This episode is one of two that we recorded at the 2022 Boerne Book & Arts Festival and is unlike anything we’ve done before. In this episode, I had the privilege of moderating one of the panels at the book festival and it couldn’t have been more fun. This panel was the last of the day and appropriately titled “The Wine’d Down.”
I was joined in this conversation by the authors Sarah Bird and James Wade, and by Sara Potter from Bending Branch Winery. We…and the in-person audience under the pecan trees of Boerne’s town square…tasted Bending Branch Wines and then talked about the books we thought would pair best with those wines.
If you’re wondering, the invitation to get on stage and drink wine and talk about books probably means my life has peaked, though I’m hopeful we get to do it again next year.
Was it a little tongue in cheek? Of course. Was it fun? It was every bit as much fun as you imagine.
The Book Fest has lots of great sponsors, all of whom deserve recognition, but The Wine’d Down couldn’t have happened without Bending Branch Winery.
Bending Branch Winery sits on 56 scenic acres near the Guadalupe River outside of Comfort, TX. Established in 2009 by the Young family, Bending Branch is best known for its experimentation in every facet of winemaking, including fermentation methods and production processes. Co-owner and Winemaker Robert Young coined the term “Next World Wines” to describe his winemaking philosophy. Bending Branche’s wines include their award winning Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Syrah, Picpoul Blanc, my personal favorite Tannat, Tempranillo, and Souzao.
During the event we tasted Bending Branch’s 2021 Picpoul Blanc, the 2021 Tannat Frizzante Rose, the Branch Texas Red, and the 2019 Texas Tannat.
Again, we couldn’t have done The Wine’d Down without Bending Branch Winery and I’m grateful for their participation. I’m also grateful to the Patrick Heath Public Library for putting on the event and for inviting Sarah Bird, James Wade, and I to participate.
I hope you enjoy The Wine’d Down from the 2022 Boerne Book & Arts Festival as much as we did.
Books mentioned in this episode:
- All I Ever Wanted: A Rock ‘n Roll Memoir by Kathy Valentine
- All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
- Aransas: A Novel by Stephen Harrigan
- Between Heaven and Texas by Wyman Meinzer & Sarah Bird, with intro by Naomi Shihab Nye
- Big Wonderful Thing: A History of Texas by Stephen Harrigan
- Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain
- Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy
- Cities of the Plain by Cormac McCarthy
- Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club by Benjamin Saenz
- For You to See the Stars: A Collection of Short Stories by Radney Foster
- Horseman, Pass By by Larry McMurtry
- Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl: A Memoir by Carrie Brownstein
- Isaac’s Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History by Erik Larson
- Lonesome Dove: A Novel by Larry McMurtry
- No Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
- No Name on the Bullet: A Biography of Audie Murphy by Don Graham
- Oleander City: A Novel Based on a True Story by Matt Bondurant
- Olympus, Texas: A Novel by Stacey Swann
- Suttree by Cormac McCarthy
- The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy
- The Day the Cowboys Quit by Elmer Kelton
- The Last Dance on the Starlight Pier by Sarah Bird
- The Last of the Karankawas: A Novel by Kimberly Garza
- The Lions of Tsavo by James L. Haley
- The Roxy Letters: A Novel by Mary Pauline Lowry
- The Sky, the Stars, and the Wilderness by Rick Bass
- The Wettest County in the World: A Novel Based on a True Story by Matt Bondurant
- Valentine: A Novel by Elizabeth Wetmore
People mentioned in this episode:
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