Tasting Pavillion. Credit: Pebble Beach Food & Wine

Pebble Beach Food & Wine 2026: What to Eat, Drink, and See

10 Minute read

01 Feb 2026

Journalist

From chef-driven dinners and walk-around tastings to rare wine seminars and collaborative meals, a look at what defines Pebble Beach Food & Wine this year.

Pebble Beach Food & Wine returns April 9–12 with 50 events across the Monterey Peninsula, from grand tastings and intimate chef dinners to beachside cocktail mixers, scenic golf outings, and rare wine cellar experiences. More than 150 award-winning chefs and 150 wine and spirits producers will gather for a long weekend anchored at The Inn at Spanish Bay.

Newcomers including Shota Nakajima, Gastón Acurio, and Val M. Cantú join returning favorites such as Philip Tessier and Maneet Chauhan.

“I’m looking forward to seeing all of my chef friends and the delicious bites, demos and guests I get to meet,” Shota Nakajima says. He will cook at an Asian dinner collaboration with Roy Yamaguchi and serve his signature take on Japanese comfort food at walk-around events.

Chef Philip Tessier of PRESS is cooking a dinner celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Judgment of Paris. “Pebble Beach is such a beautiful place to visit and the closest food and wine event to us in Napa Valley, giving us the chance to represent and share the best of the region with guests from near and far,” he says. “This dinner is particularly exciting and personal, offering a rare opportunity to honor the enduring legacy of a competition that transformed the world of wine as we know it.”

Jonathan Waxman celebrates his 75th birthday at the festival with an extravagant dinner hosted by chef friends including Paul Kahan and Michael Symon. Hudson Valley Farms foie gras is slated to appear at Markus Glocker’s French table, while other dinners span Peruvian cooking from Gastón Acurio, Italian classics from Karen Akunowicz and David Nayfeld, and a Mexico-focused collaboration from Val M. Cantú and Ana Castro.

For those who prefer to keep moving, the weekend also includes 10 walk-around tastings across four days. For the first time, the festival concludes with a boozy Sunday brunch for guests ready for one last hurrah.

On the American food festival circuit, Pebble Beach Food & Wine is known for its serious focus on wine and spirits. This year’s highlights include a master blending seminar with Hennessy Paradis, a bourbon seminar exploring the legacy of Old Rip Van Winkle with a Pappy Van Winkle vertical tasting, an intimate conversation with the team behind Harlan Estate, and Champagne tastings with Louis Roederer and Jacquesson.

“Our longstanding presence at Pebble Beach Food & Wine has shown that conversations go beyond surface-level tasting notes, but rather into craftsmanship, time, and intent, values that are at the heart of Champagne Louis Roederer, especially as we mark our 250th anniversary,” says Cyprien Roy, director of communications at Roederer’s U.S. importer, Maisons Marques & Domaines. “For us, it’s not about visibility alone, but about engaging with a community that appreciates authenticity. The setting itself, unlike any other, reinforces that sensibility.”

Several ticketing packages are available, including a walk-around package priced at $1,750 that grants general admission to a selection of signature walk-around events throughout the weekend. Gold and Diamond packages add accommodations and access to VIP experiences such as the opening night reception, invite-only after-parties, courtesy shuttle service, and early access to wine seminars and seated lunches and dinners. À la carte tickets for most events offer flexibility for guests looking to tailor their schedules.

“What makes Pebble Beach Food & Wine so unique is its sense of community and collaboration,” says Elliot Bell, chef and owner of Charlie's, who is returning for his second year. “Unlike other festivals, they invite participating chefs, winery owners, and sommeliers to mingle and experience the event alongside guests.”