By Joy Donovan
It was 50 years ago, the summer of America’s Bicentennial in 1976, and a wine revolution uncorked in Paris. The Judgement of Paris, as a wine competition was known, was intended to be a polite cultural exchange. There were mostly French judges with French palates publicly and blindly judging French wines mixed with a handful of California wines. The American wines were simply to make things seem more interesting.
Obviously, no one expected drama. As sure as the Eiffel Tower graces the Paris skyline, it was certain the French wines would win.
But… sacré bleu! When the scores were tallied, the upstart California’s wines had been named the winners. Oh la la! American wines were rated first, judged more “delicieux” than the French in both the reds and the whites.
That “triomphe” had a ripple effect. Vineyards across the U.S. felt legitimately proud, and Texas grape growers knew they, too, possessed the sunny climate to compete on a much larger stage.
Among the Texas winemakers who’ve watched the popularity uncork over the past four decades are Merrill and Paul Bonarrigo. Founders of Messina Hof winery, located on Grapevine’s Main Street, the Bonarrigos will be celebrating this month, as they do each September, the growing thirst for Texas wines.
Now, Texas wines are casually swirled every day, by the glass and the bottle, in Grapevine, where this American wine evolution eventually created GrapeFest. The city’s popular wine festival is toasting its 40th annual event Sept. 17 through 20 along its Main Street.
GrapeFest, which has grown and grown and grown, has come a long way from the event’s 1986 vintage. What began as a oneday gathering that drew just 600 or so wine lovers has fermented into a fourday street festival with 250,000 spilling across Historic Downtown Grapevine every September.
“It is fantastic for the industry,” Paul says during a break in harvesting grapes this summer at the family’s Bryan vineyard. “It brings people to taste our wines who would probably not taste them without something like GrapeFest.”
Paul, known for wearing a red beret, remembers the first GrapeFest, a simple collection of booths circling the city’s Liberty Park. Six wineries poured wines — purchased by the city.
“I think GrapeFest is the single best event showcasing Texas wines,” Merrill says. “It introduces new consumers to the wines each year and refreshes the experience.”
Saying “merci” to the French seems in order, for without the Judgement of Paris, where would the Texas wine industry be? As this worldwide acknowledgment of American wines marks its 50th anniversary, GrapeFest will celebrate its 40th anniversary with a touch of reverence for the French. Among the many wine-related activities is The International Wine Experience, and this year, organizers will raise a toast to the 50th anniversary of the Parisian competition. Both French and California wines will be showcased, along with Texas wines, of course.
If the Bonarrigos’ experience is a predictor, the Texas wines will again come ready to compete with the world’s best. Their family business, with wineries in Grapevine, Fredericksburg and Houston, has squared off against other wineries over the years, with judging outside of Paris.
In 1991, for example, Texas A&M University took 25 winemakers to the famed French wine region of Burgundy, and its Messina Hof 1989 reserve Chardonnay beat out French Burgundies. In 1993, there was another competition, this time in the Bordeaux region. For this blind competition, Paul had the honor of sitting next to a French winemaker who braced Paul for what would surely be disappointing results for the American.
“Paul, I want you to know we’ve been making wines in Bordeaux for centuries, and you’ve been making wine for a very short time,” Paul remembers the Frenchman saying to him.
When the third wine was tasted at this contest, the Frenchman threw his arms in the air, proclaiming what he believed to be his wine as outstanding, as Paul tells it. Paul thought, though, that it was his wine, and when that wine was proclaimed the winner, Paul had been correct.
Unable to restrain himself, Paul turned to his French colleague and said, “Monsieur, you have been making wine in France for many centuries, but we in Texas learn very quickly.”
And with characteristic speed, it’s taken just 40 years for GrapeFest to become the Southwest’s largest wine event. The annual celebration, with its grape stomp, champagne cork shoot-off, Italian car show, wine tastings and musical entertainment, will be ready again this month for visitors. In Grapevine, they can swirl a glass of wine without judgment, but with a toast to success.
2026 Grapefest
Sept. 17–20, 2026
Historic Downtown
Grapevine on Main Street