It might seem like SunFest libations are all about the rum and beer, but SunFest organizers haven’t forgotten about us wine drinkers. For the second year in a row, they offer the Wine Garden, located in Trinity Park at the south end of the site near the Coors Light Stage.

For $5 you can get a flight of wines, which is a tasting of any three wines you choose. Or you can buy a glass of wine (served in a plastic cup.)

The Wine Garden offers a nice selection of varietals, from sweet whites to dry reds, with a total of 16 wines to choose from. I stopped by on Friday not long after gates opened to check out their selection.

The Garden offers wines by Robert Mondavi, Clos du Bois, Alice White and 3 Blind Moose. You’ll find the Mondavi wines on one table, and another table offers the others.

There are a few Chardonnays to choose from and I tried the 2007 Lightly Oaked Chardonnay by Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi from California, which was launched last year. I chose this one because I don’t care for heavily oaked Chardonnays. It lived up to its name.

It’s difficult to determine aroma in a small plastic cup, with onions and greasy fries wafting through the air from the nearby food court, but the Chardonnay had a light, refreshing aroma. It had pleasant flavors of melon and tropical fruit, and the slight taste of oak on the finish was just right for me.

It’s certainly an easier wine to drink on hot days, as the weekend promises to be, and my guess is this will be a popular one for the SunFest crowd.

However, the most popular wine so far, as the girls manning the tables reported, is the 2008 Alice White Lexia from South Eastern Australia. I could taste why, although it isn’t a preferred white for me.

This wine is quite sweet, both the aroma and the taste, and it will go down easily under the blazing sun (be careful!) It has generous fruit flavors of melon and citrus, with a light, crisp finish.

Red wine lovers who want something lighter to enjoy will probably like the 2007 Robert Mondavi Private Selection Pinot Noir from California. It has a light berry aroma with a hint of pepper; the flavors mimicked, but with more pronounced berry and jam and a lovely, smooth finish.

In addition to the wines, the Wine Garden has complimentary Cabot Creamery cheese.

I enjoyed the distraction from the hubbub of SunFest in the shady area of the garden. The representatives from Constellation Brands, the wine supplier, and Southern Wine & Spirits, the distributor, were helpful in explaining the wines and helping me choose for my tasting, as were all the hosts pouring the wine. The Wine Garden’s remaining hours are Saturday and Sunday 3 – 9 p.m. Cheers!

– Swirl Girl “Earthy” Jennifer