Art Predator Gwendolyn Alley leads an informal tasting of Gold Coast wines on the Gold Coast; photo by Karen McMahon

What better way to spend a summer day than tasting Gold Coast Wine Competition wines along the Gold Coast? Many California county fairs like the Orange County Fair and regions like the California Mid-State Fair are famous for their commercial wine competitions, and winning wineries proudly display their medals. Wineries large and small submit their wines to see how they stand side by side. Ventura County winemaker Steve Holt, a frequent judge, realized that the Ventura County Fair was missing something– a commercial wine competition that would celebrate and showcase local and regional wines, and even wines from beyond the central and southern coastal regions.  Plus an opportunity to taste the wines!

Gold Coast red wines on the Gold Coast include Cab Franc, Cab Sauv, and merlot

So in 2024, Steve Holt started the “Gold Coast Wine Competition” with a published mission to “celebrate the best in winemaking from vineyards across Ventura County and the broader Central Coast AVA—recognizing craftsmanship in every varietal.” The competition is paired with sharing those wines in a display as well as featuring some by the glass and the bottle with different wineries daily pouring their wines, plus music on the Wine Garden stage (see who is when below!) Steve commented that the wines have definitely improved over the years, and he is excited to see the competition grow in the coming years.

“Having the opportunity to pour our wines personally gives us a chance to share the story behind Flying H Wine,” said Michelle Parcher. In 2025, the Flying H Chardonnay won best White and Best in Show; their wines will be poured daily during the fair and on August 5 from 12-430p, someone from the winery will be there.

“Every bottle represents our family’s ranching heritage, our vineyards, and the passion that goes into producing our wines. It’s a chance to meet the people behind the label, ask questions, and taste the wines while learning what makes them unique.”

Last week, Steve Holt invited winemaker Shaun Frohn from Camarillo Custom Crush, sommelier Jeremy Hamm from Stonehaus in Westlake, and I to meet up at Camarillo Custom Crush to determine winners for 2026. We tasted 36 wines blind– knowing nothing about them except what we could see, smell, and taste. Wines came out already poured into glasses four at a time, and as we sat side by side, we scored each one according to appearance, aroma, palate, finish, and overall impression. Servers tallied scores, and we retasted a few that tied. Then we tasted the winning wines in each class to determine best of show.

2 CA Sangiovese

White wines ranged from familiar Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc to less well known wines like fragrant Malvasia Bianca (Fallendown Tree $40). We judges most enjoyed an unusual blend of 50% Chardonnay, with 25% zingy Sauvignon Blanc, plus 15% aromatic Viognier and 10% spicy Gewurztraminer that was made in stainless steel, but the third place Chardonnay  from Strey Cellars was also popular– made in Stainless steel from Chardonnay grown in Santa Maria Valley. Strey recently moved to the former Cantara Cellars space in Camarillo.

rose

We all definitely enjoyed the first place rose from Glass Pumpkin. They only grow Cabernet Sauvignon in their Malibu vineyards which they make into rose, red, and dessert wines.

Winning Red and Best of Show with steak BBQ along the Rincon

In the red category, a favorite for me was a Cabernet Franc from Strey Cellars. Monterey’s Fallendown Tree Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon ($40) came in First and Best in Show, while their 2022 Syrah ($40) scored second place. They also submitted a 2023 Syrah from the same vineyard which was well received. We tasted lots of Syrah but it was a Tannat from Ojai’s Bocalli ($40) which came in third place.

lots of Syrah

Read more about the competition and the winning wines in my article for the July 30, 2026 issue of the VC Reporter here.

When I say most wineries in the competition are very small, I mean they produce under 1000 cases total making the Ventura County Fair a great place to discover new wineries. Find a display of competing wines and taste wines by the glass or the bottle from ten wineries from noon-9:30p in the Fair’s Wine Garden while enjoying live entertainment until 7p daily on the Garden Stage. Scroll down for more info about entertainment.

So what happens to the wines after they are sampled and reviewed for the completion? Sue and I tasted and paired some of  them–read more here at “Winning Wines from the Ventura County Fair with Summer Pairs.”

This year, I was tasked with emptying the bottles, rinsing them clean, and returning them to the Fairgrounds for display.

That’s 36 bottles– 3 cases of wine!

So I called for help. On the evening of the competition, six of us gathered at the beach along the Rincon (Old Pacific Coast Highway 1) for a BBQ. It was perfect weather, and we had fun tasting and comparing the wines, and I took pictures.

Gold Coast wines on the Gold Coast; photo by Karen McMahon

Since there were still plenty of bottles to empty, I contacted more friends for a potluck at the beach. I was kept busy pouring and educating people about the wines, so no time for photos! Fortunately, my friends took some for me to share.

Since it was SO WARM — in the 80s at the beach!– the whites really hit the spot, like Leap 29 Wines Pinot Grigio, as did the Glass Pumpkin 2023 Rose of Cabernet Sauvignon ($35) but people were happy to move on to the reds which I did my best to chill down earlier and to keep them cool.

And then a poolside BBQ!

Strey Cellars submitted 2 wines that were definitely winning in my book: Cab Franc and Pinot Noir! Great with chicken and a hot dog!

So which wines won at the 2026 Gold Coast Wine Competition? 

White Wine

• First: Strey Cellars NV “Inclined” White Blend $32
• Second:  San Antonio “Maddalena” 2023 Chardonnay $1
• Third: Strey Cellars 2023 Chardonnay $30

Rose Wine

• First: Glass Pumpkin 2023 Rose of Cabernet Sauvignon $35
• Second: Strey Cellars 2025 Rose of Grenache $32
• Third: Strey Cellars 2025 Second Chance Rose of Cabernet Sauvignon

Red Wine

• First and Best of Show: Fallendown Tree Vineyards 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon $40
• Second: Fallendown Tree Vineyards “Parallel Vines” 2022 Syrah $36
• Third: Boccali Vineyards “Red Tail” 2023 Tannat $40

Dessert 

• First: Strey Cellars 2018 Tawny $42
• Second: Strey Cellars 2020 Petite Syrah $38
• Third: Glass Pumpkin 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Late Harvest $35

Read more about the Gold Coast Wine Competition on their website.

Fair Entertainment

• Wednesday, July 29 – 7:30pm: (Opening Day) Bush
• Thursday, July 30 – 7:30pm: Marshmello
• Friday, July 31 – 7:30pm: Iration
• Saturday, August 1 – 7:30pm: Jake Owen
• Sunday, August 2 – 3:00pm: Herencia de Patrones ft. Banda Maguey and Banda Toro
• Monday, August 3 – 7:30pm: Ashanti ft. Bow Wow
• Tuesday, August 4 – 7:30pm: Switchfoot ft. Hoobastank
• Wednesday, August 5 – 7:30pm: Nate Smith

Garden Stage entertainment