Spring Break
Festival Review: GrapeFest offers Texans more than just lots of wine tasting
Jeff Eskew
Issue date: 9/13/06 Section: Features
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It was a weekend full of wine, bratwurst and music at the 20th Annual GrapeFest in downtown Grapevine.
Touted as one of the top 100 events in the United States and Canada by the American Bus Association, GrapeFest not only offered people the opportunity to taste wine from all over the world, but also the chance to take part in some grape stomping.
Many people who are unfamiliar with GrapeFest may think it is only an adult affair, but the celebration offered many events for people under the legal drinking age.
There were a myriad of games and music, ranging from jazz to country to disco, thanks to the six performing stages set up throughout the venue.
Hands down, the best band I heard while enjoying the festivities was the Freddie Jones Band, which was a jazz fusion band on the international stage.
As far as food goes, the all-beef hotdog from Little German Kitchen's booth located near the front gate was delicious. They claimed to be the world's best wurst and kraut, and I can't say that I disagree.
While there were many great things available at GrapeFest, some things did disappoint.
There were only a handful of booths to actually purchase wine. Due to the lack of booths, the wait was around 20 minutes for little more than five sips of wine.
Now, I am not a wine connoisseur by any means, but I do know that red wine is generally not supposed to be chilled.
It was hard to distinguish the Austrian Sveigelt from a random bottle of red you would pickup from Target or Kroger because it was too cold.
In the end, GrapeFest can be seen as a success because it offers the people of North Texas the chance to taste a variety of wines without having to feel pretentious about themselves.
Touted as one of the top 100 events in the United States and Canada by the American Bus Association, GrapeFest not only offered people the opportunity to taste wine from all over the world, but also the chance to take part in some grape stomping.
Many people who are unfamiliar with GrapeFest may think it is only an adult affair, but the celebration offered many events for people under the legal drinking age.
There were a myriad of games and music, ranging from jazz to country to disco, thanks to the six performing stages set up throughout the venue.
Hands down, the best band I heard while enjoying the festivities was the Freddie Jones Band, which was a jazz fusion band on the international stage.
As far as food goes, the all-beef hotdog from Little German Kitchen's booth located near the front gate was delicious. They claimed to be the world's best wurst and kraut, and I can't say that I disagree.
While there were many great things available at GrapeFest, some things did disappoint.
There were only a handful of booths to actually purchase wine. Due to the lack of booths, the wait was around 20 minutes for little more than five sips of wine.
Now, I am not a wine connoisseur by any means, but I do know that red wine is generally not supposed to be chilled.
It was hard to distinguish the Austrian Sveigelt from a random bottle of red you would pickup from Target or Kroger because it was too cold.
In the end, GrapeFest can be seen as a success because it offers the people of North Texas the chance to taste a variety of wines without having to feel pretentious about themselves.
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