Pairing Texas Wines with Texas Music at Texas Wineries
Robert Mondovi started pairing music with wines in the 1970’s at his Mondavi Winery before Texas wine industry re-started again in 1976.Most Texas wineries have a weekend concert on their winery grounds to enhance the Texas winery experience. In 2005 Texas just reached 50 wineries with Bernhardt Winery being one of those fifty! Musician and educator Jerry Bernhardt started pairing music with his wines on the Bernhardt Winery grounds near Plantersville, Texas to enhance wine perceptions by adding great music and sounds to the sights and tastes and bouquets of the wines. Those concerts were normally once each weekend with the years adding an acoustic Saturday concert to the original Sunday evening concerts. Other Texas wineries like Whiteley Winery, B. E. Winery, Haak Winery, Wild Stallion Winery, William Chris Winery, and other Texas wineries soon joined the list of Texas wineries pairing music with their wines. These concerts were normally outdoor so Spring and Fall were the prime times to pair music and wines because of the nice weather. These concerts brought wine lovers to listen to great local concerts which brought increased wine sales at these Texas wineries. I don’t think it is a coincidence that people do sip on more wines when they listen and enjoy music, especially at live music venues.
The upcoming solar eclipse on Monday, April 8th will see numerous live concerts on the day of the solar eclipse and the Sunday before. Such music events include:
• Arch Ray Resort hosts a two-day Arch Ray Solar Eclipse Fest on Sunday, April 7, and Monday, April 8, 2024. Your $300 ticket provides you with an ultimate eclipse-viewing festival featuring live music at the Living Tree Amphitheater by nationally acclaimed bands including the Goo Goo Dolls, Fastball, Switchfoot, Kyle Park, Cory Morrow, Lane Smith and more.
• Another solar eclipse party is the Ron Yates Wines Solar Eclipse Party on Monday, April 8 at its 10-acre winery grounds east of Fredericksburg!
• The Farmhouse Vineyards Solar Eclipse Viewing Experience will be an awe-inspiring event to view the 100% path of totality of the Solar Eclipse. In addition to exclusive wine releases, the event features live music by The Gullyjumpers, shopping from local vendors at the vibrant marketplace, games for all ages, and delicious bites from “The Jittery Biscuit” food truck onsite. During the last Solar Eclipse in August 2017, the grapes for The Observer were hand-harvested from the Crookshouse Block in the Texas High Plains. This red wine blend, made with 39% Grenache, 10% Syrah, and 51% Mourvèdre, was bottled four years later, in July 2021. There are only 16 cases of this special red blend available.
• Texas Hills Vineyards invites you to join them for the Total Eclipse Party on April 8th, 2024 from 11AM to 4PM. Your ticket includes viewing glasses, a logo wine glass, 1 glass of wine (the featured white or red), and an entree from the Smokin’ Wok food truck. Jon Parmentier, a master guitarist/ instrumentalist, will be playing his nature-inspired songs on the patio as you enjoy the cosmic event.
You don’t have to have a solar eclipse or a live concert to enjoy Texas wine. All you need are friends, wine glass and your favorite Texas wines!