The Wine Fairy

Wine Fairy here, reporting from the 2025 Spring Wine Trail in Grapevine, Texas! The 33rd annual festival took place on Saturday, April 12.

The sky was Easter-egg blue and it was in the low 60s all morning (cellar temp)! It could not have been a lovelier day to explore Grapevine’s downtown wineries on foot. Here, I’m sharing the things I saw, the stuff I drank, and a few tips for enjoying Grapevine’s excellent wine festivals on your own.

A town of around 50,000 located in between Dallas and Fort Worth, Grapevine is known across Texas for GrapeFest. At this annual four-day blowout, Main Street is closed off to vehicles and the road is swarming with shoppers and party-goers. GrapeFest happens every September and is the largest wine festival in the Southwest.

Compared to GrapeFest, the Spring Wine Trail is a smaller, more intimate local occasion. The purpose is to gather wine lovers to bless the crop during the growing season, and to celebrate the release of the previous year’s vintage. Nine wineries/wine shops and six galleries in the downtown area participated in 2025.

The Festivities

I arrived at Grapevine’s Peace Plaza bright and early at 10 AM to witness the opening ceremonies. The dais was set up with loads of fake grapes and bottles of wine from participating area wineries. A figure of St. Urban, the patron saint of winemakers and coopers, stood to one side of the podium.

A mariachi band and various city officials and dignitaries were milling around. Bacchus and Ariadne were in attendance too! Members of the Grapevine Wine Pouring Society–an all-volunteer organization devoted to the appreciation of Texas wines–were queuing people up for a celebratory procession.

We paraded around the square: Volunteers, the wine-drinking public, the God of Wine, St. Urban, and a hundred-pound bundle of grapes representing an abundant harvest. The sound of a mariachi’s trumpet filled the air, evoking a festive (and thirsty) atmosphere.

When the short march had concluded, I took a seat near the stage. A priest said a prayer for a successful harvest and for the health and safety of all the people working in the wine industry. A libation of the first glass of wine was poured into the soil. As the speeches concluded, the Wine Pouring Society was preparing cups of Texas rosé for the assembled wine fans.

If you think 10:30 is too early to start drinking wine (you amateur), you’re in luck: The Spring Wine Trail has morning activities, too. After the opening ceremony, there were giveaways and contests and plates of fruit and cheese to nibble on to build your strength for the day. The early birds gathered at the Plaza were invited to claim a blessed vine cutting, along with instructions to transplant and care for it.

I was really tempted to line up for a vine. But my car was parked several blocks away and I didn’t want to carry around a live plant all day. Then I heard something from the podium about a grape tattoo contest. (Hey, I have a grape tattoo!) I was tempted by that announcement, also–but the tasting rooms were calling.

I had pre-ordered my ticket ($50) online, so I hopped in a short line to check in. A quick scan of the QR code, and I had everything I needed to enjoy the day: A printed Riedel glass courtesy of the festival and its sponsor, Park Place Lexus. And the all-important Wine Passport. Armed with my vinous visa, I began to plan the rest of the day.

The Wine Passport is really cool. Inside is a handy map and a page for each featured winery. You get three tastes of wine at each stop and a small food item, which they mark off as you collect them. (That’s 27 wines–oh boy!)

I was relieved the Wine Passport wasn’t digital. I’ve used apps before for this kind of thing–for instance, on Louisville’s Urban Bourbon Trail–and they just never work as well as plain old paper. (Sorry, trees.)

When all the blessings were spoken and all the rosé imbibed, the crowd began to disperse down Main Street. Guests can visit the winery stops in any order before 6 PM. (Either follow your map or the person in front of you.) There’s shuttle stations all along Main Street for people who can’t–or don’t want to–walk between the wineries.

The Wines and Wineries

Our first tasting was at Bingham Family Vineyards. Their barrel-bedecked tasting room is just across Main Street from the Plaza. Inside, a representative from the winery and several members of the Wine Pouring Society were waiting to mark our passports.

My wife, Sarah, and I tasted the 2019 Windmill (Roussanne-Viognier blend) before moving on to the reds. A glass of the 2019 Fine ‘n Dandy (medium-sweet Tempranillo) was just the thing to wash down the bison-round crostini with caramelized onions, which had just been delivered to the winery by a local chef.

Next up was Bull Lion Ranch and Vineyard, known for their 100% Texas-grown wines rooted in the Italian heritage of the Tordiglione family. Bull Lion’s Texianti (dry Sangiovese blend) and Pancho & Lefty (a bourbon barrel-aged hearty red) are local favorites. Their new tasting room is directly behind the old one on the corner of College Street and Main Street.

On Saturday, Bull Lion was pouring some new blends and vintages. Two of the most popular choices–the Texican and Sangio Rosato–are light reds based on their estate-grown Sangiovese. Tasters on the Wine Trail had a choice of a sweet (cannoli) or savory (salami and cheese) food item from Bull Lion’s kitchen.

The April morning weather was sublime, so we opted to hoof it down to the farthest stops on the map and work our way back. That would be WINEstein’s Tasting Room and Cross Timbers Winery, both just under a mile from our starting point at Peace Plaza.

At WINEstein’s, we ran into Bacchus and Ariadne. (Again! It’s like they enjoy wine or something!) WINEstein’s is a bottle shop, classroom, and tasting bar that’s new to Grapevine. We met co-owner Michael Einstein who filled us in on upcoming events while we reset our palates with some non-Texas pours: An Argentine Cabernet Franc-Malbec blend for Sarah and a yummy Cava for me.

WINEstein’s has a thoughtful, varied global wine list and great pricing on bottles to drink or to go. We’ll be back when we have more time to sip and shop! For Wine Passport holders, WINEstein’s was pouring two Texas High Plains wines: A Viognier and a Tempranillo. Both are vinted and bottled by Blue Ostrich Winery, up near the Oklahoma border in St Jo, Texas.

Still going strong, we made our way down the street to Cross Timbers Winery. This historic farmhouse-style winery is a popular event venue and one of the only places in DFW where you can actually peep at grapes growing on the vine. The Teeter Twins were playing country standards on the garden stage. By afternoon, most of the wine tasters had migrated out of the tasting barn to soak up the sun.

Cross Timbers makes red, white, and blush wines–both single varietals and blends. The wines here are consistent. I grabbed a very Texas-style hors d’oeuvre–mac and cheese in a cup, topped with pickled jalapeños–and paired it with the semi-dry Grapevine White blend.

From there, we took the shuttle back to Messina Hof Winery to start filling in the last half of our wine card. At Messina Hof’s large brick building, the upstairs and downstairs tasting rooms were staffed and the wine was flowing. Their west-facing veranda offers a bustling view of Main Street and plentiful afternoon rays.

Messina Hof’s extensive by-the-glass list had been wisely pared down for the Wine Trail menu. Still, I found a couple of favorites to revisit. Their Muscat Canelli is brimming with orange-flower and honey goodness, and the Grenache Dry Rosé is crisp and refreshing on a warm afternoon. Messina Hof wins the Health Award for carrot sticks and Green Goddess hummus as a snack–something to offset the massive amount of sugar and cheese I ate for both breakfast and lunch.

You’ll forgive me if my notes get a little less detailed after that. We shuffled down Main Street to Sloan & Williams, to Grape Vine Springs, and then to Landon Winery. We finished the day at OG Cellars, filling in the final checkmarks on our card with just about an hour to spare before last call at 6 PM.

Enjoying Grapevine Festivals

I’m a Dallas local who’s been going to Grapevine’s wine festivals for years. While this was my first time at the Spring Wine Trail, I’ve got a few words of wine-dom to help you make the most of your day. Here’s my top three tips for doing Grapevine right:

• Start early.

The earlier you can pick up your passport and get moving, the more time you have to make it to all the wineries. Plus it will be easier to taste and ask questions without being tangled up in the roving crowds.

If there’s a wine you’re dying to try, or a winery you want to shop at, visit those first. As the afternoon wears on, the lines get longer and the tasting rooms get louder. You might even decide to throw in the towel and not finish your tasting card (though that’s never happened to me.)

• Stay safe.

Wine tasting is strenuous work! Wear comfortable shoes, dress in layers, and carry a re-usable bottle for water. (Many of the wineries had water filling stations available.) On warm days–that’s most of the year–seek shade and hydrate constantly. September’s GrapeFest is usually hotter than the Spring Wine Trail, but temperatures can creep up dangerously high even in April.

It’s a bunch of wine that they pour you, so stay safe. In downtown Grapevine, the sidewalks, crosswalks and traffic light are kept in good repair (i.e., use them).

Compared to other places that you might have pub-crawled in, Texas sadly does not have a pedestrian-friendly culture and you shouldn’t assume that vehicles will stop for you or even see you (no matter how cute you look in your sun hat).

Use the event shuttle to get around (we found the drivers prompt and friendly). After the festival, be sure to hitch a ride with a sober friend, summon a ride-share, or utilize the TEXRail commuter train to get you to your next destination.

Another option is to consider staying in town. Hotel Vin is a gorgeous, wine-themed luxury hotel and it’s right on the Plaza. But the room rates are high and parking is an additional $24-$36 per day. To keep our staycation on budget, we booked the newly renovated Spark by Hilton Grapevine DFW North for about a third of the cost. We found it to be a clean and friendly accommodation just a short walk from the Wine Trail festivities.

• Try Texas wines!

Whenever I talk about Texas wine events with Wine People, the first question is usually, “But the wines are all bad, right?” No!

As far as I can tell, the prejudice against Texas wines is based on two beliefs: One, that most of the state is too hot and/or humid for grapes. And two, that the average Texas wine drinker has the palate of a toddler and only likes sweet, fizzy, or flavored wine beverages (preferably out of a Dickey’s Barbecue cup) so that is what gets produced and sold here.

Now, there is a grain of truth to each of these rumors. However! That’s not to say that nobody is making good or very good wine in the state of Texas. Every time I go to a multi-winery tasting like this one, I’m amazed at the innovation and the variety on display here. And it’s getting better all the time.

So, my final advice would be to get out there and try Texas wines–regardless of what you might have heard. The beauty of a wine festival is that you can taste and decide what you like. You can devote a day to discovering different styles without much of a commitment.

I thoroughly enjoyed dragging my souvenir goblet through all the tasting rooms on the Wine Trail, but a few wines stood out to me.

Fave reds:

Texas is best known outside of the state for its wines from bold, heat-tolerant black grapes. Landon Winery’s Cabernet Sauvignon (bottle: $26) is a well-priced exemplar of the style, and it’s widely available at liquor stores.

My favorite taste of the day was Bull Lion’s Montepulciano ($45), which balances luscious red fruit and smooth tannins with moderate alcohol and a touch of spice. Other notable reds: Bingham Family Vineyards makes their red blends in a distinctive style that’s smoky and savory. The standout there was the 2019 Dugout ($37), a full-bodied Bordeaux blend beefed up with the addition of ripe Texas Tempranillo.

Fave whites:

Single-varietal Viognier is trendy but it struggles in Texas heat and too often lacks acidity. I’m still waiting to find a great one here.

More reliable are the Texas white blends which are often off-dry and served chilled. Bingham’s Windmill ($29) and Cross Timbers’s Grapevine White ($24) are Roussanne blends with easygoing peach and citrus flavors. Both are food-friendly and versatile options for hosts looking for a crowd-pleasing Texas white.

I personally enjoy a lot of floral intensity in my white wine, especially if there’s any sweetness on the palate. My favorite white of the weekend was the aforementioned Off-Dry Muscat Canelli ($25) from Messina Hof.

If you’ve read this far, you should know that the Spring Wine Trail was a blast! I was impressed with how well-organized it was. The Wine Pouring Society volunteers were everywhere–serving up wine, offering directions, and working to keep people safe and jolly. It’s also an incredible value at $50 (or $55 the day of the event) for a welcome drink, shuttle transportation around the square, nine winery tastings and nine food items. Compare that to some wineries in California where $50 might not even get you one tasting.

The next Spring Wine Trail is April 11, 2026. Hope to see you there!

Review disclosure: I was not compensated or provided any free products for this review. Opinions expressed on The Wine Fairy blog are entirely my own.