Hampton Fire Company holds third annual wine festival

When a group of friends from Hampton Fire Company went to a wine festival about three years ago, it turned out to be more than just a fun day.

The wheels started turning in Brandon Blevins' mind. Blevins, captain of Hampton Fire Company, thought, "How can we make this happen here?"

Wine Tasting in the Hamptons was hosted for the third time this weekend. The festival raises funds for the volunteer firehouse.

The two-day weekend event included ten wineries—three more than last year — craft and food vendors and live entertainment. For a $20 entry fee, attendees could sample as much wine as they wanted.

John Kanwischer, owner of Jackson Square Vineyard in Spring Grove, was participating in his second festival with the Hampton Fire Company on Sunday. Kanwischer let guests decide which wine they wanted to taste, but one special drink always gets the most attention, he said — the peach mango wine slushie.

"It's not your normal wine fest," said Nicole Jocoby, a firefighter at Hampton Fire Company.

Individuals were encouraged to bring their canopies to camp out on the open fields, drink wine and relax, she said.

In addition to the vendors, this weekend marked the first year a corn hole competition was established, with first-prize winners taking home $150.

"It's $20 for the whole weekend; it can't get any better than that," said Doug Wolf from the East Berlin area.

Wolf has been attending Wine Tasting in the Hamptons every year, he said, enjoying the local music and chance to hang around with friends.