Wine Down the Music Trail – 2007

A Wine Festival and a half on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Wine down the Music Trail is a joyous celebration of fine wine, music, gourmet food and mountain crafts on July 7 and 8 on the Blue Ridge Parkway near the Villa Appalaccia and Chateau Morrisette Wineries.

The weather was bright and beautiful and people were enjoying themselves playing games on the grass. As a non-drinker, I was there for the food, the music and the crafts,
and I had a wonderful time eating, shopping and listening to the music.

The rest of our party roamed through the two huge tents where 16
wineries were doing a brisk business offering samples of their products
and ringing up sales.

Gourmet Food

I’m sorry that I didn’t take time to photograph the food, but I was sampling everything in sight so I can recommend these offerings:

– Two Trees Catering / Admo’s Fish & Chips served Flash-fried Calamari and Beer Battered Cod.
– A stand across the way served up Filet Medallions on Baby Greens and Spanish Paella on rice and there was a huge line waiting to order.
– Natasha Shishkevish, one of my favorite chefs, was selling Sushi, California Rolls, etc and it was going quickly.
– There was a also a stand selling Crab Cakes which everyone of our party agreed was a fine appetizer.

Crafters and Artists

An assortment of wearables and handcrafted works were on display and there were pots  and dishes from our neighbor Tom Phelps.

Delightful Music

Wherever you walked, you could hear the sounds of music drifting from one of the three stages. From the melodious sounds of Scott Perry to the exciting tempos of Blue Mule, you could find tunes that suited your mood.

As I exited the festival to fetch the car, I could hear Gaelic Storm warming up the audience with a tale of surviving a tornado in a Kmart out in the middle of the US. The last words I heard were, "..somehow, I never expected to die, you know, in an aisle in Kmart…(audience laughter) and then the music started and they were off with a wild rush of Celtic music.

They will be open today, so if you are in driving distance of Floyd, bring the family for a fantastic afternoon in the mountain sunshine. It’s on the Blue Ridge Parkway, south of the Rocky Knob Visitor Center.