In Good Spirits
From wine and Champagne to bourbon, craft beer and cocktails, November gives northwest Florida plenty of reasons to raise a glass.
There is an art to a good pour. The right bottle. The right glass. The right table — and, perhaps most importantly, the right company.
This November, northwest Florida gives us plenty of opportunities to practice. Some of the coast’s most anticipated culinary events arrive within weeks of one another, bringing celebrated vintners, inventive mixologists, craft brewers and talented chefs together from Pensacola Beach to 30A.
There are grand tastings and intimate dinners, Champagne and bourbon, craft beer and cocktails. There are bottles to discover, pairings to savor and more than a few reasons to linger over another glass.
Whether your preference is red, white, bubbly, barrel-aged or shaken with something unexpected, November offers a spirited way to taste your way along the coast.
Here’s where to get in good spirits.
Harvest Wine & Food Festival
Oct. 15-18 | WaterColor
WaterColor welcomes the 10th annual Harvest Wine & Food Festival for four days of exceptional wine and culinary experiences. The weekend includes intimate wine dinners, Harvest After Dark, the signature Grand Tasting in Cerulean Park and a spirited Jazz Cocktail Brunch finale. The Grand Tasting’s VIP Tent is presented by The Dahler & Co. Team with Scenic Sotheby’s International Realty and Emerald Coast Magazine. Proceeds benefit children in need throughout Northwest Florida through the Northwest Florida Children’s Foundation.
18th Annual Baytowne Wharf Beer Fest | Miramar Beach
Oct. 16–17 | The Village of Baytowne Wharf
It may not be Oktoberfest in the traditional sense, but with more than 150 domestic and international craft beers on tap, Baytowne Wharf Beer Fest earns a place in the fall festivities. (You can find more traditional Oktoberfest events here.)
The 18th annual celebration begins Friday evening with the Baytowne Backyard Bash, where beer shares the spotlight with bourbon tastings, live music, tailgate-inspired fun and bonfires under the stars.
Saturday brings the main event. From 2 to 5 p.m., the Grand Tasting transforms the Village of Baytowne Wharf into a walkable tasting room, with breweries pouring an extensive lineup of craft beers from around the country and beyond.
Taste of the Beach
Oct. 29–Nov. 1 | Pensacola Beach
We’ll start our tour a few days before November officially arrives. Taste of the Beach turns Pensacola Beach into a four-day celebration of Gulf Coast flavors, beginning with a sunset cocktail cruise and continuing with a VIP trolley dinner, Saturday’s signature festival and a Sunday brunch.
Saturday’s festivities at Casino Beach bring together 16 Pensacola Beach restaurants serving signature dishes alongside beer, wine and frozen cocktails, with live music and culinary activities rounding out the day.
For those who prefer their cocktails with a view, Thursday’s sunset cruise offers an open bar, hors d’oeuvres and an evening on the water.
Seeing Red Wine Festival
Nov. 5–8 | Seaside
Seeing red is generally something to avoid. In Seaside each November, it’s something to celebrate.
Now in its 34th year, the Seeing Red Wine Festival returns for four days devoted to wine, food and the people behind both. The weekend begins with a Vintner’s Dinner at Bud & Alley’s, then moves into Friday’s Al Fresco Reserve Tasting, where winemakers and vintners pour vintage and reserve wines.
Saturday brings Battle of the Somms and the festival’s signature Grand Tasting in Central Square, pairing wines from around the world with cuisine from local chefs and restaurants.
Sunday finishes on an appropriately effervescent note with Celebration of Bubbles, a brunch featuring Champagne, Cava, Prosecco and other sparkling wines.
Pirate Brew Fest
Nov. 7 | Destin
Not every great pour requires stemware.
Pirate Brew Fest returns to Destin for its second year with craft brews, food trucks, live music and enough pirate-inspired mischief to loosen things up between wine weekends.
Held at Fudpucker’s Beachside Bar & Grill, the festival is free to attend, with drink packages available for those who want to sample the brews. Local makers, games and a pirate costume contest add to an afternoon that takes its spirits considerably less seriously — in the best possible way.
Alys Beach Crafted
Nov. 11–14 | Alys Beach
At Alys Beach, what’s in the glass is only part of the story.
Alys Beach Crafted celebrates the process behind the pour, bringing together distillers, brewers, chefs, mixologists and artisans for four days devoted to creativity and craftsmanship.
Born from the community’s Firkin Fête, Crafted has expanded into a collection of experiences exploring food, beverages and artistry. This year’s schedule includes experiential dinners, the Spirited Soirée, Firkin Fête and the Holiday Makers Market.
The result is less traditional festival and more celebration of the people who obsess over getting every detail just right — from what’s poured into the glass to what’s placed beside it.
Proceeds benefit the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County.
Dakota Shy Wine Dinner
Nov. 13 | Inlet Beach
For something a little more intimate, Cuvée 30A brings Napa Valley to the eastern end of 30A for an evening with Dakota Shy Winery.
The five-course wine dinner pairs Chef Tim Creehan’s menu with vintages from the small-production Napa Valley winery. Seating is limited, making this one less about working your way through a festival crowd and more about settling in at the table and letting each course — and each glass — have its moment.
Rosemary Beach Uncorked
Nov. 14 | Rosemary Beach
Some invitations are worth getting on the list for.
Rosemary Beach Uncorked celebrates its 15th year with its signature culinary and wine walkabout through the town center. Ten participating restaurants will each prepare three dishes paired with three wines, allowing guests to create their own route through the three-hour event.
Additional SIP Stops, live music and, new this year, a VIP experience add even more to the afternoon.
Both general admission and VIP tickets have sold out, but a waitlist remains available — and if nothing else, consider this your reminder to mark the calendar early for next year.
Blues, Brews & BBQ
Nov. 14 | Destin
If wine pairings aren’t quite your speed, head west and trade the corkscrew for barbecue tongs.
Blues, Brews & BBQ returns to HarborWalk Village with local restaurants, breweries and distilleries competing for bragging rights in barbecue, local brews and creative cocktails.
Ticket holders get to help choose the winners while sampling the competition, with live blues providing the soundtrack along Destin Harbor. Better still, each winning competitor earns a donation for a local charity of its choice.
Smoke, spirits and blues on the harbor? We’ll drink to that.
Bourbon Gala
Nov. 19 | Destin
One final pour takes us back to Destin, where bourbon gets dressed up for the evening.
The Destin Chamber’s 60th Anniversary Bourbon Gala at Henderson Beach Resort combines the organization’s milestone anniversary celebration with the 14th annual Bourbon at the Bay.
The evening includes bourbon and Champagne tastings, a signature anniversary cocktail, Champagne toast, wine pull, silent auction and food and dessert stations. VIP guests receive additional tastings, while the anniversary gives this year’s gathering a little extra reason to toast.
After all, a good celebration deserves a good bourbon.
Raise a Glass
Wine may take center stage in November, but these gatherings are about more than what’s being poured. They are about discovering the people who make it, the chefs who pair it and the communities that turn an afternoon tasting or dinner around a table into a tradition worth returning to.
So find something new. Order the bottle you haven’t tried. Ask the winemaker a question. Raise a glass with an old friend — or make a new one over a particularly good pour.
After all, November on the Northwest Florida coast is best enjoyed in good spirits.
Worth A Toast
After more than two decades of raising millions for children in need, Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation is entering a new era — and doing so with a new name.
The organization is now Northwest Florida Children’s Foundation, a change that better reflects what it has become: a year-round philanthropic organization serving children and families throughout the region.
What began as a single wine auction benefiting three local charities has grown considerably in both reach and impact. Since its founding, the organization has donated more than $42 million to children’s causes across Northwest Florida, supported by a community of donors, volunteers, partners and participating charities.
“This new name is more than a change in words,” the organization shared in announcing the transition. “It reflects who we have become and where we are going.”
While the name is changing, the mission remains firmly centered on children. The transition recognizes an organization whose work has expanded well beyond its signature event, with philanthropy and community partnerships now extending throughout the year.
“Our new name puts that purpose at the forefront,” the announcement said.
“While wine and the auction will always be an important part of our story, Northwest Florida Children’s Foundation more clearly represents the full scope of our work, the region we serve, and most importantly, the children at the heart of our mission.’
President Karah Fridley-Young
The organization’s roots in wine and hospitality aren’t disappearing, either. The events and experiences that helped build its following — and the community surrounding them — remain an important part of its fundraising efforts. Instead, the new identity provides a broader umbrella for the work those events make possible.
For longtime supporters, Northwest Florida Children’s Foundation represents both continuity and evolution: the same commitment to local children, expressed through a name that tells the story more clearly.
More than $42 million later, the next chapter is just beginning.