Sunday, May 31, 2015

WineFest at St. Michael's 2015

Wine Tents at St Michael's
During the last weekend of April, we attended the WineFest at St Michael's, Maryland. It had been a few years since we last visited the beautiful town on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay to enjoy a weekend of wine and education. 

We were not disappointed. The WineFest has grown significantly from its prior iteration of two large tents in a park along the harbor into a city-wide event. The growth allows for those attending to be able to enjoy the beauty of the town and the offerings of the local merchants along with a days of wine tasting and education. 

Some observations:

The parking plan works! The bus service is convenient, but the venues are close enough that we walked everywhere. 

The tents, especially at the larger venues, get very busy on Saturday afternoon. If you can, plan to spend the additional day, Sunday, and enjoy smaller crowds.
Chris in a Wine Venue at St Michael's

The smartphone application is good. It could be improved by incorporating an ordering service to avoid having to stand in line and place wine orders in each tent.

A centralized pick-up service for wine would be an improvement. This could be a crime through affair where the wines are pulled and ready when people pull up.

The town is beautiful and definitely worth one or two days to explore and enjoy wines.

Don't miss the Maryland wines!

Take time to talk to the vendors. They have a lot of great information about the wines and the regions they come from. The time spent at the fest should be educational as well as enjoyable. 

RECOMMENDATION: This is a great event to sample a large variety of wines and find a new favorite or expand the palate. It is fun and the great value for the price.

-- Bob and Christina Doan, Elkridge, MD