Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco - In spite of not being a wine growing region, Puerto Vallarta has celebrated an annual Wine Festival for the last ten years - and this year will be no exception. The 11th Annual Vallarta Wine Fest is set to take place March 1-5 at some of the finest restaurants and hotels in Vallarta-Nayarit.

The Vallarta Wine Fest is a party for everyone; everyone is not only invited, but also encouraged, to participate. It's a party for the village, designed to diffuse the Arts & Wine culture to all of the social classes in the region.

This year, the festival includes two Master Lectures, Wine Tastings, a Wine Expo, Wine Makers' Dinners and the traditional Gran Verbena Popular with Mexico and Italy as Guests of Honor.

Master Lectures:

This year's special guest is Allegra Antinori, a member of the 10th oldest family owned company in the world and the largest wine maker in Italy. As part of the most important individual wine supplier in the world, Allegra Antinori will be this year's guest lecturer, presenting "The History of Vinos Antinori and Wines in Today's World" at 11:00 am on Thursday, March 2 at Hotel Friendly Vallarta.

The second Master Lecture will be "The Wines of Mexico and Their Current Consumption" at 11:00 am on Friday, March 3, also at Hotel Friendly Vallarta. Entrance to both lectures is free.

Wine Tastings:

On Thursday, March 2 at 1 pm, Velas Vallarta will host a Tasting of five Tignanello wines, rated the eighth best wine in the world in 2016. Cost: $1,250 pesos. Seating is limited.

A Tasting of five Mexican wines, same grape, same vintage, different wineries will be held in the same venue at 1:00 pm on Friday, March 3. Cost $250 pesos. Limited seating.

Wine Expo:

On Saturday, March 4th from 3:00 to 5:00 pm, Velas Vallarta Hotel will host the Festival's Wine Expo. This event allows all wine-lovers to enjoy a variety of wines accompanied by various cheeses, breads, and deli meats. Cost: $200 pesos.

Wine Makers' Dinners:

Throughout the festival, you can also sample fine wines at wine tastings and food pairing events hosted by some of the finest gourmet restaurants around Banderas Bay, including: La Dolce Vita, La Leche, Portobello, La Terraza Di Roma and Le Kliff in Puerto Vallarta; Portobello Bistro & Lounge and La Dolce Vita in Nuevo Vallarta; Frascati in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle; and Don Pedros in Sayulita.

Participating Hotel Restaurants include: Andrea at Hotel Velas Vallarta; Emiliano at Casa Velas; Luca at Grand Velas Nuevo Vallarta, Vid a Vid at Vidanta and the Fiesta Americana Grand Hotel.

Wine Fest Gran Verbena Popular:

Set to take place on Sunday, March 5 from 6-9 pm at Lazaro Cardenas Park, the Verbena Popular, a.k.a. The Great Wine Fest, is a fun-filled evening of live entertainment, gourmet food tastings and wines by the glass at truly promotion prices. Admission is free.

The mission of Vallarta Wine Fest is to provide attendees the opportunity to experience the artistic and cultural aspects of the wine culture. It also gives tourists another reason to visit Puerto Vallarta. For more information and a full schedule of events, check out WineFestVallarta on Facebook.