Texas Wine Tribute

On Saturday, September 7, the 33nd Annual GrapeFest® - A Texas Wine Experience will kick off festival week with the Texas Wine Tribute featuring the recipient of the annual "Tall in Texas" award. Each year, this highly anticipated and festive black-tie gala celebrates specially selected wines from a Texas winery paired with the dinner, providing the opportunity to experience the various varietals of the award recipient. 

The Texas Wine Tribute will be held in the Grand Hall and Tower Gallery at 636 S. Main St. in Grapevine. The reception and silent auction begin at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $125 per person and advance purchase is required. Tickets for the event sell out quickly so click here to purchase tickets. A silent and live auction will also be part of the gala.

Each year, a Texas winery is recognized as the recipient of the "Tall in Texas" award for its dedication to, support of and promotion of the Texas wine industry. The 2018 recipient of the award was Haak Vineyards and Winery.

An industry panel of academics and Texas wine leaders was established to select the award recipient. The panel members are:
Dr. Tim Dodd, Director of Texas Wine Marketing Research Institute, College of Human Sciences, Texas Tech University
Michael Zerbach, Past President and former board member of the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association
Dacota Haselwood, Executive Director, Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association and
Paul W. McCallum, Executive Director, Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Today, there are 400 wineries in Texas and the state is the fifth-largest wine producer in the United States. This is in no doubt due to the leadership and efforts of the earliest Texas wineries such as Homestead Winery. With wineries now present in all regions of Texas, the industry panel felt that focusing on a single winery each year would allow for more effective promotion of the achievements of Texas wineries, both statewide and nationally. The Texas Wine Tribute has been one of the most effective platforms for the promotion and marketing of the Texas Wine Industry.

For more information or to purchase tickets by phone, call Lindy Bell at 817-410-3128.