Come and Taste it! After year off, GrapeFest returns with wine tasting, music and more

When your town has the word grape in its name, you know they love a good wine.

That’s exactly what Grapevine will be celebrating Sept. 16-19 when the city hosts the 35th annual GrapeFest. And after having last year’s event canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic, anticipation looms high for its return.

“Our intent was that we only canceled the 2020 event, and we believed by 2021 circumstances would be different,” said Paul W. McCallum, Executive Director, Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau.

“We are encouraging people to wear masks, which will be available at the entrance gates; to wash their hands and use sanitizer, as hand washing areas and sanitizer will be available throughout the festival grounds; and to maintain social distance.”

Presented by Bank of the West, this year’s theme is: Texas Wine. Come and Taste it!

Visitors (appropriate ages, of course) are invited to sip their way through delicious wines from Texas. Festival guest wineries will also be serving uniquely exquisite wines.

GrapeFest is the largest wine festival in the southwest United States and offers four days of family friendly festival fun. While wine grabs much of the spotlights, there are many other signature events, including:

▪ The People’s Choice Wine Tasting Classic, the largest consumer-judged wine competition in the nation, starting Thursday at 11 a.m. with 11 90-minute sessions throughout the weekend in the Historic Cotton Belt District. Tickets are $23 in advance and $25 at the event. Guests must be 21 or over to enter. New this year is a two-hour VIP tasting on Thursday at 5 p.m. for $45 per ticket. Winners of the competition will be announced on Sunday, Sept. 19 at 5 p.m.

▪ GrapeStomp. Teams of two take turns crushing approximately 18 pounds of grapes for two minutes. Teams that stomp the most juice qualify for the Grand Champion StompOff on Sunday, with the winners being awarded the coveted “Purple Foot” award. Entry fee is $10 per team.

▪ Children’s FunZone. Located at the corner of Main Street and East Texas Street, this area features activities for every interest, such as participating in Legoland Discovery Center’s Master Model Builder, Sea Life Grapevine Aquarium’s educational animals exhibit, and Peppa Pig’s coloring corner, and more.

▪ GrapeFest Tennis and Pickleball Classic, Saturday and Sunday. Additionally, the Carnival of Tennis will be held on Friday. This sanctioned tournament features both junior and adult singles and mixed doubles events.

▪ ItalianCarFest, Saturday, Sept. 11, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. More than 90 modern and classic Italian vehicles are on display at Nash Farm, located at 626 Ball St. This event is free.

“Thirty-five years ago, when our festival began, the modern Texas wine industry was in its infancy. Together, GrapeFest and the Texas wine industry have grown into a major lifestyle in Texas,” McCallum said, noting that Texas ranks fifth in the nation in wine production, and GrapeFest draws crowds of 200,000 or more annually.

And what’s a good wine festival without music? The event is filled with headliners on four stages providing non-stop music, including:

▪ Thursday, Sept. 16: Journey tribute band Escape will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the original Journey’s album by the same name.

▪ Friday, Sept. 17: AshenMoon featuring Garry Beers of INXS, starting at 7:30 p.m., and Berlin featuring Terri Nunn, starting at 9:30 p.m.

▪ Saturday, Sept. 18: Stray Cats’ Slim Jim Phantom, starting at 7:30 p.m., and Asia featuring John Payne, starting at 9:30 p.m.

The carnival and midway will also make its return on the corner of Main and Wall streets.

Trinity Metro TEXRail is offering a travel alternative, dropping visitors off at the Grapevine Main Station, just steps away from the festival grounds.

Festival hours are Thursday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for seniors ages 62 and up, along with children ages 6-12. Ages 5 and under are free.

For more information, call the Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau at 817-410-3185 or visit GrapeFest.com.

This story was originally published September 14, 2021 at 6:00 AM.