Virginia Beach wine tasting features King Neptune label

VIRGINIA BEACH

The warm ocean breeze, sunlight reflecting off the sand and the Boardwalk may not be ingredients found on a wine label, but they are all vital elements for the annual Neptune Fall Wine Festival.

And now a King Neptune label will be part of the festival’s offerings as well.

Wine aficionados from near and far will flock to Neptune’s Park, at 31st Street and Atlantic Avenue, from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday for the 15th annual festival.

“The beach and resort are attractions in itself, but it’s also a chance to taste wine with the Atlantic Ocean as a backdrop,” said Whit Collins, vice president of the Neptune Festival. “This is more of an intimate gathering – we cap it at 1,500 people.”

Along with the vast collection of chardonnays, merlots, Rieslings and more, an inaugural batch of King Neptune’s Private Reserve – in both a white and red – is being introduced by Chatham Vineyards.

The vineyard, located on the Eastern Shore, has created King Neptune’s Reserve Steel Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc. Chatham Vineyards will have these limited-edition wines available for purchase during the festival and afterward on its website, www.chathamvineyards.net.

King Neptune XXXVIII – Anthony P. Nero – will be autographing bottles from 2 to 4 p.m. both days.

Nancy Creech, president of the Neptune Festival, said organizers plan to make King Neptune’s Private Reserve an annual part of the festival with each king having his own bottle, name and number on the label.

“We’ve been talking about doing this for a number of years and we decided to go ahead and do it,” Creech said. “We think it’s kind of a neat thing to do and it commemorates the festival.”

This year’s festival includes 18 Virginia wineries, each one featuring between four and eight wines. Fifteen of the wine growers are returnees, while three are new to the line-up: Barren Ridge Vineyards, Chatham Vineyards and Lazy Days Winery.

“There are many varieties and samples to try,” Collins said. “Some you can’t find in the stores, so you can buy it here, take it home and put it in your private collection.”