Wine, Music & Food – Virginia Wine Festival

The annual Virginia Wine Festival is one of DC’s largest and most relaxed wine festivals in the area.  In its 35th year, the festival , set in a park setting, offers over 50 wineries pouring more than 400 Virginia wines.

The festival, besides offering tons of tastings, lets you learn about wine, food pairings in various wine seminars.  Even learn about hosting your own tasting at home and the right type of wine glass to use to maximize your enjoyment of each type of wine.

Bring a blanket and chairs, or a picnic lunch (but no outside alcohol is allowed), or buy  your lunch from one of the numerous food vendors, selling all kinds of great foods ranging from traditional festival foods, like burgers, funnel cakes and more, to several international specialties.

Then visit a few of the 40+ vendors offering everything from wine accessories, to jewelry and home-made foods.

Live music will be playing all afternoon and don’t skip the outstanding juggling show by Fly by Night.  The bands playing the wine festival include:

• The dazzling guitar work of John Jorgenson led him to a 6-year run with Elton John’s band. He’s worked with other big name artists from Barbra Streisand to Bonnie Raitt, and now he’s leading the John Jorgenson Quintet.
• Over the Rhine playing rock and “Midwestern” soul.
• The sizzling quartet Robert Jospe with John D’earth & Royce Campbell plays a variety of Latin, funk, swinging jazz hits and classics.
• The Woodshedders mix the old and the new with hot fiddle, gypsy guitar, and great harmonies in country blues, old-time waltzes and ballads from the American mountains.

With over 130 wineries in Virginia, it’s become the 5th largest wine producing state in the country.

Virginia Wine Festival – Bull Run Regional Park, 7700 Bull Run Drive, Centreville, Virginia  (map)

Dates & Times – Saturday & Sunday, September 18 & 19, 2010 – 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. (parking lot opens at 10:00 a.m. and closes at 8:00 p.m.)

Tickets – Advance tickets – Adults $25.00 and includes souvenir wine glass. ($30.00 at the gate). Designated drivers – $15.00 and includes water and sodas ($22.00 at the gate), kids 6-12 – $5.00 ($8.00 at the gate)

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Vienna/Fairfax – GMU – Orange line, then take the Festival shuttle bus ($23.50 per person)

Parking – Free.

Images – from personal collection  – © 2010 Jon Rochetti