Uncork Some Rodeo Fun!
This year’s Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo “Rodeo Uncorked” International Wine Competition, one of the largest in the country, is history with 3,188 entries from 18 different countries participating. The 2018 featured region, Northern Spain, received 212 entries with Texas wineries offering 420 entries. The auctioning of the top wines from the competition completed early last week. The Grand Champion wine - J. Lohr Vineyards Signature Cabernet Sauvignon (Paso Robles) 2014 went for $145,000 for a 3-liter bottle and the top Texas wine, Llano Estacado Viviano Cabernet Sauvignon-Sangiovese (Texas) 2015 was had for $75,000.
For those still looking to enjoy some of the Rodeo Uncorked wine fun, there are a few weeks left to savor a taste, a glass or a bottle of the winning wines in the Houston Rodeo “Champions Wine Garden”. Entering the rodeo ground from the McNee street entrance, the wine garden is conveniently tucked between NRG Stadium and the soon to be revived Astrodome and appears behind and arched entryway as a grouping of white tents, open-air tables and live music venues. Through March 18th, 76 of the top medal-winning wines will be served to the public. Click here for times, wine list, fees and more details on the Houston Rodeo website.
There will also be a series of educational wine testing seminars in the wine garden focusing on everything from Wine 101 to featured wine regions, wine styles, and wine and food pairing that attract both novice and educated wine consumers. On Friday, March 9th from 6:30 to 8:00 pm there will be a seminar titled “Texas Wine Celebration”. I will deliver this fun and history filled tasting of six award-winning Texas wines giving information that every Texas wine drinker needs to know. To download the seminar schedule – Click here.
I recently visited the Wine Garden and tasted several of the top awarded wines with excerpts from my tasting notes below:
J. Lohr Vineyards Signature Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles) 2014 – Grand Champion Best of Show: Inky dark purple-black wine aged in New French oak with aromas and flavors of rich dark berries, vanilla, baking spice, punctuated with hickory smoke, pepper and licorice.
Ram's Gate Chardonnay, Hyde Vineyard, Carneros, 2013 – Reserve Grand Champion Best of Show: Appears with a golden hue that opens into an intense expression of pear and citrus melded with vanilla and butterscotch all done in harmony and balance with a pleasantly crisp acidity.
Ramon Bilbao Gran Reserva, Rioja DOCA, 2009 – Best Wine, Featured Region & Class Champion: Garnet red, like the gem, medium+ body and exudes a mélange of red berries and black fruits for the nose and palate, integrated and soften by extended barrel and bottle age with notes of coffee and pipe tobacco.
Llano Estacado Viviano Cabernet Sauvignon-Sangiovese (Texas) 2015 – Best Texas Wine & Class Champion: One of Texas’s consistently best red wines, it shows a full body and palate with blackberry and tart cherry, dotted with cedar, and anise on the nose. Its delicate yet flavorful with pleasant tannic structure that will polish further with age.
Hope to see you at this year’s Houston Rodeo Wine Garden. Cheers, y’all!
