Before the rain, Food & Wine Festival draws large crowd

by Susan Gibbs
Published: April 24, 2008

The rains waited until Sunday to come.
So on Saturday, a day marked by sunshine and balmy breezes, more than a thousand folks flocked to the Monticello Wine & Food Festival in Ruckersville.
More than 1,400 were sold on Saturday alone, said Greene’s Economic Development Authority (EDA) Vice-chairman Matthew Woodson.
They came for the wine, of course, provided by about 20 wineries. But much more was on hand: gourmet food, artisan crafts, and music provided by Premiere, a variety band out of Richmond.
At press time, word on how the Festival had fared on that rainy Sunday was not in yet. But Woodson said, “Overall, it was a successful event. We were doing what we hoped to do.”
For some time now, the EDA has been hoping to promote tourism - an effort vital to the economic development of the County that doesn’t demand a lot of resources and doesn’t strain the economy.
Woodson, who attended the Festival Saturday, said, “I knew very few people there. That means we’re attracting people from outside of the area to come in and then go home. So our plan is working, and, overall, we’re very happy.”
Greene’s newly hired Director of Economic Development, Tony Williams, was also at the Festival Saturday.
Williams, who was an associate project manager for the Virginia Economic Development Partnership before he came to work for the County to strengthen Greene’s economic base, said: “Good business starts with developing good relationships, and venues like this provide opportunities.”
And there’s more that can be done to “provide an economic boost” to communities like Greene, he says.
“I had folks from the state with me,” Williams said. “I told them, ‘we have got to bring companies here. Look what we have to show them.’”
Price for admission to the Festival was $15 in advance or $20 at the gate. It included a wine glass and “generous” pours of Viognier, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay and more.
Food vendors offered such treats as bread and olive oil, cheese, crab cakes and sandwiches.
Several guests hauled in their own blankets, lawn chairs and picnic baskets. Others found seating on bales of hay. Still others paid $300 to reserve a table for eight that included a tablecloth, a centerpiece and hors d’oeuvres in the form of bread, fruit, cheese and crackers.
When not eating or drinking - or maybe carrying their eats and their drinks along with them - guests were able to shop about 35 vendors that included: Autumn Fired Designs; Rock Therapy; Red Rocker Candy; Virginia Wine of the Month Club; A/Muse Jewelry; Joni Designs; Madame’s Handbags and Accessories; Libby’s Obsessions; LaProvencale Cellars; Thousand Oaks Barrel Co.; Blue Mountain Prints; All About the Girl; Biscotti Goddess; Fun Wine Gifts; Rhapsody in Beads; Topix Crystal Art Glass; Oil & Vinegar; and the Lafayette Inn.
The next Festival to be held in Greene will be the Discover Virginia Food and Wine Festival August 30 and 31.
Music will be provided by eight groups: Sons of Bill; Trees on Fire; Jan Smith Band; Beleza Brazil; William Walter & Co; Jim Waive & the Young Divorcees; the Rogan Brothers; and, Robert Jospe & Inner Rhythm Sextet.
For more information, including names of participating wineries and vendors as they unfold, visit http://www.discovervirginia.net.