Old Town Manassas hosts annual wine, jazz fest

Novices and connoisseurs alike tipped back their glasses in Old Town Manassas on Sunday.

On a sunny and breezy Father’s Day, hundred flocked to the 4th Annual Manassas Wine and Jazz Festival held at the Loy E. Harris Pavilion.

“It’s marvelous,” said Gilbert Osei-Kwadwo, who used the event as a chance for a family outing with his wife and their children.

Although not necessarily a regular at wine festivals, Osei-Kwadwo still has a method. And that’s not to rush the tasting.

“You have to step back and reflect,” he said, before sipping at a Cabernet Sauvignon from Willowcroft Farm Vineyards.

And like several others at the festival, Osei-Kwadwo said he’d much prefer supporting Virginia vintners if he found one that suited his taste.

For seven hours — and $15 advance purchase or $20 at the gate — people milled underneath the breezy pavilion, tasting the selections of 14 vineyards and wineries from around Virginia.

“It’s so unique,” Michelle Burt said, turning to her husband and his parents. “It tastes like a chili dog.”

The 28-year-old Manassas Park woman had just taken a sip of Peaks of Otter Winery’s “Chili-Dawg” apple-pepper wine accompanied by a squirt of Easy Cheese. The taste is apparently true to its name.
Moments later, her husband, Jason Burt, tried the vintner’s cooking wine “Kiss the Devil” — made from 30 varieties of hot peppers.

As would be expected, the 26-year-old’s face turned bright red.

Some of the tastings led to sales while others ended in disapproving shakes of the head and pursed expressions.

But Neil Glaser, marketing director for Horton Winery, said the main purpose of doing wine festivals is introducing brand name to people and, if possible, finding the selection that matches their taste.
That doesn’t always happen, but when it does, word of mouth can often lead to shops carrying the brand and boost visits to the winery.

“It just so happens we’re making money advertising,” Glaser said.

Although the tasters outnumbered the non-tasters, a fair amount of people paid the $10 to set up on the lawn, grab a bite to eat or just listen to music from L’Tanya Mari, Keith Wesby and Marcus Johnson.

And vendors were there, selling everything from cheese to jewelry to art.

Last year’s festival attracted roughly 3,000 people, said Steve Urry, event coordinator for Historic Manassas Inc.

And with the heat and mugginess being less of an issue this time, Urry said he expects the final numbers for this year’s event to show an increase.