Monday, June 23, 2008

Off to Washingon D.C. for Smithsonian Folklife Festival

I am excited to head to Washington DC this week to help kick-off the 42nd annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival. The festival will celebrate some of the best of Texas by featuring Texas winemakers and grape growers who will share their stories about the culture, spirit and personality behind the Texas wine industry. The festival is a cultural heritage exposition that takes place every summer on the National Mall in Washington, DC.

On Tuesday, my wife, Janet, and I will join Governor Rick Perry and First Lady Anita Perry for the Celebration of the Lone Star State dinner. I will be sure to post pictures on this blog over the next two days.

“Texas: A Celebration of Music, Food and Wine” will be held on June 25-29 and July 2-6 in the shadow of the Washington Monument and historic Smithsonian Museums. It will feature the Texas Winemaking Tent, sponsored by the Texas Department of Agriculture. In the tent, winemakers and growers from across the state will “talk terroir” and discuss “making wine for Texas tastes,” as well as demonstrate winemaking techniques.

Texas wineries selected by the Smithsonian Folklife Festival to participating include: Alamosa Wine Cellars (Bend), Fall Creek Vineyards (Tow), Grape Creek Vineyards (Fredericksburg), Haak Winery (Santa Fe), Kiepersol Estates (Tyler), Lightcatcher Winery (Fort Worth), McPherson Cellars (Lubbock) and Texas Hills Vineyards (Johnson City). Texas master sommelier Guy Stout of Houston joins the wineries, providing his take on Texas’ most promising varietals.

With a state as big as Texas, each region has its own soil and climate, which allows Texas to produce a remarkably diverse assortment of wine. Today, Texas is the fifth-largest wine producer in the United States, with more than 160 licensed wineries in operation and 210 family-owned vineyards covering more than 3,200 acres of land.

If you want to find out more more on the event, see the details below or visit the festival’s Web site.

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