Texas Hill Country Wine & Food Festival Announces 2010 Schedule; Sunday Fair Tickets Just $25 Until Monday

On Monday, the Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival announced their event schedule for the 25th Anniversary edition, to be held from April 15-18 at venues across the Austin Metro area. While there is much to discuss, it seems prudent to tip you to two big events with budget admission prices that may sell out quickly.

You'll need to act most quickly on the annual Sunday Fair, an annual celebration of wine, BBQ, dessert, and - well, more wine. There are usually over 50 wineries represented, along with craft brewers, liquors, and a variety of food vendors. You'll find yourself heading from a rum sampling to a salsa table to a pie tasting followed by some ripe California Pinot Noir and a bite of Elgin sausage. If that sounds a little over the top, it is, but the beauty here is the ability to create one's own experience from the copious amounts of wine, spirits, salsa, bbq, snacks, and treats on offer. This year's event will once again be held in Driftwood on the grounds of The Salt Lick, and festival organizers have given foodies a crack at discount early bird tickets. Through Monday morning, tickets have been marked down from the $45 advance price to just $25, making this an ideal way to sample the festival with friends. Tickets are available here.

There's also a new and intriguing event to kick off the festival on Thursday, April 15th: The Texas 25. The kickoff event is a celebration of Texas restaurants and purveyors, and promises "tacos, Thai, cake balls, crepes and cocktails" along with live music on the rooftop patio of the flagship Whole Foods downtown. While the ticket price isn't discounted, admission is a mere $25, meaning that this will sell out fast. To secure your spot, it would be wise to buy early.

In the coming weeks, we'll preview more events from the festival, but wanted to mention these while tickets were still available. Raise a glass and join us in April.