Overview The Vail Wine Classic is a three-day August wine festival in Vail, Colorado, where the pours run from two Grand Tasting afternoons on the Vail Athletic Fields to wine hikes that end at lunch and wine dinners in the town's restaurants. The festival counts more than 300 wine, beer and spirit samples across the weekend. Colorado law keeps wine from being sold on site, so guests note what they liked and buy from the wineries afterward. Discover Vail presents it, and Team Player Productions, a Golden, Colorado festival company working since 1996, produces it. On site The Grand Tasting lets people in by tier: Premium Access at 2 p.m. with no more than 15% of the crowd inside, Early Access at 2:30 and general admission at 3, everyone until 5:30. The field carries live music, a marketplace, small bites and charcuterie from local restaurants, and a free bus runs to it from town. In 2026 Best of Fest, called Sips in Full Bloom, moved the reserve and higher-rated wines to the Vail Nordic Center for an evening garden party with guided pairings, live music and a live painter, reached by charter bus from Vail Village. The same year's program put dinners at Ridge + River by Manor Vail and Chasing Rabbits, hikes with lunch through Root and Flower and Avanti, a brunch in Ludwig's Stüberl Room and a patio lunch at DECA + BOL; two sold out. Audience Every event is 21 and over, and children and pets are not admitted anywhere. The festival asks for Mountain Chic with layers for the weather, and for Best of Fest it asked for sundresses, linen suits, florals and pastels. Talent and Influencers Kellie Martin, founder and chief sommelier of SommSchool, led the Best of Fest pairings in 2026. The same year's experts included Master Sommelier Brian Basche of Banfi and chefs Stu Turner of Manor Vail, Nicholas Steger of The Arrabelle, Lucas Ardemagni of Chasing Rabbits and Paul Cunningham of DECA + BOL. The 2026 winery list ran to more than 30 producers, among them Adelsheim from Oregon, J. Lohr from Paso Robles, Robert Biale, Trinchero and Klet Brda from Slovenia, with spirits from Woody Creek Distillers and Tito's. Brand presence Fourteen sponsors appeared on the 2026 sponsor page, with Discover Vail presenting. Packages are built to order through Team Player Productions. A portion of ticket sales went to the festival's 2026 nonprofit partner, the Vail Chamber and Business Association.