Grapevine’s GrapeFest offers four days of wine, good times

While Argentina is best known for its Malbec wine and Oregon’s signature red is Pinot Noir, folks in Grapevine are especially proud of what they have to offer.

“This is the Super Bowl of the wine world right here,” said Alan Kunst Jr., co-owner of Sloan & Williams Winery located in the 400 block of South Main Street in the heart of Historic Downtown Grapevine.

The winery is one of nearly a dozen in Grapevine, home to this week’s 29th annual GrapeFest: A Wine Experience.

Featured this year will be the wines of Argentina, Oregon and — as always — Texas. The festival begins Thursday and continues through Sunday.

Besides GrapeFest, billed as the largest wine festival in the Southwest, Grapevine is home to the Urban Wine Trail and the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association.

The city boasts nearly a dozen wineries, and numerous wine events, such as the Sweetheart Wine Trail in February, the New Vintage Wine Trail in April, the Blessing of the Vines in April and the Hallo-Wine Trail in October.

But GrapeFest is the city’s most high-profile event. Events include the People’s Choice Wine Tasting Classic, the largest consumer-judged wine competition in the nation; the Texas Wine Tribute; GrapeStomp; KidsWorld; carnival rides and Midway games; and live entertainment.

Guests can sample more than 160 Texas varietals from 46 Texas wineries at the People’s Choice Wine Tasting Classic. Featuring 11 sessions throughout the weekend, this is one of the most popular GrapeFest events.

Guests can find new favorites and discuss the different available varietals with winery representatives. They then vote for their favorites and the winners of the competition will be announced at 5 p.m. Sunday.

According to GrapeFest organizers, Texas is the fifth-largest wine producing state in the United States. Texas is home to more than 300 wineries and has approximately 4,400 acres of producing vineyard farmland, yielding nearly 3 million gallons each year.

Oregon is the fourth-largest wine producing state in the nation.

Earlier this week, Oregonian Robb Bell bragged on his state’s “unique compression of elements” that lead to “fabulous wine.”

“We go from rain to desert in 40 miles,” the owner of Cathedral Ridge Winery said. “We can go from 128 inches of rain to 6 inches in 40 miles. The growing climate makes for a large variety of wines.”

Argentina is the world's fifth-largest wine-producing nation and the eighth-largest in consumption.

While weather also is a factor, Argentina wine consultant Augustin Alvarado, who came to the United States for the first time for the festival, said their secret ingredient is being “full of culture and Old World tradition and multi-generational wine families spanning to the 16th century.”

“And,” he said, “we are exotic.”

This story was originally published September 17, 2015 at 10:28 AM with the headline "Grapevine’s GrapeFest offers four days of wine, good times."