Texas Uncorked!: Thinking outside the ropes
Saddles, chaps, and belt buckles like this one with the signature bowlegged H logo are awarded for prize winning wines.
Bucking broncos, bareback riding, steer wrestling, and mechanical bulls may seem an unlikely pairing with fine wines.
For the fourth straight year it was a winning combination at the Houston Livestock and Rodeo International Wine Competition’s two premier food and wine events. In the spirit of Texas, the state’s wineries took on the world’s biggest and best.
Great Tastes
The Fourth Annual Texas Uncorked! Roundup and Competition on February 26 at the Reliant Astrodome was an unveiling and tasting of all Champion, Reserve Champion, and Double Gold medal-winning wines. It was also Best Bites, a highly spirited tasting competition with over 50 participating Houston area restaurants, caterers, culinary schools and hotels. Attendees used tokens to vote for their favorite culinary creations. At the end of the evening, the award-winning wines were announced.
In true Texas style, top winners — Grand Champion Best of Show, Reserve Grand Champion Best of Show, Top Wine of Texas, Top Value Wine, and Top All-Around Winery are awarded a prestigious Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo hand-tooled trophy saddle. Winners of other categories are given chaps and belt buckles.
The event drew 1580 entries from 443 wineries in 16 countries throughout the world. “We’re extremely proud of this outstanding performance by Texas wines against very impressive competition,” said Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples. “Once again, the awards affirm for consumers that premium-quality, world-class wines are being made right here in Texas.” Twenty-four Texas wines received top awards.
Paul and Merrill Bonarrigo were awarded the saddle for Top Texas Wine for the fourth straight year, this time for Messina Hofs Angel Late Harvest Riesling.
Messina Hof Winery won the coveted Top Texas Wine Award saddle for the fourth straight year. This year it was for their Angel Late Harvest Riesling 2005, both a Double Gold Champion and Texas Gold Champion.
For more information about Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and the International Wine Competition winners go online to RodeoHouston.
The Auction
The Champion Wine Auction and Dinner was held this year on March 3. This reception and pairing of the champion wines with dinner prior to bidding for specially prepared oversized gold-etched bottles of the award-winning wines has become so popular that tickets sell out nearly a year in advance.
One of the country’s highest-earning wine auctions, a bottle of the 2004 Grand Champion Raymond Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon sold for a record $200,000 in 2006, and annual earnings can top $1 million. As part of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, proceeds benefit youth, education and better agricultural practices. In the fall of 2006, 1,935 students were enrolled in 92 Texas colleges and universities on direct Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Scholarships.
Fine wines and…rodeo
This was the 50th anniversary of educational programs, and this 75th Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo was branded “The Year of the Volunteer”. About 18,000 volunteers on 90 committees share their time, talents and resources, each donating an average of 67.7 hours of service, enabling more of the event’s proceeds to be directed to the show’s mission.
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo began in 1932 to improve and develop the cattle industry. Since then it has expanded its objective to include exhibitions and presentations to support agricultural improvement, promotion of education through scholarships and programs to support education, preservation of the area’s rich Western heritage, and fun and affordable family-friendly entertainment.
Since the first scholarship was given in 1957 over $100 million has been committed to educational support to over 20,000 students through scholarships, teacher training, and the arts program. It’s a top entertainment event, to boot.
The stars at night, are big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas…
It all opened with a grand parade and lively rodeo competitions, followed by a standing room only concert by George Strait, his 20th Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo performance. Included, of course, was his recent #1 hit, Give It Away. Other performers this year included Reba McEntire, Natalie Cole, Miley Cyrus as Hannah Montana, and Beyoncé. Gene Autry was the first celebrity entertainer, in 1942, and Elvis Presley starred in 1970. Other past performers include Roy Rogers, Sonny and Cher, Julio Iglesias, and Garth Brooks.
Rodeo Houston has it all—bareback riding, barrel racing, bull riding, saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, team roping, and tie-down roping. It’s twenty days of events and attractions—chuck wagon races, a calf scramble, a carnival, a mechanical bull, pig races, barbeque competition, live animal exhibits with just about every kind of livestock, and a shopper’s paradise of Western goods—just to name a few…
And Texas-size fun
Reliant Stadium is the largest and most expensive rodeo and football facility ever built, at nearly 2 million square feet and seating 70,000 for rodeo. The floor of the arena covers nearly 2 acres. This is the world’s largest rodeo and it ropes ‘em in… over 1 million spectators.
The world’s top 50 cowboys and cowgirls compete for the world’s highest purse. $1,275, 000 is awarded for Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association rodeos.
It is the world’s largest livestock exhibition. The Carnival features the world’s largest portable Ferris wheel.
A little history
More than oil shoots from the ground in Texas. Wild grapes have grown there for thousands of years. The mid-17th century Spanish missionaries established the first known vineyards, producing communion wine.
In the late 1800s, immigrants from Germany and Italy brought cuttings with them and introduced their own wine culture. Native Texas varieties that flourished, and by the early 1900s there were over 25 wineries. Prohibition in 1919 and subsequent restrictive laws changed all that, and only Val Verde, conveniently located by the Mexican border since 1833, remains today.
Then, in the 1970s, as wine began to surge in popularity, professors at Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and the University of Texas experimented with plantings and fermentation. The climate is similar to the wine regions of France, with warm and sunny days, cool nights, low humidity, and refreshing breezes. Old restrictive laws have been changed, and the Texas Department of Agriculture has helped with marketing. Drip irrigation augments the limited rainfall. With a range of varietals, new and unique signature tastes and a thriving wine industry has emerged.
Now, the Lone Star State shines brightly as one of the fastest growing wine regions in the world.
So where can I get some?
There are now more than 120 wineries in operation and Texas has become the fifth largest wine-producing state in the USA. Production has increased to 1.5 million bottles from just 50,000 bottles in 1982.
Texas wines are winning prestigious medals in both national and international competitions. But it’s still a secret little known outside the state.
As Texans are becoming increasingly aware of the quality, consumer demand is growing faster than its grapes can be turned into wine. Ninety-five percent of the state’s wine is snapped up before it makes its way outside its borders.
The best way the sample the fruits of Texas vines is to go straight to the source.
I’ll be somewhere down in Texas if you’re lookin’ for me, Drinkin’ in that great wide-open, soakin’ up the summer breeze.
Somewhere Down in Texas, George Strait
Happy trails
Hit the wine trails and taste your way through Texas Wine Country, the rising star of wine world. There’s a vast and varied landscape of hills and valleys, coast and plains. Put it all together with Texas hospitality and you have a winning combination for a vacation destination.
You need not know a Gewürztraminer from a Cabernet. The popularity of agritourism is growing fast, and in a state larger than all of France there there’s space to roam and something for everyone. Restaurants range from haute cuisine to authentic Tex-Mex or barbeque.
A few of the best
This great state has a lot of talent to draw on, and it’s coming together with generations-old recipes and techniques, modern technologies, and a can-do spirit to produce award-winning wines.
Here are a few of my personal favorites, alphabetically:
Bruno and George’s award winning “Other Than Standard” Raisin Wine
Former Sicilian Salvatore Bruno worked in the Texas oil industry in the early 1900s and brought along the family recipes and skills for making raisin wine. Two generations later, Shawn Bruno and brother Rocky had Texas laws changed to allow the production of wine from dried fruits and began a boutique winery. This Texas Reserve Champion wine is similar to but lighter than an Australian tawny port and delicious as a cordial or with pasta.
Fall Creek’s Meritus, 2003
This Double Gold Winner has cherry and dark berry flavors, a splash of spice, and a silky finish. Meritus is a super premium brand, produced only in years when the grapes warrant it. Owners Susan Auler and her husband and Ed, an attorney and fourth generation rancher, were pioneers in the Texas wine industry. They began in 1975, inspired by a visit to the wine regions while in France in search of cattle to cross breed. Their winery on Lake Buchanan hosts a range of special events.
Haak Vineyards and Winery’s Texas Madeira
What began as a hobby when Raymond Haak’s wife, Gladys, bought him two grape vines in 1969 has brewed into a Mediterranean style destination winery in Santa Fe with complimentary daily tastings and free Sunday summer concerts with catered food. This former electrical engineer used his ingenuity to create a traditional temperature controlled Estufa in 2006 to “madeirize” his increasingly-popular port wine. The result is a rich and balanced dessert wine judged among the top in the world. And don’t miss the award-winning Blanc du Bois.
Messina Hof’s Angel Late Harvest Riesling—
Crisp and sweet, with nectar aromas, this wine is ideal with fruit, cheesecake, or light chocolate desserts. It was a Double Gold and Top Texas Wine Winner at the 2007 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Sixth generation winemaker Paul Bonarrigo and wife Merrill’s wines were featured at the 2005 Presidential Inauguration and Houston’s 2005 Super Bowl. Their winery and resort on 100 acres has been featured in major motion pictures and was named “One of the USA’s finest Winery Experiences” by Bon Appétit. The Vintage House Restaurant was voted one of three best in Texas, and the luxurious villa with 10 unique rooms furnished with European antiques was judged Most Romantic Country Inn in the USA.
Special events
Springtime brings the Hill Country Wine and Food Festival one of the largest public wine events in America. In April, bring a picnic basket and enjoy the spectacular vistas along the Wine and Wildflower Trail. Take a tour and pick up some cut flowers at Hill Country’s Arnosky Family Farms. www.texascolor.com
October is Texas Wine Month with special events throughout the state in and around the wineries. Test your talents with celebrities at entertaining events like the grape stomp, inspired by an episode of I Love Lucy. www.texaswinetrail.com
Don’t be all hat and no cattle. Y’all come down! It’s the best. If you felt any better you’d drop your harp plumb through the cloud.
As they say in Texas, “If it’s true, it ain’t braggin’.”
Fixin’ to go? For information about wine festivals and special events or simply to learn more about wine, go to GoTexasWine.
