As Fair Play’s reputation for great wines and friendly people grew, so did the annual wine festival. By the time Fair Play was designated as one of the smallest American Viticultural Area (AVA) in the U.S. in 2001, thousands of foothills wine fans were flocking into the thirty-three square mile wine region for the annual festival. “Things were getting a little out of hand so we thought we needed to take a break and reorganize,” Boyd said. “In addition, the number of Fair Play wineries has doubled in recent years and almost everyone wanted to be involved in the festival”.

After a couple of years to regroup, the 20th Annual Fair Play Wine Festival will return on the first two weekends of June this year. The four-day event on June 4-5 and June 11-12 has been revamped to be a truly special wine experience. Running from 11 am to 5 pm all four days, the Festival will feature gourmet foods, live music, art, demonstrations and special tasting of unique mountain grown wines from family owned wineries.

The Winery Association has limited the number of advanced tickets to 1,500 per weekend under the new festival format. “This provides more of an opportunity for visitors to meet and minglewith winery owners and winemakers,” according to Boyd.

A sampling of the events planned during the Festival are: Bacon wrapped jalapeño prawns & flame roasted top sirloin in a Syrah demi-glaze at Busby Cellars, Barrel making demonstrations at Charles B. Mitchell Vineyards, Demonstrations of the abilities of beautiful Arabian horses at Chateau Routon`, Live music and Paella at Colibri Ridge Winery, Wood-fired oven tapas at Fitzpatrick Winery, Gourmet “Build Your Own Kabob” at Mount Aukum Winery, Jamabalaya at Oakstone, Music by Daddy Chillin’ at Perry Creek, Gazpacho with prawns and live music at Windwalker.

A new feature of the 2005 Festival is an exciting array of “after hours” special events at individual wineries. “This is a unique opportunity for wineries to provide something very special for their visitors and guests,” Boyd said. A few of these exceptional events include: Tapas, wine bar and music on the patio by local troubadour “Sarah” on Friday, June 3 at Cantiga Wineworks; Dinner and educational seminar with winemaker Jim Olson at Chateau Routon on Saturday, June 11; Sunset Barrel tasting with winemaker Lance Campbell at Mount Aukum Winery; Concert featuring Jimmy Buffett tribute band Garratt Wilkin and the Parrotheads on Saturday June 11, at Oakstone Winery; VIP Tasting and “Create Your Own Blend” seminar at Perry Creek Vineyards on Saturday, June 4; Brunch and Sangrias at Single Leaf Winery on Saturday, June 4 and June 11 from 9 to 11 am.

While the after hours events are all part of the Wine Festival, reservations for these individual offerings are required and additional fees may apply.

Tickets for the 2005 Fair Play Wine Festival are $75 per person and are purchased through the Fair Play Winery Association. For more information on the Festival and individual winery events visit www.fairplaywine.com on the web or call 866-932-2202. You can complete the ticket purchase form directly online from the secure website or download and mail in the form. Sales are expected to be brisk so don’t hesitate to get your tickets early.

In addition to access to all the festival events, ticket purchasers automatically become members of the Fair Play Winery Association Wine Club. Members receive a souvenir Festival Riedel crystal wine glass and are entitled to an extra 5% discount on wine purchases from participating wineries. The membership starts on Festival weekend and is valid until next year’s Festival.

“We really didn’t want to just restart the old festival,” Boyd commented. “We wanted the new Wine Festival to be a spectacular event that showcases our AVA, our wines and our people.”

Welcome back Annual Fair Play Wine Festival!