Blowing Rock Wine Festival

Now in its ninth year and firmly established as one of the South’s premier culinary events, the four-day Blue Ridge Wine & Food Festival offers an expanded array of events and venues while showcasing Blowing Rock’s early springtime ambiance (see attached photo).

In addition to a full slate of established classes and popular wine pairing seminars, this year’s festival adds additional downtown tent locations, a kick-off TASTE! event featuring local restaurants’ best with samplings of beer and wine, and a Friday night concert by Jonny Kaplan under the Gand Tasting Tent. In addition, Chetola Resort will host the inaugural Corkscrew 5K, a winding and scenic run through the resort and Tanger properties.

Full details can be found at blueridgewinefestival.com, along with ticket-purchase options and lodging packages descriptions. The 2014 festival will run from Thursday April 10 through Sunday, April 13.

Billie Rogers, Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce Events Director, is excited about this year’s additions and improvements. “We’ve added a Grand Reserve Tasting to showcase some upscale wines, and complemented by Best Cellar ‘nibbles, ’ it’s going to be a fabulous, sold-out event. We’ve reduced crowding under the main tent by having two tastings sessions, and by adding tastings in the satellite tents we give visitors a chance to stroll through Blowing Rock and visit the shops while enjoying the tasting experience.

“Jonny Kaplan, who is a friend of a local resident, is an amazing musician and we’re fortunate to have him perform at the festival. His music, which reminds me of classic Tom Petty tunes, appeals to a wide audience, ” Rogers said. For more information on the Kaplan concert, visit