Virginia Wine Expo

This is one of my favorite Richmond events. For one weekend in February almost every winery in Virginia comes to Richmond for three days of tasting, gourmet food and fun.
This past year more than 60 wineries came to the expo. The event starts on Friday with a special tastings/​seminars you can sign up for and the Virginia Governer’s Cup Grand Tasting on Friday night. This event costs more than the other days at the festival, about $ 75 per person, but you get unlimited wine tastings, tastes of special dishes made by local chefs and each winery opens a few special reserve bottles they don’t serve for the rest of the festival. I attended this two years ago and enjoyed the fact that it was much less crowded than the weekend days at the festival. There were platters of cheese spaced throughout the expo, making it easy to pick up a plate and bring it with you to enjoy as you tasted wine. A word of warning: the chef’s tastes aren’t that big, so don’t expect them to serve as dinner. Eat before you go if want to taste lots of wine!
The main festival days are Saturday and Sunday. Every winery has a booth and local food vendors are also mixed in. Your $ 45 ticket gets you unlimited tastings. The event gets crowded, so go early for optimum wine tasting. There are also special seminars and chef demonstrations offered throughout the day at a theater area set up in the back of the convention hall. You can just wander up when you want to check something out.
If you love wine, this is a great way to taste all that Virginia has to offer. You can also check the wine you buy and pick it up right before you leave. Local restaurants and wine stores also offer special dinners and tastings before the event to jump-​start the week. The event grows every year.