A New Kind of Texas Wine Festival

Hello, my name is Joey Bagnasco. I’ll be starting to write for my favorite blog, Texas Wine Lover, on occasion, and I hope you enjoy this first article about Rootstock 2016!

I serve as the head of a committee that has created a new festival experience in Central Texas. Our goal with this project is very simple: we want to make it possible, for the first time, to visit fifteen of the finest wineries in the state of Texas – all in one day. This will be a perfect opportunity for those who already enjoy Texas wine, as well as those who may not have tasted many Texas wines, to experience the best that Texas has to offer!

The official title of this event is the Rootstock Wine Festival:

Rootstock will be held in Indian Spring Park, downtown Waco, on Saturday, April 23rd, 2016. Festivalgoers will be able to meet with winery representatives and sample their wares all in the beautiful setting of Waco’s historic downtown park, complete with one of the oldest suspension bridges currently in use in the western United States. Food and wine will be available for purchase, and the day’s festivities will be set to the rhythm of a live jazz band. There also will be shaded seating areas and lawn games. If you would like to attend this one-of-a-kind event, please visit rootstockwinefest.com to purchase your tickets.

How does Rootstock differ from other events? First and foremost, we pride ourselves on the quality of the wineries we have selected (out of almost 400 in the state of Texas) for inclusion. Wine enthusiasts may recognize many of the participating vendors, who have been chosen for the quality of their product and their commitment to Texas agriculture. Secondly, this event is a terrific value: a $30 (if pre-purchased) general admission ticket to Rootstock includes 12 wine tastings, an official festival wine glass, and a T-shirt. Thirdly, every detail of this festival has been meticulously planned so that festivalgoers will have an amazing time tasting great wines.

Why are we doing this? Because we can. Because we love great wine and we love our great state! Should it turn out to be the overwhelming success that we are planning for, Rootstock will become an annual event. Attendance for this first year will be capped at 1,500 total attendees, so be sure to purchase your tickets as soon as you can to reserve your spot. Buy Tickets Here

Rootstock has been created by Valley Mills Vineyards, a family-run winery making world-class wines in the Waco area. This event wouldn’t be possible without the support we have received from The City of Waco as well as the Texas Department of Agriculture’s GO TEXAN program. I would also like to thank my awesome and tireless team: Sherry Cheatham, Austen Crorey, and my mother Candace Bagnasco.

Full disclosure: the author of this article is shamelessly promoting a venture that he would like to see succeed for personal, professional, and financial reasons.