September 9, 2025 – For many wineries, and certainly for the town of Capitola, this the biggest event of the year. Get ready for the 44th annual Capitola Art & Wine Festival, made possible by the many volunteers who lug, sweat and toil to make this a signature part of the summer coastal experience.
Capitola resident and longtime organizer of the event, Mary Beth Cahalen has been the force behind the winery participation for its entirety, and this year, tells us there are a few new participants, including Big Basin Vineyards.
Here’s the list so far:
37th Parallel and Bent Dime Wines
Bargetto
Beauregard
Big Basin Vineyards
Bottle Jack
Burrell School
Chaucer’s Mead
El Vaquero
Hallcrest and Santa Cruz Scrumpy Ciders
Kissed By An Angel Winery
Left Bend
Martin Ranch
Morgan
Nauman
Roudon-Smith
Ser
Silver Mountain
Sones Cellars
Soquel Vineyards
Stockwell Cellars
Storrs
Wrights Station
This year’s poster artist is Cristina Sayers, whose serene yet restfully colorful painting captures the dreamy summertime vibe of the Capitola Wharf. A native of Santa Cruz who also grew up in Aptos, Capitola and Soquel, Cristina loved art from the start.
Winning the prize of an oil painting set from Palace Arts for a drawing contest led her to pursue her passion. She bills herself as a true child of the 1980s surf era, who as a young mother, raised her first daughter, while working at Pizza My Heart and Nob Hill in Capitola.
Years later, with four children and support from her husband, Johnny, and extended family, Cristina returned to art, developing her signature collage style. A Santa Cruz Open Studios artist since 2013, Sayers has shown at local festivals, including the Pleasure Point Street Fair and Capitola Art & Wine Festival since 2016.
Capitola Art & Wine takes place Saturday and Sunday, September 13 & 14, 2025
Sept 13: 10 to 6pm. Sept 14: 10 to 5pm. Admission Free.
To taste wine: Purchase a 2025 Festival Glass ($20) and tasting tokens at one of the Glass & Token booths conveniently located throughout the festival. Must be 21+. ID is required.
About the author
Laura Ness is a longtime wine journalist, columnist and judge who contributes regularly to Edible Monterey Bay, Spirited, WineOh.Tv, Los Gatos Magazine and Wine Industry Network, and a variety of consumer publications. Her passion is telling stories about the intriguing characters who inhabit the fascinating world of wine and food.
