BRYAN, Texas—It’s grape harvest time in parts of Texas and an award-winning winery in Bryan is calling all grape stompers to get in on the action.
Messina Hof Winery & Resort is located 90 miles northwest of Houston.
Through the middle of August, the 33-year-old winery is offering up interactive tours where guests can pick grapes and then jump in a bin and get in on the wine making process.
“This is like an Easter egg hunt for a lot of folks who are not used to being in the country,” said Messina Hof owner Paul Bonarrigo, saying guests will pick for about 45 minutes. “And then we take the grapes and we start to stomp.”
The experience doesn’t stop there. Guests will be taken through the winery and shown the process from beginning to end, when the grape juice is funneled into fermentation tanks.
“It’s the favorite room in the winery because it’s about sixty degrees all year long in here,” said Bonarrigo.
Bonarrigo and his wife, Merrill, were inspired by the mini-series “Roots” and decided to learn more about their Sicilian and German heritage. It was then that they started planting their first vineyard.
“We planted a one-acre vineyard. It was successful and we just kept planting after that, said Bonarrigo. “We are now up to 40 on this property and then we have 600 all over the state of Texas.”
The couple doesn’t just offer tour of their property. They have a villa, too.
For more information you can check out their website.
