Wine Festival Fun!

As I mentioned in my previous post - it's wine festival season! Last Saturday, we went to one of our favorite festivals, the Central Virginia Wine Festival.

This was our 3rd year in a row attending and we always have a great time. There's always a manageable number of wineries to visit, never too many people and it's always very well organized. This festival is sponsored by the Virginia Chapter of the Virginia Tech Alumni Association so each year we attend with our Hokie friends!  

If you live anywhere on the East Coast, you know how miserable May has been weather-wise so far. We were really hoping Mother Nature would be on our side - and she was! We ended up having a good solid 4 hours of beautiful weather before it poured rain.

There was a great mix of wineries this year with some of our favorites alongside a few that we had never tried before. Trying new wineries is my favorite part of wine festivals. The lineup this year included Byrd Cellars, Delfosse Vineyards, Hunt's Vineyard, Rebec Vineyards, Horton Vineyards and Elk Island Winery. 

We ended up bringing home just 2 bottles with us this time. It might be a new record. I have so much wine at my house - I really need to do a better job of consuming it so I can buy more! We brought home a bottle a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon from Elk Island and the Deer Rock Farm Red Blend from Delfosse. It's rare to find a good Cab Sauv in VA so we were excited to find this one! It's smooth and bold but not too dry or heavy. My husband is way more of a fan of Cabs than I am but even I liked it!

In addition to wine, there are always so many fun vendors at festivals like this. Our favorite VA peanut company - Plantation Peanuts of Wakefield was there and we of course had to buy a 3-pack of peanuts. They are so delicious and have tons of varieties to choose from. We got cashews, roasted redskin and sweet & spicy. Caramel apple are also favorites that we've gotten in the past. You can't beat 'em!

I have to look at the calendar to see what our next festival is but, we do have a fun trip planned to my favorite VA winery next Friday - Pippin Hill. I can't wait to share it with you!

Picnic Packing Tips for Wine Festival Season

It is getting to be my favorite time of the year – wine festival season! I love wine festivals. They are a beautiful gathering of a bunch of local wineries and you get to try so many new varieties. Throw in some sunshine and a yummy picnic and you have yourself a perfect day!

Speaking of picnics, we always pack food to tote with us to these festivals. There are usually food trucks around to buy food but, I prefer to save my money to buy wine instead. I have some go-to foods that I always pack so let me share some tips with you on how to pack the perfect wine festival picnic.

FIRST THINGS FIRST!

Check the festival’s website or facebook page for what they allow you to bring in to the event. Every festival is different so make sure you know the rules ahead of time so you aren’t stuck lugging a cooler back to your car to sit in the hot sun all day.

BRING WATER 

Again, check the rules on the size or type of water bottle you can bring in to the event but this is so important. I don’t know about you but day drinking in my 30’s is a MUCH different experience than when I was in college (read: this can lead to the dreaded 2-day hangover). So, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Don't be this guy.

Pack lightly but efficiently 

We have this awesome insulated tote bag that we got from, yes – a wine festival! We use it for every event we go to that’s outdoors. We tuck one or two ice packs in the bottom to keep everything cool. It’s plenty of room to fit lunch for 2 and it’s not a hassle to lug around with you. We always bring our camping chairs with us so we can claim a spot on the lawn to eat and hang out. Also make sure you remember to pack the paper plates and napkins. Some of the serious festival-goers I’ve seen around have one of these bad boys – it is definitely on my list of things to get!

Easy to eat foods 

We are always sure to pack foods that are easy to eat and don’t require much fuss. You want to make sure though that you bring enough to soak up all that wine you’ll be drinking! One of my favorite things to pack is a BLT sandwich. The secret to this BLT though is guacamole. Slather some guac, add a slice of juicy tomato, a few slices of bacon and lettuce and you are good to go. So delicious! My other go-to foods are crackers, cheese (bring a small cheese knife with you!), some sort of salami or prosciutto and grapes. All of this food travels well, are easy to eat and of course, pair perfectly with some delicious vino.

I hope these tips will help you pack the perfect picnic. Now get out there and enjoy wine festival season!