For 27 years the Vintage Virginia wine festival has reigned as one of Virginia’s premier outdoor tasting events. Featuring over 50 wineries pouring a total of over 350 varieties, the festival showcase Virginia’s growing prominence as a wine-producing state. This year the May 31-June 1 event will be held in Centreville, Virginia, at Bull Run Regional Park special events center, where it moved in 2005 from the comparatively far flung fields of the Winchester area. The centrally situated park offers easy access to the well-attended event, which hosts nearly 20,000 annual attendees from all areas of the state and beyond, who take advantage of the opportunity to sample new wines, and purchase old favorites by the glass, bottle or case.

Admission to Vintage Virginia includes a commemorative tasting glass. Discounted Designated Driver tickets are available, and the purchase of a ‘No worries Shuttle pass’ will get you a bus ride to and from the Vienna Metro. Children’s tickets are offered at a reduced price, and family activities, from a portable (and air conditioned) aquarium to inflatable games and a ‘Family Stage’ with performances geared to children, hold a prominent place. Over 100 artisans are in attendance at Vintage Virginia, offering opportunities to shop for unique jewelry, hats, clothes, pottery, paintings and photography, sculpture, wine accoutrements and specialty foods.

For any who still need convincing that a lovely late May weekend of unlimited wine samplings is time well spent, one look at the entertainment line-up should sway you to conviction. One of the most happening acts on the music scene today, Ivan Neville’s Dumstaphunk headlines this year’s event along with New Orleans’ prodigal son Trombone Shorty. So put some funk in your trunk, next to a couple of cases of your favorite vintage, and don’t miss one of Virginia’s best festivals.

Participating wineries in the 2008 event include: Acorn Hill Winery, Afton Mountain Vineyards, AmRhein Wine Cellars, Barboursville Vineyards, Belle Mount Vineyards, Breaux Vineyards, Bright Meadows Farm, Burnley Vineyards, Cardinal Point Vineyard & Winery, Cave Ridge Vineyard, Chateau Morrisette, Chatham Vineyards, Chrysalis Vineyards, Cooper Vineyards, Davis Valley Winery & Vineyard, DelFosse Vineyards & Winery, Fabbioli Cellars, First Colony Winery, Fox Meadow Winery, Gadino Cellars, Hickory Hill, Vineyards & Winery, Hidden Brook Winery, Hiddencroft Vineyards, Hill Top Berry Farm & Winery, Hillsborough Vineyards, Holly Grove Vineyards, Horton Vineyards, James River Cellars, Keswick Vineyards, Kluge Estate Winery and Vineyard, Lake Anna Winery, Lost Creek Vineyard & Winery, Loudoun Valley Vineyards, North Mountain Vineyards, Oak Crest Vineyard & Winery, Peaks of Otter Winery, Prince Michel Vineyard & Winery, Rappahannock Cellars, Rebec Vineyards Inc., Rockbridge Vineyard, Shenandoah Vineyards, Stone Mountain Vineyards, Sunset Hills Vineyard, Tarara Vineyard & Winery, Tomahawk Mill Winery, Valhalla Vineyards, Vault Field Vineyards, Veramar Vineyard, Veritas Vineyards & Winery, Villa Appalaccia Winery, Village Winery, Vino Curioso, West Wind Farm Vineyard & Winery, White Fences Vineyard, Williamsburg Winery and Willowcroft Farm Vineyards.