After the alpine elegance of Aspen and the breezy glamour of Turks & Caicos, culinary travelers set their sights on the American Southwest, where Santa Fe, New Mexico, delivers a flavor experience unlike any other. From September 24–28, 2025, the Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta invites gourmands, winemakers, and culture lovers to gather in a city where chile is not just an ingredient—it’s a celebration of heritage. This five-day festival is a luxurious fusion of bold Southwestern flavors, globally revered wineries, and the kind of cultural resonance you only get in a city that’s both ancient and avant-garde.
It’s not just about food and wine—it’s about place. The adobe architecture, the golden afternoon light, the scent of piñon wood in the air—all of it becomes part of the sensory story that defines this singular event. As with Aspen and the Caribbean, Santa Fe earns its place as a cornerstone of the luxury culinary calendar.
"What started one afternoon in the Santa Fe Railyard on the last Saturday of September 1991 as a one-day food and wine event with 20 restaurants and 20 wineries, has become more than thirty years later an annual five-day event celebrating the best Santa Fe has to offer with over 60 participating restaurants and 90 winery partners. Over 3,500 guests arrive in Santa Fe each September for this one-of-a-kind Fiesta."
- Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta Organization
What makes the Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta so magnetic is its ability to ground high-end dining in the flavors and textures of the desert. The festival unfolds across the city's elegant galleries, lush haciendas, historic hotels, and sun-soaked courtyards—all surrounded by the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
While other wine festivals chase ocean breezes or alpine chic, Santa Fe offers adobe charm, high-altitude air, and a culinary identity built around the chile pepper harvest. Whether it’s a red chile-glazed duck confit or a green chile-infused risotto, chefs here aren’t borrowing flavor—they’re building on centuries of regional tradition.
The 2025 edition introduces even more curated experiences, including wine dinners hosted at private homes, estate tastings with sommeliers from Sonoma, Burgundy, and Mendoza, and the always-packed Grand Tasting at the Santa Fe Opera grounds. It’s rustic refinement at its best: high flavor, low pretense, all wrapped in the sensual palette of New Mexico.
One of the standout moments in this year’s programming is the debut of the Phenomenal Femmes Luncheon, a tribute to women leading the way in food, wine, and hospitality. This isn’t just a celebratory toast—it’s a meaningful panel-meets-meal event, spotlighting award-winning chefs, visionary winemakers, and bold entrepreneurs whose stories stretch from Napa to Oaxaca to Northern New Mexico. Expect power players from names like Domaine Carneros, Duckhorn, and El Nido—serving not only their cuisine, but their perspective on innovation, resilience, and redefining leadership in luxury dining.
This aligns beautifully with other global movements spotlighting women in hospitality, like the Women in Wine Brunch at the Caribbean Food & Wine Festival and Aspen’s forward-thinking panels on diversity in cuisine. Resident Magazine readers will appreciate not only the flavor but the ethos—this is luxury with voice, with purpose, with presence. It’s not about tokenism. It’s about storytelling through food and wine, led by the women shaping what comes next.
Santa Fe doesn’t trade in chain luxury—it crafts its own brand of authentic opulence. During the Wine & Chile Fiesta, staying in the heart of the city is not just convenient; it’s part of the experience. Top-tier accommodations like The Inn of the Five Graces, with its globally sourced interiors and handcrafted elegance, offer more than comfort—they offer immersion. La Posada de Santa Fe, often called “The Art Hotel of New Mexico,” is as much a gallery as it is a five-star stay, complete with private art tours and fireplace suites. Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi, known for its refined rusticity and elevated dining, puts you within walking distance of nearly every major event venue.
For those craving more privacy, luxury casitas and hacienda-style vacation rentals provide secluded elegance, many complete with chef-grade kitchens and mountain views. Book no later than April to ensure optimal location, as this week draws national and international culinary travelers alike.
"The Five Graces refer to the Eastern tradition and philosophy that we are graced with five ways to experience the world’s splendor. Sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste. Here we expand these as offerings, in the form of Experiences & Adventures, Sacred and Joyful Occasions, and curated experiences that inspire your unforgettable encounter with the spirit of the Southwest."
- The Inn of the Five Graces
The schedule for the 2025 Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta is nothing short of gourmet orchestration. Over 60 participating restaurants and 90+ wineries will collaborate for private dinners, grand tastings, cooking demos, and expert-led wine seminars. Key events include the Grand Tasting at the Opera Grounds, Reserve Wine Luncheons, Sommelier Throwdowns, and Chile & Chocolate Pairing Panels that push the boundaries of culinary imagination.
Expect collaborations between local icons like Chef Mark Kiffin of The Compound and the "No Kid Hungry Culinary Events, " international heavyweights from regions like Tuscany, New Zealand, and Bordeaux. The wines are as adventurous as the dishes, and pairing sessions are led by master sommeliers who bring not just bottles, but stories. This isn’t just consumption—it’s connection. Whether you’re deep-diving into biodynamic reds or learning how to temper heat with Gewürztraminer, every experience is designed to elevate not just your palate, but your perspective.
If your culinary calendar already includes Aspen’s mountaintop magic and Turks & Caicos’ barefoot luxury, then Santa Fe is your next essential stop. The 2025 Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta is where bold tradition meets world-class refinement, offering a flavor-forward immersion into the soul of the Southwest. Tickets are available. Book your 5-star hotel early. Secure your seat at the table now—before the heat kicks in and the pairings pour out. Your next unforgettable bite is waiting in the high desert.