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These are North Texas’s favorite wines: The People’s Choice Classic winners!
Thousands of GrapeFest revelers have turned in their ballots, and the results are in! The winners of the People’s Choice Wine Tasting Classic were revealed on the afternoon of Sunday, September 14 in Grapevine, Texas. All together, 34 wineries brought more than 120 wines to compete over the four days of GrapeFest. It’s all Texas…
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Review: Early Mountain “Foothills” Virginia Red Blend (2023)
Wine is great stuff–but wine people are the very best. While volunteering at the TEXSOM Conference last month, I met a wonderful couple who know a ton about Virginia wine and are eager to share their favorites with the world. Over towering racks of freshly-washed glasses, wine chat turned into more wine chat. I mentioned…
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A celebration of Texas wine at GrapeFest 2025 (Grapevine, TX)
Turn down Texas’s thermostat by a few degrees, pack tens of thousands of wine lovers into an old railroad town, and you got yourself a party! GrapeFest is a wholesome (yet wholly wine-soaked) event that arrives in the Dallas suburb of Grapevine every September. With grape stomps on the schedule and BBQ smokers on every…
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Big skies and big birds: A visit to Blue Ostrich Winery (Saint Jo, TX)
Eight hilltop acres, 10 Texas wines, and one lanky bird added up to a memorable Friday when we took the road north to Blue Ostrich Winery and Vineyard. This popular North Texas winery is located in Saint Jo, Texas and is part of the new-ish Texoma AVA. It’s about 90 minutes from DFW and practically…
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7 things to love at GrapeFest 2025 (Grapevine, TX)
We adore a big-city festival with a small-town feel, and GrapeFest checks all the boxes. Located in Grapevine, Texas (a few miles from DFW Airport), it’s a festive fall activity for all your favorite winos. And that’s not just our opinion: This year, GrapeFest snagged the #7 spot on the USA Today Readers’ Choice list…
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2025 TEXSOM Diaries: Sommer Camp Part Four
The Wine Fairy is reporting from TEXSOM, a great big conference of sommeliers and wine educators in North Texas! I’ve been here for four days, volunteering from dawn to dusk in an effort to broaden my wine knowledge and experience. This is Part Four of the 2025 TEXSOM Diaries. For previous entries, check out Part…
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2025 TEXSOM Diaries: Sommer Camp Part Three
I spent five days volunteering at TEXSOM 2025 as part of the Sommer Camp program. These are my TEXSOM Diaries–a day-by-day, behind-the-scenes look at Texas’s premier wine education conference. Also check out Part One and Part Two! It’s Day Four of the wine wonderland that is Sommer Camp, and we’re getting started early: A Sunday…
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DFW Wine Events: September 2025
Harvest is underway in Texas, and our social media feeds are full of grape crushes from the High Plains and Hill Country. (Jealous!) Although few wine grapes are grown here in the DFW area, that doesn’t mean we have to miss out on the joy of the harvest season. Here’s where to get your wine…
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2025 TEXSOM Diaries: Sommer Camp Part One
Howdy from TEXSOM 2025, where I’m taking part in Sommer Camp! I’ll be sharing my experiences here on The Wine Fairy blog. Here’s what I did (and tasted) on my first day of Sommer Camp. The best way to learn to do something is often just to do it. Or at least, that’s what I…
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A visit to Siboney Cellars (Johnson City, TX)
Just off Texas Highway 290, a long driveway curves off the highway and climbs gently up to a limestone plateau. Vineyards spread out to the east towards Johnson City, a small town best known as the boyhood home of President Lyndon B. Johnson. Arid plants and clusters of old live oaks dot the property, and…
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Swipe, self-serve, and sip at Salute Wine Bar (Fort Worth, TX)
Automated wine bars have been a part of urban life for a little while now. I’ve seen them on cruise ships, in hotel lobbies, and popping up in trendy neighborhoods in big cities like San Francisco and New York. So when I had a couple of hours to relax in Fort Worth, I just had…
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DFW Day Trip: San Martiño Winery (Lavon, TX)
On a drizzly summer Saturday, we wandered east of Dallas to San Martiño Winery & Vineyards. A tip from a wine friend had led us to this hidden family winery in a growing DFW suburb. It’s located in Lavon, Texas on Highway 205 between Lavon Lake and Lake Ray Hubbard. Spanish touches are everywhere, beginning…