Event Alert: Epicurience Virginia 2015

You don’t have to brave traffic to hit the beaches or the theme parks to have a memorable Labor Day weekend adventure! Food, wine, live music and fun are less than an hour outside the beltway at Epicurience Virginia 2015!
This food and wine festival is a weekend-long event, kicking off with the Loudoun Wine Awards this Thursday and an Opening Night Chefs Dinner at the Restaurant at Patowmack Farm on Friday, peaking with the Grand Tasting on Saturday, and finishing with Sunday brunch at Salamander Resort & Spa.
Epic is pretty much the perfect word to describe this annual event in one of the best wine regions on the East Coast. Hosted on the grounds of the beautiful and historic Morven Park in Leesburg, the festival features live music all day long, and unlimited tastings from 40 of Loudoun’s top culinary trailblazers, including innovative wineries, breweries and distilleries, environmentally and socially responsible farms, and fabulous farm-to-table restaurants.
A few of the exhibitors I’m most looking forward to revisiting are: Breaux Vineyards, Catoctin Creek Distilling, Fabbioli Cellars, and Ayrshire Farm.
Bryan Voltaggio, a Top Chef contestant and renowned chef and cookbook author, will be headlining the chef demonstration pavilion at the Grand Tasting on Saturday. His seasonally-driven restaurants highlight local ingredients in contemporary American specialties. Voltaggio also happens to be a native to the area, so he tries to give back with each of his eateries – now a whopping nine, including the new Family Meal in Loudoun. “With each restaurant I open, I hope to reach new audiences and show them that good food and the bounty of what the region has to offer very much go hand in hand,” he said.
You can be sure you’ll learn (and taste!) something new from Voltaggio or one of the other incredible chefs at the demonstration pavilion. Chris Edwards from Salamander Resort & Spa, Jason Lage from Market Table Bistro, and Bonnie Moore with Willowsford will all be sharing their expertise throughout the day.
At the wine education tent, you can focus on what makes Virginia’s wine scene so unique – from the soil to the native grapes. Make a point to enter the Ultimate Winemaker Experience, hosted by wine educator Marianne Frantz from the American Wine School. The competition allows guests to team up with Loudoun winemakers to learn about wine blending and then try their hand at it!
Tickets for the Grand Tasting are $85 for general admission and $145 for VIP admission. General admission includes all of the above events and tastings, plus a souvenir Schott Zwiesel etched wine glass. In addition to that, VIP tickets include early entry to the festival, access to special offerings in the VIP tent, a gift bag, and more.
If you want to spend the whole weekend in DC’s Wine Country, many Loudoun hotels are offering special packages for Epicurience Virginia.
The festival runs from 12pm – 6pm, and will go on rain or shine! You’re welcome to bring a blanket to relax on the lawn and enjoy the incredible flavors and flare of the great state of Virginia!
Epicurience Virginia Grand Tasting
Morven Park
17263 Southern Planter Lane, Leesburg, VA 20176
Saturday, September 5th from 12 pm – 6 pm
Tickets: $85/general admission, $145/VIP