2007 Fredericksburg Food & Wine Fest

[hotwine]

Attended this annual event last night for the first time. Disappointed in the food, as only half-thimblefuls were offered as tastes.... no chance of grazing through a bunch of offerings and dispensing with dinner (which may have been the C of C objective, not to impact the business of local restaurants). But there were plenty of wineries represented; many of them I knew, so concentrated on those I didn't. Of those, Haak Vineyards of Stanta Fe Tx stood out. Would not have thought that the region near Houston could produce good grapes, but Raymond Haak's Tempranillo and Syrah were stand-outs, especially the latter, with good solid fruit and judicous use of oak. His 2005 Syrah is worth searching for at about $12.95 retail or $155 per case.

Fun time, lively Cajun music. We stayed overnight and left early this morning so we could make it back for our usual 8:15 service. Gorgeous drive, with fog in the valleys and over the ponds and streams, and a magnificent sunrise over the hills. Can't wait to move up there!

Neglected to mention there was a $20 admission fee per person for this thing. For that, an attendee received a 50-cent wine glass and three tickets, each ticket being redeemable for a small taste of wine.
Welcome, sucker!


[This message has been edited by hotwine (edited 10-28-2007).]