Rare California Wines: Festival of Undiscovered Grapes LA

When you’re a new winer lover, you may find yourself ordering one of the common wines you see on restaurant menus or at wine bars, such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Pinot Noir. You know you like them, they’re readily available, and familiarity helps you be more comfortable selecting which varietal to pair with your meal. It’s easy to stay in your comfort zone, which is okay if you’re happy with the regulars, but you’d be missing a lot of wonderful wines. Attending the Festival of Undiscovered Grapes, featuring many rare California wines, is an excellent way to segue into getting more adventurous with your palate, and you may find yourself a new favorite.

The festival, formerly known as The Festival of Forgotten Grapes, is in its third year. Held in Los Angeles, at the beautiful Mica Studio, the founders, Allison and Eva, added on a new location in San Jose this year. I was gifted the opportunity to attend the LA festival, where I met some trailblazing winemakers and tried <so> many incredible wines — too many to list them all here, but I’m going to try to summarize and give you my thoughts on some favorites, as well as a summary of the festival itself. (First tip: buy your ticket to go next year!)

Festival of Undiscovered Grapes details:

• The festival has both General Admission (GA) tickets and VIP passes. VIP provides early entry, free delivery, and some swag. (It’s also a lot less crowded, though the layout flows well and even if there is a slight line at a winery’s table, it typically moves pretty quickly.)
• It runs from 2:00pm through 5:00pm for GA ticket holders, and VIP can enter at noon.
• VIP holders are invited to attend a pre-tasting discussion about the wine industry. (This year, it was Lodi and its lesser-known wine varietals.)
• Tastes are unlimited, and one souvenir glass is provided per person.
• Each winery is represented by winery staff or the winemakers themselves, so you can ask all the questions you want about each rare wine varietal. (You’ll come away with so much knowledge.)
• Wine is not for sale at the venue, but home delivery is free for VIP pass holders, and only $20 for GA ticket holders. (They literally hand deliver it to you at your door! No delivery company is involved, and you’ll be given a day and itinerary in advance.)
• Food vendors are available onsite. (Fuego’s has THE best empanadas each year.)
• Souvenirs, such as t-shirts, are available for purchase.
• Every guest receives a printed guidebook with information on each winery, wine highlights, wine notes, and coupons for special wine-related deals.
• There were over 60 wineries representing this year, with wine varietals that make up 7% of California’s grapes.
• No one under 21 is permitted to enter, even if they are a designated driver. (I say this because I mentioned to a person I met at a winery that I was going to the event, and she said she’d have her 17 year old go with her to drive her home. Adults only!)

With the basics out of the way, let’s dive in to my actual experience. I was fresh out of major back surgery recovery, so we only attended for three hours. That doesn’t sound like a lot of time but trust me, it’s plenty. (But five, with VIP, including the speaker portion, is even better if you can swing it.) That’s a lot of sips and discussions.

Some event tips and suggestions:

• Arrive early. Parking is readily available, but you may need to walk in a bit if you aren’t there early enough to get it right by the venue. You’ll likely have to parallel park and spots may be tight.
• If you can, uber. There is a lot of wine. Drink responsibly.
• If you didn’t get VIP passes, which come with a bag, take your own cross-body or something over the shoulder in which to carry business cards, stickers or other things you pick up along the way. You’ll want one hand free for tasting, and another for trying some snacks or keeping notes, and you’ll need a place to hold your order form and notes.
• KEEP NOTES ALONG THE WAY. This may be my most important tip. You will try a lot of rare wine varietals, and you’ll get your favorites mixed up if you don’t keep copious notes of what you liked or what you want to avoid. (If you find yourself feeling the effects, you may have a harder time remembering which ones you want to order! That’s an expensive mistake to make.) Photos can help.
• Research the wineries before you arrive. The list is available on the website. This will give you an idea of those you want to prioritize and definitely not miss, and which wines you want to be sure you taste. Some varietals are sought out more often, so eyeball where the table is at to visit later if there’s a crowd. Create a list of the wines you’ve never tried — now’s your chance! Here is the 2026 winery list for the Los Angeles festival.
• Trust the winemakers! More than once, I heard people telling the winery team they were incorrect about in which order to pour their tastes. These people know their wines — listen to their recommendations and let them guide you through your tastes. If you don’t like rosè or red or even white wines, tell them, but also, be open to trying new things.
• Yes, there are spit cups available. You are not required to drink every wine you try — but you’ll probably want to.

So what exactly is the purpose of the Festival of Undiscovered Grapes? This quote from their website explains it best.

With more than 110 unique wine varieties grown in California alone, The Festival of Undiscovered Grapes celebrates the unknown “underdog” grapes of California wine and showcases the winemakers from across the state who share and spread the Undiscovered Grapes love with every bottle they make.

The festival focuses on lesser-known and ‘undiscovered’ wines. Some of the wine varietals you’ll see are: Picpoul, Arinto, Trebbiano, Cinsaut, Vermentino, Gruner Veltliner, Graciano, Carignane, Verdelho, Montepulciano, and many, many more. Orange wine is common amongst the booths, and blends made with so many California grapes you think you know (but probably don’t) are also available.

Let’s do a little deep dive into California grapes. According to official viticultural tracking by the California Department of Food and Agriculture, there are over 140 distinct varieties of wine grapes actively cultivated across the state’s commercial vineyards. The breakdown of the top 10 most popular varieties, which collectively command the clear majority of California’s total wine grape footprint, is led by Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, followed by Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Syrah, Petite Sirah, and Rubired.

On the other end, the state’s least common commercial wine grapes consist of rare heritage varieties, niche blending components, or obscure European imports that each claim a mere micro-fraction of a percent of total acreage. Varieties like Burger, Symphony, Counoise, Trousseau, Marsanne, St. Macaire, Nebbiolo, Mourvèdre, Alicante Bouschet, and Carignane are produced in such small regional quantities that they are frequently aggregated into a collective “Other” statistical category in standard summaries, yet they remain structurally essential to winemakers for historical preservation, complex blending, and climate-resilient viticulture.

That explains why you may have actually run into a few of those rare grapes but been unaware — and why the terms aren’t going to necessarily be familiar. “Other” grapes are quietly gaining territory though and things like the Festival of Undiscovered Grapes are helping the word get out.

Thankfully, the festival provides you a price list as you enter, which breaks down the type of grape, the vineyard, the name, the AVA, and of course, the price. Looking for a Cinsault? Scan down the list and you’ll see several choices.

The guidebook you also receive upon entry tells you about each winery, including location and social media handles, so you can reach out to them or plan a trip to go tasting. The wineries are from all over California. Many offer restaurants or other events at their winery, so trips are about more than just enjoying their wines. (It also includes a lot of two-for-one or complimentary deals on tastings.)

Sometimes it’s easy to feel intimidated when you’re with a community of wine lovers, and I get it, because I’m just in the beginning of my wine education journey and the more I learn, the more I learn that I don’t know. (I’m taking WSET 2 soon myself.) That worry about being judged is often the reason people don’t go to wineries, and I hate to hear that. Festivals like this do for sure have some people that may be very knowledgeable and hard to follow at a booth, but there’s no fear of intimidation at the festival. No one’s judging you, listening to your choices, or giving you any grief for asking questions. It’s literally what the event is for, so let go of your inhibitions and ask the questions! There are also many handouts and business cards available.

My favorites from this year’s festival, well, there are too many to mention and I had to cut off my purchase list at some point; some wines are very affordable and others do get pricey, but the majority were in the $20-$30 range. (And when I say ‘pricey,’ I realize that’s subjective, as many people wouldn’t bat an eye at the cost, but $80-$100 per bottle can be a little cost-prohibitive for some — though it’s cheaper to buy it here at the festival than the cost of the trip to the winery itself, right?)

Back to my favorites. I had a few varietals I had to try, and a few wineries I’d heard excellent things about. A couple didn’t make it on my final purchase roster, but here’s what I ended up ordering. (And remember, no judgement! This is a “no snobbery” wine blog, and we all have different tastes. If you like something, you like it. Don’t let someone else’s opinions of what you should or shouldn’t like deter you.)

Quite an array, right? I’m all over the map with this selection and I’m cool with it.

2025 Alamati Albarino, Andis Barbera d’Amador, 2023 AmByth Divinus, 2023 St. Amant Barbera, 2024 Ulloa Cellars Gruner Veltliner, and 2024 Native Bloom Cinsault. I like white wine and red wine, and our mission at the event was to try as many grapes as I could that I can’t just get at the local wineries, so we spread our wings while still enjoying some favorites.

I’m a big fan of Barbera, and in 2025, we ordered several of the Andis wine so we made sure to purchase more this year. The rest were all first-time purchases. I’ll admit, I’m a sucker for a cool label, so I’m more willing to try a bottle without knowing much about it if the label is cool. Some labels are classic, some are simplistic and clean, and other are dramatic, and while I didn’t make any purchases based solely on label, some pulled me to their table by the label alone.

Speaking of tables, Ulloa Cellars knocked it out of the park with their vibe. Their personalities were also vibrant and engaging and we hung around the table for quite a while, working our way through their entire lineup for the event. If they were closer, I’d be there frequently for the crystal pairings and card reading events. (A winery with things to do? Sign me up.) I

If you’re interested in rare wines from California, or learning more about wineries for possible day trips, club membership, or historical purposes, this event checks all the boxes. Taste to your heart’s content, order your favorites, build a list for future shopping, and meet your people. Look at this crowd!

By the end of the day, smiles are more frequent and you’ll find more people hanging out by the coffee shop or out back amongst the food vendors. Fuegos was there again, along with Hi-Fi Pizza Pi, and Fuegos has, by far, THE best empanadas around. And then the gelato!

Don’t miss next year’s event. Whether you’re new to wine or looking for a chance to visit a lot of unique California wines in one place, this is your chance.