Award-winning wines, grape-stomping champs named

(Grapevine) GrapeFest – A Wine Experience, concluded its 25^th anniversary in Historic Downtown Grapevine.  This four-day, family-friendly festival was a celebration of Texas wines and also featured wines and beers from around the world with a special focus on Australian wine, sparkling wine and beer.

“We are thrilled with the success of all the special events and activities that helped commemorate this milestone anniversary,” said Nikki Stinson, Festival Chair.  “Attendees enjoyed four fabulous days of wine tastings, festival food, live entertainment, children’s activities, carnival rides, GrapeStomp and more. We are already looking forward to next year’s festival.”

GrapeFest has long been the largest wine festival in the Southwest and this year truly lived up to its billing of being “A Wine Experience.” Wine connoisseurs and novices alike were treated to a variety of wines from Grapevine and from throughout Texas plus, wines from across the country and around the globe. Festival patrons could taste more than 200 wines, Champagnes and sparkling wines from the United States and six international destinations. Featured wine venues included the People’s Choice Wine Tasting Classic, the Texas Wine Tribute Dinner, the Grapevine Wine Pavilion, the Texas Wine Pavilion, the Champagne Terrace and the Wine and Beers of the World Pavilion.

The People’s Choice Wine Tasting Classic, the largest, consumer-judged wine competition in the nation, featured 119 wines from 33 Texas wineries. Over the four-day festival, nearly 7,500 attendees sampled these wines and visited with winery representatives.  

The winners of this year’s competition are:

Chardonnay

• 1^st: Fall Creek Vineyards (Tow) – Texas Chardonnay, 2010
• 2^nd: Llano Estacado Winery (Lubbock) – Chardonnay, 2009
• 3^rd: Lenoir-Sage Vineyards (Bells) – Texas Chardonnay, 2010

White Varietals, All others (<1.5%)

• 1^st: Messina Hof Winery (Bryan) – Father & Son Riesling, 2010
• 2^nd: Brennan Vineyards (Comanche) – Viognier, 2010
• 3^rd: Delaney Vineyards (Grapevine) – Muscat Cannelli, 2010

White Proprietary Blends

• 1^st: St Rose Vineyard (Pittsburg) – Foxy Peach, 2010
• 2^nd: Llano Estacado Winery (Lubbock) – Viviana, 2009
• 3^rd: Homestead Winery (Ivanhoe) – Prairie Rose, 2010

White Varietals, Sweet (>1.5%)

• 1^st: Messina Hof Winery (Bryan) – Angel Late Harvest Riesling, 2010
• 2^nd: Landon Winery (McKinney) – Yellow Rose, NV
• 3^rd: Texas Hills Vineyard (Johnson City) – Orange Moscato, 2010

Blush/Rose

• 1^st: CrossRoads Winery (Frisco) – My Cheeky Bastard, NV
• 2^nd: LightCatcher Winery (Fort Worth) – Texas Kiss Merlot Rose, 2010
• 3^rd: Tara Vineyard (Athens) – Deck Wine 2010

Cabernet Sauvignon

• 1^st: Texas Hills Vineyard (Johnson City) – Kick Butt Cab, 2007
• 2^nd: LightCatcher Winery (Fort Worth) – Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005
• 3^rd: Sunset Winery (Burleson) – “Sun Ray” Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005

Merlot

• 1^st: Red Caboose Winery (Meridian) – Merlot, 2009
• 2^nd: Haak Vineyard & Winery (Santa Fe – TX) – Purple Porpoise, NV
• 3^rd: Lenoir-Sage Vineyards (Bells) – Texas Merlot, 2008

Red Varietals, All others (<1.5%)

• 1^st: Red Caboose Winery (Meridian) – La Reina, 2009
• 2^nd: Landon Winery (McKinney) – Tempranillo, 2009
• 3^rd: Texas Hills Vineyard (Johnson City) – Toro de Tejas, 2009

Red Proprietary Blends

• 1^st: Bluff Dale Vineyards (Bluff Dale) – Nexus, 2009
• 2^nd: Red Caboose Winery (Meridian) – Tempranillo/ Cabernet Sauvignon, 2008
• 3^rd: Messina Hof Winery (Bryan) – Reflections of Love, 2009

Red Varietals, Sweet (>1.5%)

• 1^st: La Buena Vida Vineyards (Grapevine) – Red Headed Stepchild, NV
• 2^nd: Los Pinos Ranch Vineyards (Pittsburg) – All My X’s, NV
• 3^rd: Landon Winery (McKinney) – Red Rose, NV

Australian Vacation Giveaway

As part of this year’s special focus on Australia, GrapeFest teamed up with QANTAS Airways and Tourism New South Wales for a special trip giveaway to Sydney, Australia. QANTAS Airways began nonstop service from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport to Australia in May of this year. 

The winner of the trip giveaway is Cindy Jamison of Northlake, Texas.

GrapeStomp

And one of the most popular events, GrapeStomp presented by the Chrysler Group, continued in true festival fashion.  Teams of two participated in GrapeStomp during the course of the festival. 

The winners of the coveted Purple Foot Award, a glass foot sculpture of the winners’ own feet by Vetro Glassblowing Studio of Grapevine, are Brent Stone and Conner Wilkinson, both of Grapevine, Texas, with 39.76 ounces of stomped juice.

The 2011 Mayoral GrapeStomp’s featured mayors and/or city representatives from Carrollton, Colleyville, Combine, Flower Mound, Haslet, Irving, Keller, Rowlett, Southlake and Trophy Club.  Special guests in the Mayoral GrapeStomp included teams from two of Grapevine’s sister cities Parras de la Fuente, Mexico and West Lothian, Scotland.

The winner of the Most Juice Award was the team from Carrollton and featured Mayor Pro Tem Lisa Sutter and John Sutter.

Champagne Cork Shoot-Off

 GrapeFest attendees also participated in the Champagne Cork Shoot-Off on Saturday.  

The winner was Richard Smith of Fort Worth, Texas with a distance of 89 feet 4 inches.

LEGOLAND^® Discovery Center’s Junior Builder Contest

Not to be outdone by the grownups, youngsters also had the chance to participate in GrapeFest at the LEGOLAND^® Discovery Center’s Junior Builder Contest.  Over the course of two days during GrapeFest, children in two age groups built Texas-themed creations out of LEGO^® bricks at the expanded KidZone presented by Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine.

Proceeds from GrapeFest – A Wine Experience – will benefit the Grapevine Heritage Foundation’s ongoing restoration and program development at Nash Farm, a heritage family attraction. The Grapevine Heritage Foundation has deep roots in preservation advocacy, education and outreach to the citizens of the community as well as the thousands of visitors who explore Grapevine each year.

 In 2012, GrapeFest will be Sept. 13, 14, 15 and 16.

To learn more, visit  GrapevineTexasUSA.com/GrapeFest.

Stay tuned! Blue Ribbon News is expecting to add photos of the above-mentioned winners soon.

Read the original GrapeFest story here.

To submit your news and events, email editor@BlueRibbonNews.

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