San Diego Pride Introduces First-Ever `Wine Steals Grotto'

at July Festival

San Diego Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride has teamed with Wine Steals to present an area in the festival geared expressly for wine aficionados, called the Wine Steals Grotto. More than 50 wineries hailing from the West Coast, France and Italy will pour their latest and greatest releases during the two-day festival, scheduled for July 19 and 20.

According to Ron deHarte, executive director of San Diego LGBT Pride, the "grotto" represents the first time in Pride's history that a wine-centric area will be incorporated into the festival. The space will be organized and hosted by Wine Steals, a popular wine bar with locations in Hillcrest and Point Loma and another due to open in Cardiff by late June.

Visitors to the Wine Steals Grotto can purchase tasting tickets or opt for full pours at the grotto's wine bar, which will also feature homemade Sangria from Wine Steals. Representatives from the wineries will be available at each tasting table to dispense pours and discuss their labels. The grotto can be found at the grassy tip of Marston Point within the festival grounds in Balboa Park. Visitors must be 21 years of age and older to enter the wine area.

"The idea has been well supported. All of the wineries we invited were eager to come on board," says Ken Mills, co-owner of Wine Steals. "And as we celebrate our fifth anniversary of Wine Steals in Hillcrest, this is our first chance to give back to the community in a big way," he adds.

The festival will also feature dance floors, multiple performance stages, beverage gardens, and hundreds of exhibits and other attractions. Festival admission is $15 for single-day tickets or $25 for a weekend pass. Advanced tickets can be purchased through a newly introduced "instant e-ticketing" system on the San Diego Pride web site, allowing festival goers to buy and print tickets from their home computers. The web site is www.SanDiegoPride.org.

For more information, call 619-297-7683.

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