Fellow winemakers are family to Dave Stone, even as they competed for attention at the 18th annual Wine & All That Jazz festival.
"It's great to come here and see other folks that are in the wine business," said Stone, co-owner of the Elizabeth-based Stone Road Vineyard. "We really are like a family. I've talked with several of them already, and it's good to catch up."
The FestivALL mainstay brought regional wineries, along with jazz musicians and food vendors, to the University of Charleston lawn across the river from the state Capitol Saturday.
The crisp sunny day was a welcome change from last year, when the festival was held not long after floods devastated southern West Virginia, said Eric Deal, owner of Forks of Cheat Winery.
"We were very worried, especially after what happened last year," Deal said. "But it's so nice out today. It's good to see the area bouncing back and a lot of people coming here for this one."
The weather made for a promising start to the day for the festival, which was backed by the Fund for the Arts and Spilman Thomas & Battle.
Margaret Lieberman, executive director for the Fund for the Arts, said a few minutes after the festival kicked off at 2 p.m. that she expected 4,000 to 5,000 event-goers total throughout the day.
That number is a big jump from where the festival was when it began 18 years ago, drawing roughly 700 people for its first iteration, Lieberman said.
The festival provides an opportunity for wineries to show off their products to a wide range of customers they may not encounter otherwise, Stone said.
"It makes people more aware of who we are," he said. "That includes distributors and retailers. It's all about meeting people, and we love to meet people."
It works out for the event-goers, too, said Tracy Smith, a Winfield resident and a first-timer of the festival.
"I'm not really a huge wine person, but when you can try a lot of samples like you can here, I can figure out what wine I like," she said.
Music-wise, trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis headlined the event, along with the High and Mighty Brass Band. Jazz runs in the Marsalis family, with brothers Branford, Wynton and Jason also recording music. Other artists in the festival's lineup included the Bob Thompson Band, the Steve Himes Connection and John Inghram's Slugfest.
Lieberman said she was expecting a lively, entertaining show from Marsalis.
"By the time he comes on, the people will all be dancing, and it will be a great, big scene," she said.
Reach Max Garland at max.garland@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-4886 or follow @MaxGarlandTypes on Twitter.