Vine and Brine

Coastal festival offers seafood, crab and wine

By Kerry McDaniel Boenisch

The Astoria Warrenton Crab, Seafood & Wine Festival happens each year in April. For the last decade, I’ve judged its UnWined Competition; sipping, savoring and scoring amazing Oregon wine submissions. Growing up on our family winery, McDaniel Vineyards, now called Torii Mor Winery, I never envisioned working a job so fun.

Sensory perception is a complex process: a delicate symphony of interrelated tastes, smells and sights. In wine judging, each component contributes to the final score. The metaphor for life here is obvious: put down the screen and rely on your olfactory senses to rediscover the simple joy of savoring the “good things.”

The festival’s history represents an ingenious testament to promoting regional seafood, along with wine and beer industries. In the fall of 1981, Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce members were charged with attracting people during the off-season.

The committee envisioned a crawfish festival, but soon deciding “Crab and Seafood” was a more appealing name. A councilman oversaw the project amid many comments of “harebrained” and criticisms over wasted time and money allocation. Unphased, he continued planning “The Great Astoria Crab Feed and Seafood Festival.” In a moment of optimism, he ordered 800 crabs for the dinner!

The one-day event, premiering in 1982, attracted an estimated crowd of 6,000. The 800 crab dinners which cost $7.50, sold out by 5:30 p.m. With 30 booths selling food, Oregon wines, crafts, a beer garden and live music, the “harebrained” idea proved successful.

Today, the event lasts over three days, featuring 100+ booths, tasting options from 40 wineries, beer, cider, kombucha and non-alcoholic drink vendors, two live music stages and a shuttle service. Though predominantly crab and seafood, additional food choices include vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and kid-friendly options.

Come savor smoked salmon and a glass of Chardonnay or enjoy a craft beer with the crab dinner. These quintessential Pacific Northwest sensory experiences can be yours, too. And, of course, the opportunity to shop locally and support an iconic, four-decade-old community event remains a bonus. In the words of the immortal Julia Child: “Bon Appétit!”

Astoria Warrenton Crab, Seafood & Wine Festival

Friday – Sunday, April 25 – 27
Friday: 4 – 9 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Clatsop County Fair & Expo Center, 92937 Walluski Loop, Astoria.

Friday-Saturday, $25; Sunday, $15.
Buy tickets: astoriacrabfest.com.

FESTIVAL TIPS FROM A WINE JUDGE

1. Take the shuttle! Roundtrip service is $3 from area hotels, campgrounds and convenient park-and-ride locations in Astoria and Warrenton, including the Port of Astoria. (Parking is limited at the festival.)

2. Consider Uber, Lyft or a taxi.

3. Go camping! The largest campground, Fort Stevens, is across from a KOA campground with a heated pool. Both are located on a stunning spit leading to the Pacific Ocean– by bike or car. Lewis & Clark Golf and RV Park is another great alternative.

4. Bring your own shopping bag to fill with your purchases.

5. Wear comfortable shoes!

Kerry McDaniel Boenisch is an author, speaker, wine judge and "Wine Sisters Cheers to Change" Vlog co-host with Atlanta, Georgia Corks and Cuvee wine store owner Regina Jones Jackson. She is currently working on her fourth book, Fall Down, Stand Up, Learning From Loss Amidst the Vines— The Beginners Guide to Grieving, Empty-nesting and Finding Joy, due out this fall. Her three books are Vineyard Memoirs (2004), Dirt+Vine=Wine (2015)  and Intertwined— Grief, Gratitude and Growing a Vineyard (2019).