Wine and Magic Delights Sold Out Crowds in Dallas

Texas Wine Lover was invited for this coverage. All opinions, experiences, and photographs are entirely our own.

How long has it been since you watched a magic show? I must admit that it had been many years since I had watched a magician dazzle an audience. After attending Trigg Watson’s Wine and Magic show at Dallas’s Checkered Past Winery, I am once again a believer in winery-based magic.

Located in the South Side on Lamar area of Dallas, Checkered Past Winery hosts a monthly magic night, and I attended the early show on Saturday. Checkered Past is a casual, urban environment that has a full lineup of events each week. On Saturday, co-owner Sandro DiSanto welcomed guests to the warm industrial space where the stage was set for the sold-out show. The most prominent piece on the modern art-filled walls is a list of house rules. The rules make clear that Checkered Past Winery is a friendly place with few pretenses.

The wine list features Texas wines from Checkered Past Winery’s own labels, and also wines from McPherson, Messina Hof, 5 Points, and more. The wine list highlights Texas wines by listing them under the heading “Wines From our Friends.” Wines from other states and countries are listed under the “Wines from Our Guests” category. We enjoyed flights of Checkered Past wines (4 for $20), made in Texas from Texas grapes. I selected the Albariño, Sangiovese, Red Blend, and Malbec. Other Checkered Past Winery selections included Viognier, Syrah, and Sweet Red. The Tempranillo was sold out, but hopefully the new release will be available soon. These wines were the perfect complement to an artfully presented charcuterie board, roasted mixed nuts, and tasty flatbread. The menu has a large selection of appetizer and small plate choices. Everything we tried was delicious.

Magician Trigg Watson arrived in Dallas to attend college at SMU. While he still makes Dallas his home, Trigg is often off seeing the world as a cruise ship entertainer and performing at corporate and private events. He has been recognized with high scores at international magic competitions and featured on television. Trigg’s delightful show was fun, creative, and unique. He is a modern magician, and his show often relied on technology. From using a small video recorder to magnify his illusions to utilizing his Amazon phone app to deliver a punch line, Trigg’s show was current and fresh. The illusions were truly impressive. After the show, I spoke with a guest who had been on the stage during one simply perplexing stunt. He was still marveling about how Trigg had fooled us all.

Trigg has a charming stage presence, and he had no trouble eliciting laughs from the crowd. The guests who were called onto the stage created some of the most humorous moments of the night. Trigg treated each of these brave folks kindly, and he seemed genuinely delighted to meet attendees both during and after the show.

If you are looking for a fun night out that involves laughter, magic, wine, and food, look no further! Trigg’s magic will keep you spellbound, and Checkered Past Winery may just become your new favorite local wine destination.