Get into the holiday spirit by touring with your friends on the Holiday Crystal Wine Trail along the Texas Bluebonnet Wine Trail during the first two weekends in December. Your wine trail ticket allows you to enjoy two specially selected wine tastings, paired with a unique holiday food sample at each of the seven wineries on the trail. As an added bonus, have your ticket stamped at each of the wineries as you taste and at the sixth participating trail winery you will receive a commemorative keep-sake. Participating wineries include:
- Bernhardt Winery near Plantersville
- Cork This! Winery in historic Montgomery
- Messina Hof Winery in Bryan
- Peach Creek Winery in College Station
- Perrine Winery
- Pleasant Hill Winery in Brenham
- Saddlehorn Winery near Burton
- Texas Star Winery near Chappel Hill
Tickets for this Wine Trail Event are available for the discounted single ticket price of $35 or $56 for a Ticket-for-Two, plus tax and handling costs. Tickets are available only online at www.LocalWineEvents.com. You have the two Saturdays and Sundays (December 1st and 2nd along with 8th and 9th) to use your ticket to visit seven great wineries along the Texas Bluebonnet Wine Trail. Several wineries have special events going on during this wine trail event.
Bernhardt Winery Celebrates Winter Solstice
Saturday, December 14th marks the Twelfth Annual Winter Solstice Celebration at Bernhardt Winery. This fun Christmassy event is for the entire family. Bundle up good for it should be a little crisp. Festivities start around 1:00 PM with the placement of luminaries around the winery and the vineyards. Volunteers will be recruited to light over a thousand luminaries. The old Minneapolis Moline tractor will be cranked up, hitched to a hay wagon, and hayrides provided for kids from one to 92 through the winery grounds while caroling on the 15 minute- route through a seventeen year old vineyard. Of course there will be hot chocolate and fixings for s’mores, leaving white mustaches for your enjoyment. Assuming no big winds, a bonfire is normally provided to keep warm and make your s’mores. After the lighting of the luminaries, patrons will be treated to a special arrangement of Christmas music presented by Maureen Finlon from 1:30 – 4 followed by an evening concert starting around 5:30 by Joe Burleson’s Uptown Jazz.
Vittles will be available from a bevy of Food Trucks
The “Big Guy” from the North Pole will also make his traditional visit dispensing candy canes and Christmas Spirit. Don’t forget your cameras and kids for Santa pictures! Of course, there will also be the traditional “sunset toast” to greet the long darkness of the night. Include in your list of must-brings for this Christmas Winter Solstice Event such as kids, friends, chairs, a portable table, finger snacks, your personal favorite foods for Dinner, cameras, and home-made cookies for the cookie swap. Admission is free with some special events (Vineyard Train Ride, Hayride, S’Mores, hot chocolate, and Cookie Walk) having an additional charge with limitation due to availability.
Christmas Shopping for your Wine Lover
The Christmas buying spree has begun. Did Black Friday satisfy your shopping needs? Do you have a wine lover that still needs that special gift? If so, you are in luck with these suggestions!
- Bottles of Texas wines autographed by the winemaker from places like CORK THIS!, Bernhardt, Windy Winery, Pleasant Hill, and Messina Hof. One of the top wines at Messina Hof is the PAULO series which has topped Opus One and Silver Oak Winery in blind wine tastings.
- WINEAUX WEAR from CORK THIS! and Bernhardt Wineries.
- Wine Accessories from The Rancher’s Daughter in Montgomery.
- Magazine subscriptions to wine magazines like WINE SPECTATOR, DECANTER, and WINE ENTHUASIST.
- The best in wine glasses like Riedel from Sur La Table and SPEC’S. For that Klutz, get Polycarbonate Wine Glasses from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. For that “Special Klutz”, get “unbreakable” infusion glass wine glasses.
- Wine Aroma Kits from SPEC’S
- Wine-making Kits from “Brew It Yourself” at 25770 I-45, just north of Rayford Road on the east side of I-45.
Whatever your choice, your wine lover should love these unique gift ideas!
William-Chris Vineyards Skeleton Key V
Wine Characteristics: This balanced red blend is aged 20 months in oak barrels and has great tannin structure with layers of mocha, dried cherries, and cedar.
Grapes: Blend of 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Sangiovese, 15% Zinfandel, and 17% Merlot sourced from several Texas High Plains AVA vineyards.
Pair with: Filet Mignon
Where to buy: William-Chris Vineyards east of Fredericksburg on US Hwy 290 or online at www.williamchriswines.com
Price: $30.00 per bottle
