Preview: Sunday Fair at Vineyards At The Salt Lick [Food & Wine Fest]

After a dozen events throughout town from Thursday to Saturday, the Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival ends with the jam-packed and always entertaining Sunday Fair. The event was held in Georgetown for several years, but has moved to The Salt Lick's Vineyard area for 2009, which is a big plus for South Austin residents.

First and foremost: this is an event based around wine, beer, and snacks. For those more interested in a sip-and-stroll of restaurants, try Stars Across Texas instead. Sunday Fair has always focused on an amazing variety of wine from around the globe, along with fun food items like salsa, jams, dips, crackers, sausage, and pie. You'll be able to snack to your heart's content, and there will even be some limited heartier fare on hand from Maudie's, Max's Wine Dive, The Salt Lick, and Mandola's.

Since the wine is the thing at Sunday Fair, let us share some favorites with you. Can't miss tables include Alexander Valley Vineyards, Cambria, Ferrari-Carano, J. Lohr, L'Aventure, Silverado, Robert Hall, Kanonkop, Mulderbosch, Chateau Ste. Michelle, and Grgich Hills. We'd also suggest Becker for a solid variety of locally produced wines and Gruet for regionally produced sparkling wine (they're from New Mexico.)

Having attended this event several times, we'd also offer the following survival tips for the afternoon:

• Go early, not late. By the end of the day, the crowds are larger, and some of the wineries are out of their samples. Thus, noon is a better arrival time than 2:30.
• Hydrate. You'll be having a lot of wine and beer, and it's warm outside in Texas! Have some water between each wine table to avoid getting yourself into trouble...and to refresh your palate a bit.
• Eat. There are tons of snacks: Elgin sausage, dips, desserts, you name it. Have some here and there and take a break from the wine to pace yourself.
• Designate a driver. We all know that a drive to The Salt Lick is no small journey, so think twice before driving home with wine in your system. To combat ill-advised driving, the festival is offering a designated driver ticket for $30 which includes all the food, but no alcohol. If someone is willing to assume this role, let them - it's a wise and thoughtful way to approach the day.
• Take notes. Nothing is worse than finding the perfect wine, then forgetting the name when you head into the Wine Merchant or Whip-In the following week. Write it down and take it to your local retailer for help!

Sunday Fair takes place on Sunday, April 19 from noon-5pm at The Vineyards at The Salt Lick.

Austinist is a proud media sponsor of the 2009 Texas Hill Country Food and Wine Festival, which runs April 16-19 at venues throughout Austin. [Homepage|Participants|Locations|Tickets]