HOUSTON RODEO CELEBRATES TEXAS AND MORE
It is only a matter of a few weeks before the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo starts. The days leading up to this mega-fest have jaw-dropping events for wine lovers and foodies. Best Bites will be held the evening of February 20th features the award winning wines selected from thousands of wines by the Houston Rodeo Uncorked Judges last November. These wines will be paired with selections of about 100 of Houston area’s best restaurants for an event to be savored and remembered until next year. The World-Class BBQ Competition from February 24th thru 26th features intense cooking competition with winners getting bragging rights for 365 days. The Wine Dinner and Auction is one of the highlights with this one wine auction bringing in over a million dollars, ranking itself as one the TEN best in the world! The Houston Rodeo kicks off on February 28th and runs thru March 20th with the Livestock Show being the largest in the World! The caliber of this show amazes me. This mega non-profit has raised hundreds of millions in scholarships while providing outstanding entertainment. One of the best values for entertainment is the Rodeo’s Champion Wine Garden sponsored by Frost in Caruth Plaza near the NRG Stadium. This wine garden has long hours of operation featuring many of the Houston Rodeo Uncorked Champions for your sipping pleasures. Texas Wine Day will be celebrated in the Champion Wine Garden on Thursday, March 3rd. Texas wines featured in the Champion Wine Garden include:
• Llano Estacado Pinot Grigio 2019
• Messina Hof Chardonnay 2019
• Becker Vineyards Les Trois Dames Claret 2018
• Ron Yates Tempranillo 2017
• Pedernales Cellars GSM Melange 2017
• Fall Creek Vineyards Meritus 2018
These six great award-winning wines are made from Texas grapes and deserve to be in the restaurants that you visit. These six Texas wines and the other 68 wines from all over the world make up the selection of this Champion Wine Garden. Please explore the Champion wines in the Champion Wine Gardens and you will be impressed with Texas Wines! By the way, you can reserve a table or a tent for up to 150 for a Texas-sized party.
There will be twelve wine seminars hosted in the Champion Wine Gardens with two of those seminars focusing on Texas Wines. Ryan Levy will host on Sunday, March 6th “Taco ’Bout Wine” which pairs Texas’ favorite food with wines from the Champion Wine Garden. Dr. Russell Kane will host “It’s a Texas Thing: Wine and BBQ” which will dive into the journey of the Texas wine industry. This seminar features great Texas BBQ and outstanding Texas wines to pair with those smoked meats. The Texas Wine Industry has grown into a 14+ Billion Dollar Industry. Texas got its first winery in 1976 after Prohibition ended in 1933. Over the last 46 years, our fledging wine industry has grown into a work horse. I predict we will surpass 1,000 wineries in Texas by the end of 2022. All of the great wine selections available in Texas should be also showing up in Texas Restaurants. Tell your favorite restaurants to start serving our great Texas Wines!