Vineyard Festival—the best one yet!

The Terry County Grape Capital of Texas Vineyard Festival, held on August 4 and 5, was a huge success judging from the numbers in attendance and the happy faces in the vineyards.

Brownfield Chamber of Commerce Director Lorena Valencia was still crunching numbers, but she stated, “It looks like the number of people at the Friday night event is going to come in around 375 which is just fantastic. On Saturday, we had 44 on the tour and 92 at Diamante Doble for the steak dinner.” It really was a great couple of evenings of fun and dining.

Friday’s event started off with wine and food tasting from various local wineries and restaurants. This event took place at the brand new 380 Vineyard Event Center located in the middle of Reddy Vineyards on Highway 380.

This time last year, the barn was full of tractors and tools, and other farming paraphernalia. But, the transformation was great as Vijay Reddy completely insulated the barn and installed air conditioning and better lighting. A loft area with an office and kitchen area was built with bathrooms added on the main floor. The rustic look really added to the atmosphere of the evening.

Bingham Vineyards, The Triple D, Llano Estacado Winery, Landon Winery, and McPherson Cellars were all on hand with some of their best wines for the tasting.

The Triple D Restaurant, Italian Garden Restaurant, Back 40 Grill, and The Truffle Chateau out of Austin all provided samples of some of their great food. Guests milled around visiting and tasting and having a great time while listening to opening act Danny Cadra out of Lubbock.

Danny did a great job of warming the crowd up for the featured act, local favorite Gary P. Nunn. Gary did not disappoint throughout the evening. He walked around the Event Center visiting with guests and sampling the wines and the foods before taking the stage.

When Gary got on stage, he brought such energy to the evening. Performing on the bed of an old cotton trailer, he rocked and sang for a couple of hours before calling it a night. Patrons took the dance floor and really enjoyed the evening.

Saturday afternoon brought guests to the Senior Center to board buses for the Vineyard Tours. Vineyards visited included Bingham Family Vineyards, Narra Vineyards, Reddy Vineyards, and Texas Custom Wine Works.

The owners were available at each location to provide attendees with some great information about each vineyard. Nikhila Narra spoke at the Narra Vineyards about the grapes grown there. Marissa Bingham was the speaker at the Bingham Family Vineyards. Vijay Reddy spoke at Reddy Vineyards. At all the stops, questions were answered by knowledgeable people who seemed delighted to share their knowledge.

Texas Custom Wine Works is always a great stop and this trip was fantastic as tours were given throughout the facility. Work was in progress there which added to the tour.

Following the tours, the buses departed for Tokio, Texas, home of Diamante Doble Vineyard. This vineyard, owned by Jet and Gay Wilmeth was the location for a fantastic steak dinner with baked potatoes and salad all served with a variety of wine choices from The Triple D.

Live music added to the atmosphere as guests dined. The West Texas Bloom provided the music and the Chamber provided the food for the evening.

The weather was, for the most part, perfect. A small windstorm blew through with a shower along with it, but not enough to dampen the spirits of those in the vineyard. A trip up a flight or two of winding stairs and across a catwalk to the top of the barn brought breathtaking views to those brave enough to venture up there. Acres and acres of vineyards and cotton farms were there as far as the eye could see. Not to mention the rainbow which showed up after the brief shower for an added touch!

Lorena stated, “It was such a fun weekend. We were so pleased with how everything turned out. It was an honor to have Gary P. Nunn perform for us. We appreciate all the wineries and restaurants that participated and helped to make the event so successful. We are already looking forward to next year’s event.”

This annual event gets better each year. If you missed this year, don’t make that same mistake again!