Top Texas Wine – Flat Creek Estate, Mistella, Texas

Top Texas Wine – Flat Creek Estate, Mistella, Announced by the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™ 2010 International Wine Competition  

The seventh annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo International Wine Competition judging, held Nov. 14- 15, 2009, at Reliant Center, boasted 1,761 wines from 583 wineries in Texas, across the United States and around the world. Sixteen countries participated in the competition and 1,250 medals were awarded by 15 panels of judges, consisting of local, national, and international wine experts.

2010 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo International Wine Competition Champions:

Grand Champion Best of Show – Davis Family Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, 2005

Reserve Grand Champion Best of Show – Laetitia Vineyard & Winery, Nadia Red Bordeaux Blend, Arroyo Grande Valley, 2005

Top Texas Wine – Flat Creek Estate, Mistella, Texas, NV (http://www.flatcreekestate.com/wines.html)

Top All-Around Winery – d’Arenberg, Australia

Top Argentina Wine – Bodega Elvira Calle, Ca’de Calle Malbec, Mendoza, 2008

Top Sparkling Wine – Domaine Ste. Michelle, Blanc de Blanc, Columbia Valley, NV

Top White Wine – Kallfelz Estate, Single Vineyard Reisling, Mosel, 2007

Top Red Wine – Sequoia Grove, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, 2006

Top Sweet Wine – Hopler Eiswein, Riesling, Austria, NV

Top Value Wine – Napa Landing, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, 2006

Buckles, chaps and saddles will be awarded to the champions at the Rodeo Uncorked! Roundup and Best Bites Competition Sunday, Feb. 21, 2010, at Reliant Center. In addition to the champion wines, guests will sample food from area restaurants and catering institutions, and vote on their favorites in the Best Bites Competition. The top three restaurants or catering institutions will be named that evening.

All champion wines will be auctioned at the Rodeo Uncorked! Champion Wine Auction and Dinner Saturday, March 6, 2010, 6 p.m., Reliant Center, 600 series meeting rooms. For tickets to these Rodeo Uncorked! events, visit www.rodeohouston.com, e-mail wine@rodeohouston.com or call 832.667.1128.

A selection of winning wines will be available for tasting, or by the glass and bottle, throughout the run of the Show in the Champion Wine Garden, located in Carruth Plaza. For more information on tickets and the Champion Wine Garden, visit www.rodeohouston.com.

The 2010 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo runs March 2 – 21. The Show is a Section 501(c)(3) charitable event, committed to benefiting youth, supporting education, and facilitating better agricultural practices through exhibitions and presentation. Since the its beginning in 1932, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has contributed more than $250 million to scholarships, research, endowments, calf scramble participants, junior show exhibitors, the Rodeo Institute for Teacher Excellence™, School Art participants, and other educational and youth programs. For more information on the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, visit www.rodeohouston.com.