We’ve heard of these “Industry Parties”…we’ve witnessed a couple here and there, mostly by happening to be in the right tasting room at the right time, but we’ve never actually intentionally attended one. Well, times are-a-changin our friends…we may have actually achieved “Industry” status!!! So, the scene of the crime was Tobin James winery – a very cool place on 46 West that looks like a huge barn from the outside and more like a huge saloon on the inside. The grounds are huge and totally geared towards entertaining! We got our tickets and joined the other 1700 “Industry” people and hit this place up! Endless busses, limos, and luxury tour vans rolled in, full of party-goers that have either been to this party before, or have heard of the infamous time that is had by all year after year.
Picture this: food, wine, music. Okay, sounds normal right? Well, there was FOOD: endless wood-fired pizzas, BBQ’d Tri-tip, BBQ’d ribs, rotisserie chicken, fruit and cheese platters, and assorted appetizers. They also happened to be serving their whole line-up of wine…and if you’ve never been to TJ, they have a LOT of wines on their list. From the standard list of 15 or so, to the Reserves, Silvers, and Estate wines, there was something for anybody and everybody! Oh yeah, and there was even a beer alley with assorted kegs tapped for those that dig beer. The music was awesome! They played everything from Michael Jackson to AC/DC, and did it all very well. People ate, they drank, and they danced.
Interesting observation: seems that this event attracts a lot of young ones. We saw a lot of 22 (or so?) year old girls running around, scantilly clad, clamering around in super high heels, and with no apparent awareness or modesty. Now, before the guys laugh and say that’s what makes a party fun; imagine if that was your daughter, wife, sister…it’s not really cool.
Overall, it was an awesome event, we meandered and mingled, visited with a ton of friends and had a great time. Thanks to Toby and all the staff!
We tried to capture the whole scene for you…check out all 3 videos to get the full effect!
Video 1 of 3 – The band gazebo and North patio:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hhq_PZo7hI0[/youtube]
Video 2 of 3 – DANCING!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSl01ZlEPas[/youtube]
Video 3 of 3 – The whole other side of the party:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Pz132BF7ak[/youtube]
So fun!
Around the Finger Lakes wineries, there has been a proliferation of drunk and disorderly people arriving in large buses and limos. It has really detracted from the venue, and a few times I’ve read in the news that arrests have occurred. It doesn’t surprise me about the young girls. I see it all the time.
Congrats on the coveted invite.
Sandra – as much as it might sound “old” we’re not big fans of the groups of drunkies, either. The whole wine tasting thing is supposed to be fun and social, not necessarily a drunk fest. Anyway, we all have fun in our own ways, I suppose.
Thanks, we were honored to go…but then everybody in SLO County was there, so it’s all good!
Cheers!
Just curious, how did you get the tickets? I’ve been to several and I was under the impression Tobin James “Industry” parties were a thank you to those who have supported them?
Hey there, Tommy…many wineries consider us “Industry” because we’ve been blogging on them and supporting them via social media for some time now. We love the Paso Robles wine scene and like to do our best to get the word out about all the great wineries, events, restaurants, and adventures that we have around here. We’re big fans of Tobin James! Hope to see you there next time! 😉