By Dave & Kelli Potter
The Lost Pines Wine Fest, benefitting Bastrop County Boys & Girls club, not only had a beautiful day and weather, but also brought out a good turnout. We were pleased that we could make this event and had a very pleasant time tasting wines from places we have not visited yet.
Back during Easter weekend, we were visiting my in-laws and 
decided to venture to downtown Bastrop to check out what was new and to check out the Bastrop Brewhouse to get a feel for where this event would soon be held. At that time we enjoyed a great view and experience on the outdoor patio looking down to a walking trail next to the Colorado River, with the new springtime green color of the trees and grass around the river. With a bowl of chips and two dipping appetizers, along with some Texas brewed beer, we were very much looking forward to the event.
Knowing that the proceeds would be going to a good cause, this was a great weekend no brainer decision for us to attend. Our day started at 8:45 with a mad dash from far North Dallas to Bastrop, TX in just under 4 hours in order to make the event. We were very excited to be on this weekend road trip. With the fear of possible rain in the forecast it could not have turned out better. Sunny with just a few puffy clouds floating in the air and a nice breeze bringing cool air off the flowing Colorado river. You could not ask for a better day for outdoor wine tasting.
The winery’s show casing a selection of their wines was:
Bertapelle Cellars Out of California
Dionisio Winery Texas
Fiesta Winery Texas
Perrine Winery Texas
Pilot Knob Vineyard Texas
Rancho Ponte Texas
Texas Legato Texas
Wedding Oak Winery Texas
The tickets were available online and is the best way to make sure you get yours. The cost for each ticket was $25 and I will describe below what you get.
After checking in at the front we were given our tickets and our arm band. We preceded to another booth where we were presented a bag containing our tasting glass for the event, a tasting sheet with the winery names and spaces to write the name of the wine and some small notes. In addition we received a 4-bottle reusable carrier bag for wine that we might be interested in purchasing when we were done tasting, along with some flyers of local business and restaurants with a 10% off coupon.
We met up with some of our wine tasting friends and added special guests: my mother and father in-law. We also were able to meet up with our friend and fellow blogger Jeff Cope and his better half, Gloria, along with our new friends Lee and Barb Parmeter. Jeff and Gloria got there early and did their first round of tasting while the rest of us started by grabbing some food at the Bastrop Brewhouse before tasting. I would highly recommend eating a good meal for obvious reasons.
After having lunch we proceeded down the long wooden stairs that lead down to the grassy area just above the walking trail and river to the event area. All the wineries presenting had a table and tent with portable water for rinsing your tasting glasses between the red and white wines along with dumping buckets.
Near the bottom the Bastrop Brewhouse has a nice stage for bands and music. Being in the bottom of the area the acoustics were pretty good and the music playing was a nice treat. We received 6 tasting tickets and you could purchase more tickets for $1.00 each. In the very back a place was set up for you to purchase wine by the glass or bottle for consumption at the event or to buy a bottle of your favorites to take home.
One of the really big things that I like about Texas wine festivals is the fact that most are family friendly. I saw several children that appeared to be having a great day out with their families and enjoying the weather and music. Since we usually also have a little one hanging out with us, this always is a good thing for us and makes us happy to see a family friendly atmosphere. That is also why almost every winery I have visited is family oriented. To me Texas wine is about life, family, friends and fellow ship. It’s the extended family that grows and really it’s all about living life and making a network of friends.
Support your local business Support the Texas Wine industry.
Go, Eat, Drink Texan.
