The San Joaquin Valley is the only region in the nation that produces table grapes, raisin grapes and wine grapes together, in one place. That is the fact the whole festival is built on — and wine is the third leg of it.
Californians have been growing wine grapes for over two centuries, and while the coastal appellations get the magazine covers, the Valley has always done the harder, less glamorous work of scale — and, increasingly, of quality.
The San Joaquin Valley is the only region in the nation that produces table grapes, raisin grapes and wine grapes — all in one place.
The Whole Vine Festival
Grown and taught at Fresno State
The festival is held at Fresno State, which is not incidental. The university runs a Viticulture & Enology program where students grow, make and sell wine commercially — learning the craft on the same Valley ground the industry depends on.
Proceeds from the festival's wine garden support that program. When you taste there, you are funding the next generation of Valley winemakers rather than a marketing budget.
At the festival
The Wine & Beer Garden is for guests 21 and over. It sits inside the Entertainment Zone alongside the main stage, so you can hear the music from the tables. Bring ID.
Everything poured is local. The point is not a tasting-room checklist — it is meeting the people who grew and made it, in the place it came from.