Less is more in the eyes of many of the 300 who attended the Saturday’s River House Winefest.

The annual event hosted by River House Country Inn & Restaurant in Grassy Creek drew slightly more people this year than last according to proceeds at the ticket table.

River House General Manager Sherman Lyle is please with the quantity of the crowd and the quality of their experience from the music to the food to the crafts to the nine North Carolina wineries that showed their wares allowing visitors to taste what the state’s wine industry can produced.

Longtime visitor Howell Pruett is also pleased.

He and wife Becky have attended most of the nine summertime events held under a generation’s old Sycamore tree next to the New River in view of the 19th Century farm house that serves as restaurant and business office to the series of cottages making up the inn.

The Pruetts have seen California’s Sonoma Wine Country and the Virginia wine region. “You could find this sort of thing at any one of the Sonoma or Virginia wineries on any given weekend,” Howell said.”

He has been to North Carolina’s bigger festival, too and likes this better. “This is more relaxed and doesn’t have the shoulder to shoulder crowds. We’ll just come out and enjoy the whole day from noon to 5. The music and food and the wine.”

Diana and Traylor Refro, who live nearby, brought their daughter, Caroline of Charlotte, her friend, Scott Benfield, and Traylor’s sister, Ruth May. They sat under the dining tent enjoying the food a bottle of wine and the sounds of The Martha Bassett Band.

Their favorite wine is the Hanover Park 1897, and they are partial to Round PeakShelly Lehman, Mary Geyer and Jamie Adams, all of Ft. Lauderdale, love Brushy Mountain Winery so much , they are going to have a Ft. Lauderdale party honoring the Elkin winery’s quirkily named Booger Swamp and Bugaboo Creek. “This will be a good thing for those snooty Ft. Lauderdaleans’ Adams said.

The three became friends in the Florida city after Lehman bought property on the New River. They have come to enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and the cooler climate and the friendly atmosphere of the area for a while.

Terry and his wife, Debbie, Williams of West Jefferson have also been to most of the River House wine festivals.

The too have been to visit California vineyards and many other North Carolina Festivals.

They are partial to McRitchie. “They know what they are doing.” They also like Hanover Park and “Shelton’s Riesling is as good as anything you can find.”

“We also like to support he local wineries because they are local,” said Debbie. “I am a small business person and I like to support others in North Carolina.