It’s the perfect setting for a festival…sun, sand and the sounds of gentle waves crashing on the shore. The Ocean City, MD Inlet has played host to a bevy of events over the years. Just last weekend, the crowds arrived in droves for Sunfest—the annual event that marks the ending of another successful summer season and ushers in the cooler temperatures of the shoulder season. This weekend, Friday September 28^th and Saturday September 29^th, the Inlet hosts yet another stellar event—Wine Fest at the Beach.

For 17 years Wine Fest has brought local purveyors, as well as East Coast vendors to the beach community, offering a vast selection of wines, international cuisine, goods, arts and crafts, and now micro-brewed beer.

This year ten wineries from the state of Maryland, including the Eastern Shore’s own Far Eastern Shore Winery, Layton’s Chance, St. Michaels’ Winery, and the Delaware Coast’s Fenwick Wine Cellars will be sampling and selling their homegrown wines. Six other vineyards from New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Virginia join them. Of these 16 winemakers, a great many of them are award winning.

Wine Fest’s set up allows patrons to stroll through the booths sampling whichever wines they choose. (A certain amount of sample tickets are included with the General Admission tickets.) If a certain wine catches your fancy, bottles are available for purchase right there. And it helps to be able to speak with the wine makers themselves, rather than having to make a selection in a store. For true wine enthusiasts, events like Wine Fest enable prospective customers to learn what goes into each batch of their favorite wine, how long it’s aged, or what growing conditions may have conspired to make a certain year considered special. For everyone else, Wine Fest is a chance to get together with a group of friends, take in the scenic backdrop of the Ocean City, MD skyline and the Atlantic Ocean, and relax with a glass of wine in hand.

In addition to the wines and the wares, entertainment is offered and is included with admission price. This year, Blues Deville, 3 Penny Opera, and Bird Dog and the Road Kings will fill the Inlet with their varied musical stylings, enhancing the already festive atmosphere.

For those who wish to attend, General Admission tickets are available for $25 and include a commemorative Wine Fest glass and sample tickets for one day of the festival. For non-drinkers, the price includes unlimited sodas from the designated driver station, and a commemorative glass. Anyone under the age of 21 must be accompanied by a parent and pay a $5.00 entrance fee. Those ages 7 years and under are free. Tickets are available in advance at the Ocean City Convention Center Box Office, online, or the days of at the gate. Discount coupons can be found, here.

If You Go:

17^th Annual West Fest at the Beach

Ocean City, MD Inlet Parking Lot

Friday, September 28^th 11:00 am to 7:00 pm

Saturday, September 29^th 11:00 am to 7:00 pm

$25.00

For more information visit the Wine Fest website.