Safety First

• Although you will have an opportunity to taste hundreds of wines, we do not recommend you swallow every drop of wine poured in your glass. We encourage you to master the art of swirling wine in your mouth and then spitting some or all of it out in our dump buckets. Spitting is not considered bad manners at the RIWE. In fact, we encourage it. If you can’t bring yourself to spit, then limit the amount of wine you sip and pour out the rest of your glass.
• Pace yourself. You are not in a race. Take your time as you make your way through the Grand Tasting. And feel free to partake in the free bread, crackers, and water that will be available to cleanse your palate.
• If you get hungry during the event, small-plates of globally inspired cuisine will be available for sale for your consumption.
• Please make plans if you are not able to drive. Reserve a hotel room at one of our partner hotels, take a taxi, or find a designated driver. We will have taxi information available for you at the event.

Tickets

• Buy your tickets in advance. Each event will have a strict limit on the number of tickets available to ensure a high-quality experience.
• Tickets go on sale August 20, 2011.
• Tickets can only be purchased in advance at WineExcursion.com.
• If you buy tickets at WineExcursion.com, you may use MasterCard, Discover, Visa, and American Express.
• Tickets will be sold in advance until the day before the event unless the event sells out.
• If there is not a sell-out in advance, tickets will be sold in the Culinary Village at Historic Tredegar at the Excursion Ticket Pavilion during the following hours:
  • Friday, October 28, 3:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M.
  • Saturday, October 29, 10:00 A.M. – 8:00 P.M.
• If an event is sold out, notice will be given on the WineExcursion.com Web site
• If you buy your ticket in advance, please print your ticket and keep it in a secure place. This ticket must be brought to the event, where it will be scanned at the event entrance by our volunteers.
• If you lose your ticket, please contact Variant Events and let us know. We will work with Eventbrite, our ticket-provider, to get you a new ticket.
• Tickets are not refundable and may not be exchanged.

First-Class Admission vs. General Admission

If you want to pay a premium to enter the Lexus of Richmond Walk-Around Grand Tastings an hour earlier than General Admission ticket holders, then a First-Class ticket is the way to go. The vibe during this first hour will be mellower than the three that follow and you’ll get more face time with the wine representatives on the floor. If you go First Class, you’ll be joined by a limited number of VIPs and trade.

Food and Beverage

Ticket holders are not permitted to bring any food or beverages into the Culinary Village at Historic Tredegar, including the Lexus of Richmond Walk-Around Grand Tastings. At the Grand Tastings, complimentary bread, crackers, and water will be available to cleanse your palate. There will be a few vendors sampling food, but the samples will not be nearly enough for a meal. Small plates of globally inspired cuisine will be available for sale.

Weather

The RIWE will take place rain or shine. Events are held under large, temperature controlled tents in the Culinary Village at Historic Tredegar. Thus, weather will not be an issue.

Age and Kids

• The RIWE is restricted to those 21 and older.
• You must bring a valid ID to the event to be admitted.
• No children or infants are permitted into the event. NO MINORS.

ATM

An ATM will be located in the Culinary Village.

Dress Code

The dress code for all events is smart, chic, or comfortable casual. For ladies, this means dresses, nice blouses or tops, slacks, skirts, nice jeans, etc. For men, this means nice button-down shirts, polo shirts, khakis, slacks, jacket (optional), but no ties. Please wear comfortable shoes at the Lexus of Richmond Walk-Around Grand Tastings, since you will be on your feet for much of the time. Also, we heartily recommend wearing black or dark-colored clothing. Red wine shows up much more prominently on white or light-colored clothes.

Coat Check and Wine Check

Coat check and wine check services will not be offered. Since the Pavilions are enclosed, weather will not be an issue. Also, October tends to be a rather temperate month in Richmond. Further, other than a limited number of Virginia wineries, wineries at the RIWE are not legally permitted to sell bottles of wine on-site. Thus, there will not be a need for a wine check service.

Parking

Parking at the RIWE is easy and within close proximity to Historic Tredegar. Multiple $5 parking lots are available downtown and there are ample opportunities to park along the streets for free (except Friday afternoon, when you may need to feed a meter).

Handicap Access

All Pavilions at the event will be handicap accessible.

Pets

Pets are not permitted at the event.

Buying Wine

• Virginia wines can be purchased at the event to go.
• Wine representatives sampling international wines will be able to tell you which licensed retailers carry the wines they are pouring.

Glass Sales

Wines will not be available for sale by the glass.

Cologne, Hairspray, Aftershave, and Perfume

Please refrain from wearing strong perfume, lotion, hairspray, aftershave or colognes because their scent can interfere with the bouquet of the wine. This detracts from the tasting experience of our guests.

Popular and Mellow Grand Tasting Sessions

The most popular Lexus of Richmond Walk-Around Grand Tasting sessions will be on Friday and Saturday evenings. Saturday afternoon will be bustling as well, but perhaps a bit mellower than the evening events.