Cuban Jazz

Searching for something new and different to do on the weekend, Lyds and I recently spent a very enjoyable day at a Cuban Jazz festival. The event was held at the Rochford Winery about an hour's drive out of Melbourne in the beautiful Yarra Valley Wine country.

The Winery holds quite a few events during the year so they certainly know how to hold a good event. The event area was surrounded by the Winery's wines, which were looking full and lush now they are coming into season. The weather on the day wasn't the greatest, but it was a nice balmy day, perfect for downing a chardonnay or two (not for Lyds of course).

Lyds and I got there relatively early so we could lay out our blanket and picnic supplies before the hoardes arrived. As part of the event, you could choose the option of getting bus transportation to and from the winery from various spots in the city. A very responsible option to stop people drinking and driving....or maybe just a smart marketing ploy by the organisers to ensure that patrons drank as much of their wine at the event as possible?

Lyds and I drove to save some money, and also because one of us is a permanent designated driver for a year or so when we go out now (yeah for me !!).

We were joined at the event by good friends Matty and Shelly and a couple of friends of theirs who all caught the bus. It wasn't long before we starting digging into our feast and enjoying a nice glass of wine. It also wasn't long after that before Matty and I in particular had enjoyed a few more glasses of wine. Looking around though, it was pretty obvious that we weren't alone as hundreds of people were doing the same thing.

The Cuban Jazz was a nice compliment to the surroundings and the lyrics proved to be a good little brush up on our Spanish for Lyds and I. All up, a fantastic day.

Here's some pics from the day...