> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Malibu fest arrives through grapevine
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/malibu-fest-arrives-through-grapevine/
- Published: 2006-03-30T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T17:24:14.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Malibu, #archive-import

*Love is in the Malibu air for food, wine enthusiasts*

*By Daily Press staff*

ZUMA BEACH — Hundreds of foodies and wine enthusiasts this weekend will gather here to get a taste of what Malibu and the regions to the north have to offer off the vines and in the kitchens.

The third annual Malibu Wine Classic will take place at the tented grounds at the Sunset Restaurant at Westward/Zuma Beach in Malibu on April 1\. The 2006 “tasting” event brings together an anticipated 80 wineries and 30 restaurants, featuring the best wines of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Los Angeles and Ventura counties, with samples of the signature dishes from dozens of the area’s top restaurants.

Participants will sample wines from popular Central and South Coast wineries, as well as private micro-wineries typically available only via exclusive mailing lists, such as Saxum, Linne Colado and L’Aventure. About a dozen of Malibu’s own 37 wine makers will be offering barrel samples of wine entirely native to the city.

Michael Barnes, who is an entertainment attorney in Santa Monica, came up with the idea of the wine classic more than three years ago not only because he loves wine and owns a small vineyard at his Malibu ranch but also because he believed the city needed it.

“Malibu didn’t have a big, public event, which is important,” he said, adding as a native Iowan, he missed the community gatherings that Midwest cities are famous for — like county fairs, city picnics and tractor pulls.

“But it’s in a way also to give a bit of recognition to these local wineries,” Barnes said.

The event has inauspicious beginnings — it consisted of about 50 enthusiasts who held a food and wine competition. Barnes and others were able to convince about 40 wineries to send in bottles and six restaurants brought in food. The group judged and gave out awards like “best wine with pizza.”

The second year, Barnes and organizers put a tent on the sand next to Sunset Restaurant and 1,000 people showed up. A competition was held the night before the event but no seemed to care, Barnes recalled.

“They just cared about getting together, and sampling food and drinking wine,” he said.

To accommodate the anticipated growth this year, the Malibu Wine Classic will consist of two wine and food tasting sessions. An afternoon tasting will be held from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., and an evening tasting from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Barnes expects between 800 and 900 people per session. A silent auction of wine, travel and luxury items will be included in the festivities. One hundred percent of the proceeds benefits Childhelp, one of the oldest and largest national non-profits dedicated to the prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect. Barnes hopes to raise about $100,000 for Childhelp from this year’s event.

Tickets are $75 per session in advance, or $125 for both sessions and can be purchased online at www.malibuwineclas-sic.com. Tickets are $100 per session at the door on the day of the event.

Barnes, who works at the entertainment boutique law firm Barnes Morris Klein Mark Yorn Barnes & Levine, spends his free time indulging in his true passion for great wine and fine friends. Barnes grows and vints Syrah, John Selman, the co-founder of the Malibu Wine Classic, is a former technology executive with a graduate school stint as a bartender. He became enamored with food and wine while entertaining his clients at IBM. Little did he know that his penchant for seeking out haute new eateries and wineries would become a new career.

In 2001, the Malibu denizen took a left turn to pursue his passion and purchased a failing gourmet food and wine shop. Through an investment of hard work and his ability to befriend strangers, Selman re-invented it as the premier wine boutique in the area. Today, Malibu Village Wines serves as a burgeoning social hub for the winemak-ers of Malibu and a magnet for wine sellers from all over the world.

As co-founder of the Malibu Wine Classic, Selman views Malibu as the gateway to the booming Central Coast wine region.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/033006-05_01.jpg)

at last year’s Malibu Wine Classic drink in some offerings. (Photo: Photo courtesy Attendees)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/033006-05_02.jpg)

at last year’s Malibu Wine Classic drink in some offerings. (Photo: Photo courtesy Attendees)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 30, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/033006.pdf?ref=smdp.com)