The largest wine festival in the Southwest, which brings together more than 200,000 people to celebrate all things wine, is happening September 14 – 17, 2023, the 37th Annual GrapeFest® – A Texas Wine Experience presented by Bank of the West.
While GrapeFest® celebrates all things wine, the event has also been chosen as the backdrop in which Grapevine and the Barossa Valley Council will solidify their Sister City relationship. Thousands of miles apart, the Barossa Valley and Grapevine share a similar history and heritage, becoming settlements and agricultural mainstays back in the 1800s. Grapevine was originally settled under the Republic of Texas and helped shape North Texas into what it is today which includes neighbouring cities Dallas and Fort Worth.
A delegation from Barossa Valley will be on hand to sign the City to City Accords, along with delegations from Grapevine’s Sister Cities and premier wine regions of the world, Parras de la Fuente, Mexico and Krems, Austria and also West Lothian, Scotland. The leaders will take part in some friendly GrapeStomp competition along with mayors from surrounding Texas towns.
Guest wineries from Barossa, Australia will be featured including Elderton Wines, Heathvale Wines, Hentley Farm Wines, Kalleske Wines, Lambert Estate Wines, Soul Growers, Yalumba and Pewsey Vale Vineyard. Joining Barossa wineries in the Liberty Park Plaza Gaylord Texan Resort International Wine Experience, will be the Napa Valley, California wine region. Qantas, the official international airline of GrapeFest, will also team up with the Barossa.
Qantas is the official international airline of GrapeFest, with nonstop flights from Sydney and Melbourne into Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, conveniently located in Grapevine, Texas.
Oenophiles from all over will descend on Grapevine’s Historic Main Street, as it closes to traffic for four days. Thousands will decide which Texas wines taste best in the famous People’s Choice Wine Tasting Classic, the USA’s largest consumer-judged wine competition. Guests will also enjoy bubbly at the Champagne Terrace sponsored by Hilton DFW Lakes and rosé varietals at the all-new Rosé Gazebo sponsored by Messina Hof Winery, Landon Winery and Llano Estacado Winery. Festival attendees can put their feet to the test during the GrapeStomp competition and on Sunday evening the champion will be awarded the coveted Purple Foot Award.
GrapeFest® also includes several educational experiences. New this year, the Barossa Wine Walkabout, where guests will experience a guided wine flight featuring Riesling and Shiraz and receive a Barossa Adventure Certification as well as become an ambassador to the Barossa wine region.
Returning is the Charcuterie Workshop, where guests learn how to pair their cheese and meats and create the perfect entertaining board. The new Texas Wine and Wicks workshop combines local Texas wines and the science of infused organic candle making.
Wine lovers will also enjoy the family-friendly feel on Main Street. There will be live music on four stages all four days with two major headliners, country star David Lee Murphy and pop vocalists Carnie and Wendy Wilson of Wilson Phillips.
The winery tasting rooms and locally-owned boutiques and restaurants along Main Street will be open for business, while unique vendors and artisans will be featured in the centre of Main Street. There will be delicious festival foods including the classic corn dogs and funnel cakes, but also international delights and mouthwatering finds including Texas BBQ.
There will be tons of fun for kids and parents at the Kid Zone, filled with fun experiences from LEGOLAND Discovery Center and SEA LIFE Grapevine, the Carnival Midway and at the pickleball courts.
The weekend preceding the festival is the 19th annual ItalianCarFest®. The Italian Car Club of North Texas will have everyone’s engines running when they show off everything from classic cars to new luxury vehicles at Historic Nash Farm. The juxtaposition on the historic farm won’t be lost when it’s set against $10 million worth of Italian Cars. There will be Ducatis and Vespas on hand along with vintage rides from the 1960s. It will also be the 100th-anniversary celebration of the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio! Many of the rides are priceless and it will be a sight to see for car lovers from all over.
Tickets to GrapeFest® are on sale now at GrapeFest.com. Grapevine has more than 20 hotels located conveniently near the festival. To plan your experience, visit GrapevineTexasUSA.com.
