Virginia Wine Expo at Greater Richmond Convention Center

The chance to sample from among nearly 400 wines is the lure for most people to attend the Virginia Wine Expo this weekend.

For local wine enthusiast Sarah Feierabend, it's more than that.

"The best part of the expo, and of Virginia wine festivals in general, is witnessing the pure passion and enthusiasm of the industry," she said. "All those involved, from planting and bottling to selling and marketing, from winery owners and their employees to seasoned enthusiasts and wine newbies -- everyone wants to learn, teach, try and share. Everyone gives and receives. It's just a great experience."

A record 65 state wineries -- up from 57 last year and 41 the first year -- will be the focal point of the expo. All major wineries in the state will be pouring, as will many that are smaller and lesser-known.

That unknown is another reason Sarah and husband Rick will be attending the three-day event at the Greater Richmond Convention Center.

"[We are] looking to learn about wineries we'd never visited/tasted and learn more about the up-and-coming food-and-wine industry in Virginia through either the cooking demos or seminars."

Food samples from several area restaurants and a new cheese pavilion with 5,000 tastingsof international cheeses will be among the vendors. Four seminars are scheduled, six chef demos are planned, a Saturday night event has been added and hours have been expanded.

The seminars -- each at an additional cost to the normal tasting fee -- will offer a unique look at some unfamiliar areas to many wine lovers. Ports and Madeiras will be in the spotlight tomorrow afternoon as world-class expert Bartholomew Broadbent leads a tasting and discussion. Spanish tapas and wine pairings (Saturday) and Virginia wine and comfort food (Sunday) are two others.

The Feierabends go to numerous wine festivals every year, and they attended the first expo two years ago. But they skipped last year's event after the first expo left a bad taste in their mouths.

No, no. Not from the wine, Sarah said.

"I remember the wines of the day to be a well-rounded selection of Virginia's offerings, strengths in the whites -- crisp Seyvals and lush Viogniers -- well-balanced Cab Francs, a few surprising dry rosés and, of course, the indulgent late-harvest dessert wines."

So, what was the problem?

"It was a bit too crowded for my taste," she said. "Everything just seemed crammed in the convention center, and the normal Virginia wine 'vibe' seemed replaced with a frenzied sampling-crazed crowd."

She was right to a certain extent. The response to the first expo was so overwhelming, especially at the Saturday session, that crowds were packed as tight as a cork in a wine bottle.

The Virginia Wine Expo's executive director, Alex Papajohn, responded to the situation by expanding the aisles and nearly tripling the floor space last year, and the weekend crowd of 8,000 was easily accommodated. Wide-open space again this year should be more than adequate to hold the expected 10,000-12,000 attendees during the next three days.

Papajohn, who created the expo, can't contain his enthusiasm when talking about the Saturday night Sparkling and Sweets event, which requires a separate ticket.

"Arguably, it's the biggest new thing we have; I'm pretty excited about it," he said. "It will feature sparkling wines, Virginia dessert wine and a selection of desserts from the region's finest pastry chefs and chocolatiers. We'll even have cool jazz playing. "

The scope of the entire expo overshadows everything else, however.

"We have an unparalleled, unrivaled number of Virginia wineries at this event, so based on that number, it's the biggest wine event in the state," he said. "For central Virginians, this is a unique, once-a-year opportunity. For most of the wineries at the expo, this will be the only event in which they participate in Richmond."

What better reason to attend.

Jack Berninger's Vines & Wines column appears alternate weeks in Sunday Flair. Contact him at jberninger@timesdispatch.com.