The Great American Brass Band Festival

2007 Festival Articles

The first Winefest was held Thursday at Old Crow Inn & Chateau du Vieux Corbeau Winery as part of the Great American Brass Band Festival. (Videographer Clay Jackson)

June 8, 2007

Wine lovers and wine curious gather to sample, buy at Winefest

By JENNIFER BRUMMETT
jenb@amnews.com

Allison McLaughlin of Danville, left, tries a glass of Vidal Blanc from Dominique Brousseau of Chateau du Vieux Corbeau Winery. (Clay Jackson photo)

Alyssa Thornton, left, and Sarah Pollum, both of Danville, sample wine from Horse Shoe Bend Vineyards. (Clay Jackson photo)

Here's something you don't hear often at an event focused on the fruits of the vine: "hot tub wine."

Say what?

"That's what we call our strawberry wine," said Marilyn Kushner of Broad Run Vineyards of Louisville. She smiled wryly and indicated it referred to the sweet, fruity wines that serious wine palates tend to shun.

Kushner noted that of the "serious wines" the winery produces, the Cabernet Sauvignon reserve, a dry, aged red, and Gewurztraminer, a dry white, have received recognition.

By the way, that mouthful is pronounced juh-VERTZ-truh-mee-ner. It takes a lot of practice.

Broad Run Vineyards was one of several present at the first Great American Brass Band Festival WineFest, sponsored by Preston-Osborne Marketing Communications and Research and hosted by Old Crow Inn & Chateau du Vieux Corbeau Winery on Stanford Road.

The heat didn't deter more than 200 people from drifting through the tent to taste and enjoy wines ranging from sweet and fruity to dry and complex.

Adam Johnson, executive director of the Danville/Boyle County Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the goal of WineFest was for people to "sample a lot of great wine for a great cause." He said a good mix of local folks and out-of-towners bought tickets for the event - an encouraging start to the GABBF weekend.

Happy people was GABBF Executive Director Elaine Hammonds' goal for WineFest and its preceding event, the Chautauqua Tea. With WineFest, she hoped people would sample as well as buy the wines they liked, to encourage the wineries to return for such an event next year. "I want people who (bought) tickets to enjoy it so much they can't wait to come back," Hammonds said.

Growing crowd

Andre Brousseau, owner of Old Crow Inn Farm and Winery and Chateau du Vieux Corbeau, was pleased as he looked at the growing crowd in the tent. He hoped the individual wineries would do well at the event.

"This really is a promotion not only of the brass band festival but also of wineries in Kentucky," he said.

He hopes WineFest will become an annual fundraiser.

"All the money goes to Brass Band. In that respect, this could be an excellent fundraiser. There's space here to park 500 cars, and this is just going to be helping the brass band festival," Brousseau said.

WineFest is an excellent addition to GABBF festivities, especially as a kickoff event, said David Vanderpool.

"It brings awareness of other Kentucky wineries and vineyards," he noted.

Vanderpool goes to Talon Winery and Vineyard as well as a couple of others a few times a year for events and enjoys the experiences.

Wineries particpated

Cortney Beldon, a wine-drinker, also was enthusiastic about WineFest. She said she would attend such an event again, and it was worth the price of admission.

Meanwhile, in the tent, Bob Karsner and his son, Greg, co-owners of Horseshoe Bend Vineyards in Willisburg, were serving samples of their Vidal Blanc, a dry white; Rose of Cabernet Franc, a blush/dry rose; Chardonnay, a dry white; and Cabernet. Bob Karsner said it was an easy decision to bring their wines to Danville.

"We're only a county away," he explained. "And we want to support the industry."

All of the wines from Horseshoe Bend are made from Kentucky-grown grapes. They are food wines, Karsner said, meaning they are "dry style."

"They are primarily vinifera, or European varietals," he explained. "They're noble varietals."

Point of interest: Wine tastings are educational, too.

Karsner hoped the attendees would shop around the wineries' tables and support the industry by buying as well as considering day trips.

"Come on over - we're only a county away," Karsner added.

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