For years, Messina Hof Winery & Resort has been a staple in the Brazos Valley. This weekend, they celebrate 35 years of budding vines and blooming roses with the local community.
“The 2019 Wine & Roses Festival” is set for April 12-14 at Messina Hof estate. More than 3,000 guests are expected to venture out to enjoy wine tastings and local vendors.
“It started out as just a festival to bring out the local community and celebrate the budding of the vines, the roses that are blooming in the vineyard and springtime,” says Alexandra Hall, Messina Hof marketing assistant.
Friday kicks the weekend off with the winery’s Spring Wine Release. Saturday is the full-on festival, including grape stomping, chocolate pairings, and wine label competitions. Sunday wraps up the weekend’s events with the annual run through the vines as part of the 5K and Half Marathon, beginning at 7 a.m.
The grape stomping competition always serves as a highlight for the festival, Hall says. Teams of two to four members compete against each other in a tournament to produce the most juice. First, second and third-place teams each take home prizes, while those in the audience leave with smiles. Stomping begins at 1:30 p.m.
A new feature in this year’s festival is the self-guided wine and chocolate experience. After receiving feedback from last year, Messina Hof made some changes to activities.
“Guests will have an opportunity to move at their own pace when it comes to trying chocolate truffles with the wines that we select,” Hall says. “They get to learn a little bit more about wine and food pairing and what all that entails.” The experience was expanded this year for more people to enjoy the pairings, she says.
Returning to the “Wine & Roses Festival” is the popular Texas Artist Wine Label Competition. The 29th edition of the contest will feature art created by 10 Texans hoping to be featured on a Messina Hof wine bottle. Visitors to the festival will have the opportunity to vote on their favorite entry.
Hall says this year’s theme for the competition is glamour. “We are trying to get a feel for the small things in life that may make you feel glamorous,” she states.
Of course, no “Wine & Roses Festival” would be complete without wine and roses. Guests who purchase a wine tasting ticket package can enjoy a variety of Messina Hof wines throughout the day, including wine slushies, canned wines and wine on tap.
The festival will also include live music. The Brookwoods, a doo-wop band from Cresskill, New Jersey, will reunite for yet another performance at the “Wine and Roses Festival.” Guests can catch the band Saturday afternoon starting at 4 p.m.
Community is very important to Messina Hof, and this festival is a perfect opportunity for those unfamiliar with the winery and resort to learn more.
“We really appreciate the Bryan/College Station community,” Hall says. “We feel like guests can come out here to escape, relax and learn more about the Texas wine industry.”
General Admission to the festival is free, but special package tickets will be needed for the wine tasting and chocolate pairings. These package tickets will not be available for sale at the festival and must be bought in advance via Messina Hof’s website. There are several options for parking at the festival. Guests can park at the estate for $5 or take a shuttle from Rudder High School.
To purchase tickets and for more information, visit www.messinahof.com
