasted and how you liked the flavor. Get ideas from the wineries serving the wine about which foods would go best with the wines you really enjoyed, and write that down.

The more you take notes at the wine festival, the less you will have to think about after the festival. There is nothing more frustrating that trying to remember which wines you liked, and what foods they would go best with. After a full day of wine tasting, your brain cells probably won't function as well by the end of the day, so take notes as you go through the festival.

5. Have fun at the wine festival

Last but not least, as if I had to tell you... Have a lot of fun at the wine festival. Wine festivals are almost always a festive event where most people are having a great time. Experience the energy of people tasting wine, getting a bit tipsy, and just having a great time.

Meet and talk with the other wine festival attendees. You will usually find them quite friendly after an hour of wine tasting. The winery merchants are quite willing to talk to you about their wines, and the tours of their vinyards they offer. Make a full day of it and see if you can make a new friend or business associate.

Wine festivals can be a lot of fun and also a great learning experience for the wine enthusiast. Following some simple tips can give you a lot more out of the experience and will give you a great springboard to enjoy more wine festivals in your area or in another state entirely.