Please join me this Saturday, January 18th for barrel tastings. Did I mention they were complimentary barrel tastings? Bernhardt Winery will be hosting a Winter REDS Festival this Saturday from noon to 6 pm. Bernhardt Winery will have live music, lots of wine, and food trucks for your enjoyment. The weather this Saturday is predicted to be mild so you should bring your lawn chairs and friends to sip on wines under the towering pecan trees on the north lawn of the Bernhardt Winery. This is a great opportunity to enjoy the outdoors in what I call the Houston Hill Country. However, getting back to the barrel tastings, it is a great experience to watch a “wine thief” in action. A “wine thief” is a glorified pipette with a finger hold at the top and a narrow inlet/outlet at the tube bottom. The glass tube narrow inlet/outlet is inserted into the oak wine barrel via the bung hole on the side of the oak barrel with the wine rising up inside the glass tube. The exposed end is closed with either the thumb or the palm which keeps the wine inside the “wine thief” so it can be removed from the oak barrel with the wine inside the glass tube. The “wine thief” is then placed inside a wine glass and the plugged end is released which allows the wine to leave the glass pipette into the wine glass. Jerry Bernhardt and staff will be “thieving” wine this Saturday so you can taste this “work in progress” in your wine glass with your friends. Learn about the nuances of how oak barrels can help to add more layers to red wines. This Saturday afternoon should be a very relaxed afternoon with wine, friends, foods, music, and a fire pit for your enjoyment.
Consider looking at more enjoyment at the Bernhardt Winery with Winter Concerts featuring top performers inside the Bernhardt Winery Event Room. These concerts in January, February and March will be held inside in the warm, cozy concert room. The concert format is designed around a relaxing Sunday afternoon featuring fine wines paired with gourmet cheeses and charcuterie with family and friends. The winery provides family table seating in the concert room to enhance the intimacy of the afternoon. Gourmet artisan cheese and charcuterie boards are available for purchase to pair with a glass of your favorite handcrafted Bernhardt wine (not included in the ticket price). No outside food items will be allowed inside the concert room. Concerts begin at 3:30pm, ending around 5:30pm. Paid admission is $21.95 per person plus tax. Featured concerts include:
• January 26th – Blaggards Irish Rock
• February 23rd – Mardi Gras with Bayou roux
• March 15th – Felix and Fingers Dueling Pianos
More information in months to come on the outdoor Sunday evening concerts starting in April in March.
Upcoming Wine Columns
Texas wines earn hundreds of medals at the San Francisco Chronicle International and will be featured in next weeks’ column. In addition, lots of information will be provided about the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s “Rodeo Uncorked wine events” in the weeks to come! Don’t forget the Texas Bluebonnet Wine Trail’s Chocolate Trail in February!