Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Virginia Wine Showcase
This Saturday, the 9th, I will be joining Dezel from the Virginia Vine Spot at the Virginia Wine Showcase at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, Virginia. The sponsors are creating a Virginia Bloggers table where we will be "blogging" about the festival and Virginia wines. Please stop by and say hello. The Expo is open from 11am-5pm Saturday and Sunday. The cost is $25 online or $35 at door. "Enjoy unlimited tastings of Virginia’s award-winning wines all in one comfortable, indoor location. Become a wine aficionado in pairing and tasting seminars for both the novice and the connoisseur. Stock your cellar with hard-to-find artisan wines and shop ‘til you drop for the best art, craft and gourmet offerings in the region at this fabulous mid-winter showcase - just in time for Valentines Day!"
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3 comments:
I went to the wine showcase and was rather ticked off that at the end of the festival, a friend who had one glass to many, while sitting at a table was accosted by 3-4 ABC enforcement agents. They came by our table, dumped out all of the wine left in our glasses and demanded all of our IDs. The held hers and escorted her out of the building into the cab we had called for her. We would not have let her drive home no matter what, but they threatened her with arrest. We were all ages 25-30, but I honestly feel we were harassed by the ABC patrol. IT WAS A WINE FESTIVAL!!! I personally will never go back. I can drink at home for less money and not have the ABC threatening me or my friends. We all took either buses or taxis back home, why should we be harassed for drinking wine at a WINE FESTIVAL??? I recommend not attending this showcase, which is unfortunate because the vineyards that attended are ones I had not heard of or tasted before. I like to support Virginia Wines, but not at the expense of being harassed by the ABC.
The ABC officials were also a common complaint among the wineries. They were testing wineries whether they were checking wristbands and reprimanding wineries that had visitors behind their table. Believe me, Wine-Compass is not a fan of the ABC or Virginia state control of distribution, liquor stores, .... I could go on.
Wine festivals are a great opportunity for people to learn about wine and consume responsibly. It may seem unfair, but if no one is there to ensure that consumers drink responsibly it puts everyone at risk. I would not want to see the festival discontinued due to the inappropriate behavior of a few individuals. Please remember that it is not legal to be intoxicated in public - even at a wine festival.
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