Write Off the Vine: Texas Wine News – September 3, 2010

Write Off the Vine: Texas Wine News – September 3, 2010

Grapevine’s 24th annual GrapeFest in September

Beverly Burmeier, Austin Adventure Travel Examiner

Get your stomping feet ready for the largest wine festival in the Southwest. Come to Grapevine, Texas September 16 – 19, 2010 to celebrate the best of Texas wine at GrapeFest. Enjoy award-winning wine and culinary events while visiting historic downtown Grapevine, located north of the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.  Round up some friends and head north  on I-35 for a perfect week-end getaway, just a couple hours’ drive from Austin.

Activities for wine lovers and their families include: Grapevine Winery Tasting

Room Tours, Culinary Pavilion, GrapeFest Tennis Classic, KidZone, GrapeStomp, People’s Choice Wine Tasting Classic – the largest consumer-judged wine competition in the nation, six stages of live entertainment, and much more.

More: http://www.examiner.com/adventure-travel-in-austin/grapevine-s-24th-annual-grapefest-september

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How to Become a Wine Distributor in Texas

By Marlo Peterson, eHow Contributor

Understanding wine can take research and experience.

Wine distribution is a simple business to get into, but it takes skill and experience to be successful. The wine business can be profitable, as it is regarded as one industry that continues to thrive in a recession. Receiving a federal permit will allow you to become a distributor in Texas, but be sure you understand the intricacies and business of wine before investing your own money to become a distributor across the Lone Star State.

Read more: How to Become a Wine Distributor in Texas | eHow.com

http://www.ehow.com/how_6917822_become-wine-distributor-texas.html#ixzz0yRAGXwkq

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Yepez Vineyards: Welcome to our Family’s Vineyard and Winery

Nestled between our vineyards, the adobe style winery creates a vision of the Southwest. Our handcrafted premium wines are created with grapes grown in Texas.  We are committed to produce a first class Texas Wine that reflects the culture and taste of the Southwest.

We Offer and can Accomodate: Family and Company Picnics, Private and Public Wine Tastings, Private and Public Winery Events, Live Music, Corporate Meetings, Weddings, Anniversaries, Birthdays, and any other special event.

Public Tasting Room Hours:

(May-September)

Friday & Saturday 12-6pm

Sunday 2-8pm

(October – April)

Friday – Sunday

12:00 – 5:00 p.m.

More: http://www.yepezvineyard.com

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No Yee-Hawing in Texas: Direct Shipping from Retailers Ceases

By Lindsay Ronga, Cork’d Content

Posted: June 23rd, 2010

Just this week, wine retailers around the country received cease and desist letters from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) saying they can no longer ship wine to Texas consumers. The letter specifically told FedEx not to accept any wine retail packages to Texas. Wineries can still ship direct-to-consumer in the state of Texas.

Good for Texas wine retailers? You bet. Good for wineries? Yes sir. Good for competition? Not a chance. Definitely not good for the Texas consumer. What government decided has put Texas wine retailers ahead of the online competition who most likely offers wine at lower prices. Now consumers will be forced to order directly from the wineries and pay a markup or buy directly from the Texas retailers and likely pay a premium. National retailers lose. The consumer has fewer choices. An even bigger ramification (while extreme) might be if consumers stop drinking wine and turn to another alcoholic beverage. That would be a terrible backlash for the entire wine industry.…

More and comments at: http://content.corkd.com/2010/06/23/no-yee-hawing-in-texas-direct-shipping-from-retailers-ceases/

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Becker Vineyards

Friday, September 3, 2010, Terry Thompson-Anderson, On the Texas Food and Wine Gourmet

Becker Vineyards – 464 Becker Farms Road, Stonewall, Texas 78671 (830) 644-2681.  Becker Vineyards is located in the heart of the Texas Hill County between Fredericksburg and Stonewall, Texas.  The winery was established in 1992 by Richard and Bunny Becker.  The vineyard was planted on a site of native mustang grapes much prized by the German neighbors and their ancestors for their wine.  Forty-six acres of French Vinifera vines with sixteen different varietals including Viognier, Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc,  Malbec,  Petite Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot were planted in a mixture of deep sand and Precambrian granitic soils at 1,500 feet above sea level.

Becker Vineyards’ first harvest was in 1995.  All vintages are aged in both new French and American oak and stored in the largest underground wine cellar in Texas.  The winery is housed in a replica of a nineteenth-century German stone barn and surrounded by grazing quarterhorses,  peach orchards, and fields of Provincial lavender, native wildflowers, and coastal Bermuda.  The winery is approximately 10,040 square feet with a storage capacity of 64,000 gallons and fermenting capacity of 34,000 gallons.

More: http://www.thetexasfoodandwinegourmet.com/sub_story.asp?category_id=82&story_no=2

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The Go Texan Restaurant Round-Up 2010

Make a date to Dine-Out! Sept. 27 – Oct. 1

Celebrate the menus of the Lone Star State and help kick off Texas Wine Month! Participating members of the Texas Department of Agriculture’s GO TEXAN Restaurant Program will be serving special Texas menu items. Many also contribute a portion of the week’s proceeds to food banks across the state.

Additional Information about the GO TEXAN Restaurant Round-Up

E-mail gtrr@TexasAgriculture.gov or call (877) 99-GOTEX

More: http://www.gotexan.org/restaurantroundup/index.html