The LA Phil’s Market Tasting Series brings free pours from top winemakers to the Hollywood Bowl every Wed & Sun through Sept 30.
Before the lights drop at the Hollywood Bowl this summer, there’s a different kind of show happening in the Plaza Marketplace.
Starting July 5 and running through September 30, the LA Phil’s Market Tasting Series brings complimentary pours from artisanal winemakers, importers, and beer professionals directly to concertgoers, one hour before doors open, no ticket upgrade required.
The woman behind the selection is Caroline Styne, Hollywood Bowl Food + Wine’s sommelier and wine director, and the recipient of the James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Restaurateur award in 2018. She is pouring some very special wines.
This is the part of the Hollywood Bowl experience that doesn’t make it onto the concert poster, and it probably should.
Caroline Styne and the Case for Taking the Tasting Seriously
The Market Tasting Series soars based on who’s doing the selecting, and Styne’s track record earns attention. Her work across the Lucques Group restaurants, including AOC and Larder Baking Company, built a wine program reputation that trades in the specific rather than the safe.
The wines she’s brought into the Bowl’s program tend toward producers with stories: smaller allocations, importers who work relationships rather than catalogs, varietals that don’t explain themselves with back-label poetry. This summer’s roster includes Skurnik Wines, one of the most respected importer portfolios in the country, alongside Revel Wines, Grapevine Wine Company, Vineyard Brands, Wavy Wines, and Elevage Wines.
Skurnik’s presence in particular is worth noting. This is not a list assembled for accessibility alone.
“Discovering and introducing new wines and craft beers to our guests at the Hollywood Bowl is one of my favorite projects,”
Styne says
“Having complimentary tastings in the Marketplace before the concerts is a fun and delicious way for all our guests to experience our wine program.”
What the Series Actually Looks Like
The tastings run Wednesdays and Sundays through the Bowl’s summer season, beginning with Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass on July 5 and closing with Rubén Blades & Roberto Delgado Big Band on September 30.
The format puts guests face to face with the vintners and wine professionals themselves; not a staffer reading tasting notes off a clipboard, but the people who made or imported what’s in the glass. For a venue that draws 17,000 people on a sold-out night, that kind of direct access is operationally unusual.
Wines and beers featured in the tastings are available for purchase at the Plaza Marketplace and select Hollywood Bowl Food + Wine locations throughout the venue. If something in the glass earns a second look, you can take a bottle to your seat.
The Detail Worth Knowing Before You Go
The Marketplace is at the Box Office Plaza — worth identifying in advance if you’re navigating the Bowl for the first time, since the venue’s geography rewards people who’ve done a pass of the map. Arrive the full hour early. The tasting is complimentary, the pour list rotates with the roster of winemakers, and the crowd at this hour is considerably more manageable than the main gates at showtime.
One practical note that the PR buries at the bottom: ticket holders arriving via the Hollywood Bowl Park & Ride or shuttle bus can show their ticket for 20% off purchases at the Plaza Marketplace, including wine. If you’re driving to the Bowl anyway, the shuttle math just changed.
The full performance calendar is at hollywoodbowl.com.
Tasting Series Schedule:
Sunday, July 5, 2026
Tasting at 4:30 pm
Concert at 7:30 pm
Herb Alpert & Tijuana Brass
Wine Tasting with Will Henry, Lumen Wines Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
Wednesday, July 8, 2026
Tasting at 5:00 pm
Concert at 8:00 pm
Bernstein & Ellington
Wine Tasting with Maggie Klaus, Springboard Wine Distributors, Itri wines from California
Sunday, July 12, 2026
Tasting at 4:00 pm
Concert at 7:00 pm
Music of Wes Anderson – KCRW
Marin Preske, Skurnik Wines – La Spinettta il Rose and il Nero
Wednesday, July 15, 2026
Tasting at 5:00 pm
Concert at 8:00 pm
Salsa Spectacular
Sarah Mathias, Vineyard Brands, Mohua Wines Sauvignon Blanc, Hecht & Bannier Chardonnay
Sunday, July 19, 2026
Tasting at 4:00 pm
Concert at 7:00 pm
Bob Moses and Cannons-KCRW
Keith Fox, Grapevine, wines TBA
Wednesday, July 22, 2026
Tasting at 5:00 pm
Concert at 8:00 pm
Joe Hisaishi Film Music Concert
Jude Zasadski, Wavy Wines – NRG & Super Californian
Sunday July 26, 2026
Tasting at 4:00 pm
Concert at 7:00 pm
Boris Brejcha – KCRW
Keith Fox, Grapevine, wines TBA
Wednesday, July 29, 2026
Tasting at 5:00 pm
Concert at 8:00 pm
Tower Of Power/Preservation Hall
Tom Hunter, Revel Wines – ES Okay White Blend, Las Jaras Glou Glou
Sunday August 2, 2026
Tasting at 4:00 pm
Concert at 7:00 pm
St Vincent – KCRW
Paula Tabalipa winemaker, Tabalipa Wines Sauvignon Blanc and Rose
Wednesday August 5, 2026,
Tasting at 5:00 pm
Concert at 8:00 pm
ZZ Top and Cheap Trick
Winemaker Paula Tabalipa, Tabalipa Wines Sauvignon Blanc and Rose
Sunday August 9, 2026
Tasting at 4:30 pm
Concert at 7:30 pm
How to Train Your Dragon in Concert
Piper Overbaugh, Elevage – Leitz Non-Alcoholic Wines
Wednesday August 19, 2026
Tasting at 5:00 pm
Concert at 8:00 pm
Herbie Hancock/Miles Davis
Keith Fox, Grapevine, wines TBA
Sunday, August 23, 2026
Tasting at 4:00 pm
Concert at 7:00 pm
Gustavo Dudamel Musical Legacy
Jasper Beckmen of Beckmen Wines Sauv Blanc and Cabernet
Sunday, August 30, 2026
Tasting at 4:00 pm
Concert at 6:30 pm
The Commodores and Sheila E
Skyduster Beer
Sunday, September 6, 2026
Tasting at 4:30 pm
Concert at 7:30 pm
Tribute to John Williams
Winemaker/owner Jessica Gasca of Story of Soil, Picpoul Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc Skin Contact
Wednesday, September 9, 2026
Tasting at 5:00 pm
Concert at 8:00 pm
Buddy Guy at 90
Tom Hunter, Revel Wine, Carbonation Sparkling, Poggio Terra Barbera
Sunday, September 13, 2026
Tasting at 4:00 pm
Concert at 7:00 pm
Lucy Dacus
Skyduster Beer
Sunday, September 20, 2026
Tasting at 4:30 pm
Concert at 7:30 pm
Gregory Alan Isakov
Winemaker/owner Jessica Gasca of Story of Soil, Picpoul Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc Skin Contact
Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Tasting at 5:00 pm
Concert at 8:00 pm
Jazz at Lincoln Center with Wynton Marsalis
Jasper Beckmen, Beckmen Wines Sauv Blanc and Cabernet
Sunday, September 27, 2026
Tasting at 4:30 pm
Concert at 7:30 pm
Jon Batiste
Glasrose Farm founders and vintner Sara Hershkowitz & Max Hoetzel, Non-Alcoholic Hibiscus & Blood Orange Verjus and Elderflower & Yuzu Verjus
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Tasting at 5:00 pm
Concert at 8:00 pm
Rubén Blades
Karl Zeigler, owner Roseade Wines, Roseade Wine Spritzer and Tabalipa Rose
Mini FAQ
Are the Hollywood Bowl Market Tastings really free?
Yes, the Market Tasting Series is complimentary for concertgoers. Tastings are held in the Plaza Marketplace one hour before doors open on Wednesday and Sunday concert nights, July 5 through September 30, 2026.
Who selects the wines for the Hollywood Bowl Market Tasting Series?
Caroline Styne, Hollywood Bowl Food + Wine’s sommelier and wine director, hand-selects all wine and beer talent. Styne received the James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Restaurateur award in 2018 and oversees one of the most serious food and beverage programs in any major outdoor venue in the country.
Which wineries and importers are featured in the 2026 series?
Featured participants include Revel Wines, Skurnik Wines, Grapevine Wine Company, Vineyard Brands, Wavy Wines, and Elevage Wines, among others. The roster rotates across the summer season.
Curated by one of LA’s most respected wine pro’s
The Hollywood Bowl Market Tasting Series runs July 5 through September 30 on Wednesday and Sunday concert nights. It’s free, it’s curated by one of LA’s most respected wine pro’s, and it starts an hour before the music does. Show up early.
