Wine Festival Celebrates a Decade in Wharton
October is Texas Wine Month and the Monterey Square Wine & Arts Fair in Wharton is the perfect way to celebrate
Just an hour’s drive away, Wharton is about as far from the “city life” as you can get in 60 minutes. Instead of trekking all the way to Fredericksburg for wine and country charm, it turns out we have the perfect small-town option in our own backyard. Don’t think you’ve heard of it before? You may not have realized it, but a part of this quaint agricultural town comes to you every week at farmers markets around Houston. One of the well-known and well-loved farms at markets, Gundermann Acres, comes into the city every week from Wharton County to sell its produce.
Wharton is a historical and agricultural town that was founded in 1846 by some of Stephen F. Austin’s original colonists. Perched on the Colorado River, the town of about 9,000 has kept its old-time friendliness and small-town character. This year it’s celebrating the 10th annual Monterey Square Wine & Arts Fair—named for the town square—and is welcoming Houstonians to come down and discover the beauty of small-town life for a weekend.
The Wine & Arts Fair will take place 2–10pm on Saturday, October 13. Guests will enjoy Texas wines, delicious cuisine, shopping, live music and guided tours through meticulously restored historical buildings. Tickets are $25, which covers entry, tour of historic downtown Wharton buildings and tasting tickets.
Visitors can make a weekend of it and come early on Friday evening to enjoy Chef Monica Pope’s guest chef dinner at Provisions Bistro and Market. She’ll be accompanied by Bill Friedhof of Llano Estacado Winery, who will serve as sommelier.
“It will be a real family-style meal with great food and opportunity to talk with Monica and Bill,” said Debra Medina, co-owner of Provisions. Medina and her husband, Noe, keep a farm and garden that helps provide produce, chicken and eggs for the restaurant. “We do traditional foods using local food. I’m a farmer so we use mostly my free-range small-flock eggs in the restaurant. Eggs are also available for sale in market, and we bake all bread from scratch in house.”
On Saturday, historic tours, tasting and music will begin at 2pm. Wander the town with your kids, or go straight for the wine tastings! Take the free shuttle around town to enjoy the historical tours of the courthouse and railroad depot, then it’s time to wander through the cute mom-and-pop shops or find a seat in the shade and enjoy the entertainers and musicians throughout downtown. Jazz, bluegrass, Texas country and polka will take place at different points throughout the day and later in the evening, Jon Stork, a small-town Texas-raised Americana country singer, will perform on the central stage by the courthouse.
For history buffs, Wharton holds a wealth of historical buildings. “The courthouse is one of the most authentically restored courthouses in the state,” said Medina. For the first time this year, the courthouse will be open for guided tours. The fair provides a shuttle to bring guests through the town to show a few of the lovely historic homes, including acclaimed playwright Horton Foote’s home. Afterwards, the shuttle will take visitors to tour the fully restored Southern Pacific Railroad Depot and back to the fair.
Celebrate the end of summer and Texas Wine Month by getting out of the city and enjoying the charm of one of Texas’s cute historical towns that brings local food to Houston!
Buy tickets online HERE
SPONSORED
