Ageing to perfection - Second Int'l Reggae Wine Festival for MoBay

Good time and good vibes are what Carlos Daley, organiser of the International ReggaeWine Festival, is promising patrons. Wine lovers will gather at the Rose Hall Aqueduct, Montego Bay, St James, tomorrow to enjoy some of the finest wines.

With the festival now in its second staging, Daley told The Gleaner expectations are high. "It's going to be much better than last year's staging. This year will be bigger and better. We now have a more coordinated fashion show and more varieties of wine," Daley said.

According to Daley, this year has garnered much more interest from international visitors due to his widespread promotion on social-media sites and groundwork, both locally and overseas. "There is a lot of excitement surrounding the show; it has even surprised me. The hoteliers have been involved from beginning because they saw the vision and the concept," he said.

The event promises a stellar entertainment line-up which includes Leroy Sibbles, the soulful songstress Tessane Chin, George Nooks and fast-rising star Protoje.

According to Protoje, he is looking forward to performing.

"I am looking forward to this performance, especially since I will be performing with my band InDiggNation. This is also a great opportunity since the event is being staged in Montego Bay, where I have not performed frequently. It's good to see events being staged with live music at the centre, and this can only augur well for reggae music on a whole," Protoje told The Gleaner.

With a growing fan base of wine lovers in Jamaica, the International Reggae Wine Festival promises something for everyone "This is a completely therapeutic form of entertainment package. It's different from what exists, based on the ambience, entertainment, fashion show and the quality of the musical presentation. When patrons leave this year they will be so infected they will anticipate next year's staging," Daley said.

Gates to the Rose Hall Aqueduct will open at 5 p.m and the festival will run until 2 a.m. on Sunday. There will be a designated parking area and security will be provided by hired security personnel, who will operate alongside members of the police force.

Sponsors of the second International Reggae Wine Festival include the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), Digicel, Secrets, The Gleaner, IRIE FM, Grace Asymmetrical Investments and High Life.

(from Jamaica Gleaner)