Spring is in the air! Delicate redbud blooms peek between the green of oaks and cedar, and the Texas bluebonnets are seriously considering popping up and enchanting us with their seemingly endless ribbons of blue. The winding road that skirts the river and curls through the hills is calling my name.
But—according to the world weather calendar Spring is not here. Luckily on my calendar Becker Vineyards Annual Bluebonnets, Bluegrass, and Barbeque Festival—the event that heralds spring in my world—is!
A born optimist, I am also a realist when it comes to the whims of Mother Nature. I throw a warm poncho into the backseat of the car—just in case. We head west under leaden skies. This does not look promising. It looks even less promising as I spy one raindrop on the windshield, then two, then three, then so many drops spatter my nice clean car that they are beyond counting.
Forever hopeful, we drive toward the edge of sunshine.
The Festival
Forty-five minutes later we arrive at our destination under a canopy of billowing white clouds, outlined with blue sky and warm sun. Delicate spring blossoms adorn the trees and hang from the shaded porch. Small children chase balls and each other on the soft green grass. Tables, chairs, blankets, and people are scattered everywhere, making a colorful patchwork on a bucolic Saturday afternoon.
Our ears begin to tingle and smiles appear on our faces as the melodic refrains of bluegrass wrought by talented fingers dancing along the strings of banjo, guitar and bass, becomes louder, drawing us forward. Walking toward the music and laughter we notice a few people standing in line at the Old 300 BBQ food truck from Blanco. They wait their turn to approach the window and order slabs of brisket with all of the requisite fixings. There is tea if you want it, but our beverage of choice is wine.
The Wine
We have decisions to make. To eat now or to wait. The line is short so we choose now. We can still hear the music although the musicians are hidden from view. Dividing and conquering I make my way to the tasting room to buy a bottle of wine while Michael heads to the food truck.
Once inside I choose Becker Prairie Roti, a Rhone-style, food-friendly red blend. Although there is a crowd, one of the Becker employees, who is very knowledgeable about wine, leads me to a side cash register and checks out my purchases. As he opens the bottle of red I chose he tells me the 2014 vintage of Prairie Roti drinks like a fine Pinot Noir—as I said, food friendly. He hands me two large Riedel wine glasses emblazoned with the Becker logo from which to sip our red.
We eat. We drink.
Taking what is left of our bottle of Prairie Roti we find two chairs in the sun. We sit. We listen. Michael buys a CD. Like so many in the audience, we move our chairs to the shade. We pour more wine into our two glasses. Leaning back, listening, relaxing, I think this is what mellow Saturdays must be all about. It is a step back in time when cell phones didn’t exist and conversation and music and friendship reigned supreme. The afternoon spirals upward into the pristine blue. Hours fly too fast.
Becker Vineyards
Eighteen Aprils ago, possibly more, Becker Vineyards was the first Texas Hill Country winery that I ever stepped foot onto. From our B&B in Johnson City, we drove west on Highway 290, past Stonewall, turning left on Jenschke Lane, a long country road leading seemingly nowhere, but ending amid row upon row of grapevines.
In those days Becker consisted of one modest limestone building with a small architectural jewel sitting on the edge of the property—a tiny and ancient German log farmhouse, plucked from the Texas frontier, weathered and weary, full of charm and beauty and hidden stories. An old wooden windmill stood guard over the small compound and was covered with cascading tiny yellow roses. I was pretty much in love.
Becker Events
Back then the tasting room was small and the tastings free; there were no events, at least none that I knew about. Today things have obviously changed. Taking root in the Texas soil in the early ’90’s Becker Vineyards has stood the test of time. In 2014 it was ranked one of the best wineries in the US—no easy feat considering that today the number of wineries in the US approaches 9,000! Their calendar is filled with wine and lavender-related events—music and dinners and tastings. It is by far one of the most popular wineries along 290.
Picnics with friends on Becker’s wonderful patio—sandwiched between fragrant lavender fields and lush green lawns—are a regular occurrence, and if they have a dinner or an event on their calendar, you can be sure it makes its way onto mine.
One of the best things about an event at Becker Vineyard is that they have a management team and owners that indeed know how to do things right. Along with the very large horseshoe-shaped tasting bar inside the winery, there are two long bars open on the spacious veranda, another in the Lavender Haus event center, and a fifth tasting room in the Barrel Chai building for members. There is never a wait and the grounds are spacious enough to host a small town. There is even space for a game of boules if you are interested. Becker Vineyards is not only a family affair, it is a place for families and friends of all ages.
Bluegrass – The Band
Richard and Bunny Becker have musical connections in the right places. Once a year Richard Becker’s brother Bob, a member of a Chicago bluegrass band, The Woodstreet Bloodhounds, takes the opportunity to enjoy an early spring in Texas by trekking with his friends from the cold Midwest to the grassy green lawn of Becker Vineyards.
The Woodstreet Bloodhounds are inspired by the ancient sounds of Bluegrass, and for the past decade, they have been playing in venues in and around Chicago as wells as down Texas way. Each year they play on the makeshift stage at Becker Bluegrass, Bluebonnet and Barbeque Festival they delight and entertain Central Texans with their picking and grinning and their harmonies. If you missed them this year, be sure to put a note on your calendar for March 2019.
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