A Town Called Grapevine Hosts the Largest Wine Festival in the Southwest? You Don’t Say
Get ready for four days of wine tasting, grape stomping, and comfort food.
The Dallas-Fort Worth area is obviously anchored by the eponymous duo of Dallas and Fort Worth. But it’s Grapevine, a town with about 50,000 people, that throws the state’s (and the Southwest’s) biggest annual wine festival.
GrapeFest is entering its 38th year, and beginning Thursday, September 12th, Grapevine will shut down its historic Main Street and welcome about 200,000 wine lovers over the course of four boozy days. Attendees will gather for wine tastings, master classes, live music, local foods, grape-stomping contests, cork-shooting competitions, and other vino-related diversions.
As the fifth-largest wine-producing state in the country, Texas is no slouch when it comes to fermented grapes. You’ll find great wineries across Texas Hill Country and the High Plains, with Grapevine even having its own Urban Wine Trail. There’s an international flavor to GrapeFest as well as representatives and wines from Grapevine’s eclectic sister cities (Barossa Valley in Australia, Krems, Austria, and Parras, Mexico) will be there, too—just with “Lone Star vibes.”
Drive Time
30 minutes from Dallas
3 hours from Austin
4 hours from Houston
What to Do Beyond GrapeFest
Grapevine is homebase to Meow Wolf, a wildly popular immersive art experience that turned a portion of the Grapevine Mills Mall into a mysterious house with surprises around every corner. The same mall also contains Sea Life Aquarium, a 45,000-square-foot venue that houses thousands of sea creatures across two stories.
If you’ve got kids in tow, or just want a dose of nostalgia, Legoland Discovery Center is next door. It’s your chance to build with more than two million Lego bricks as well as enjoy some rides and play interactive games.
In terms of the great outdoors, Lake Grapevine—set on 8,000 acres—is a prime destination for boating, waterskiing, windsurfing, and fishing. You can also camp on its shores, or explore nine miles of wilderness trails on foot or by bike.
And hey, we’ve only got three more months until Christmas, when Grapevine—aka the Christmas Capital of Texas—turns into a real-life Hallmark movie set, hosting nonstop events over 40 festive days.
Where to Eat and Drink
Morning: Start your day at Main Street Bakery, known for its hearty breakfasts and almond croissants.
Dinner:When you need to soak up some wine, try Tolbert’s, a family-run joint that’s been around since 1976 and still draws crowds for its famous chili, chicken fried steak, and fried catfish. Bacchus Kitchen + Bar, inside Hotel Vin, turns local ingredients into Mediterranean cuisine, with dishes like Mussels Meuniere, Pork Chop Milanese, and an 18-ounce ribeye with garlic confit and red wine jus.
Group dinners: If you’re traveling with an indecisive group, try Harvest Hall, a food hall with eight restaurants and two bars, so you can chow down on a lobster roll while your friends get their fill of Thai, pizza, or hot chicken.
Drinks: Back at Hotel Vin, Magnum Speakeasy, a hidden bar tucked behind a telephone booth, pours craft cocktails and nightcaps. And the Rioja Rooftop Terrace serves wine and cocktails with a view of the surrounding town.
Beer and tacos: Grapevine is home to Hop & Sting Brewing Co., where you can sample local beers. But more importantly, it’s where you’ll find Vaquero’s Texas Bar-B-Q, a food truck that pops up Thursday through Sunday to sling some of the best brisket and birria tacos in DFW.
Where to Stay in Grapevine
When wine is flowing, it’s best to stay the night. And a great place to rest your head in Grapevine is Hotel Vin. The Autograph Collection property is the most luxurious hotel in the city, it’s conveniently situated next to the historic Main Street train station and vintage railroad, and it provides easy access to GrapeFest events.
Other options include the mega resort Gaylord Texan or the family-friendly Great Wolf Lodge, which has an indoor water park. There’s also a handful of reliable chains from brands like Hilton, Hyatt, and Embassy Suites.