December 22nd, 2009
LWV slates annual winetasting event

At the 2009 League of Women Voters (LWV) wine tasting, left to right: LWV treasurer Katherine Wells, board member Mary Borm, wine tasting committee member Victoria Lambdin and attendee Mayor Susan Narvaiz.

STAFF REPORT

Quail Creek Country Club, 2701 Airport Drive (at sh 21), will be the site of the 22nd Annual Texas Wine Tasting fundraiser for the San Marcos Area League of Women Voters (LWV). The event will take place from 6-8 p.m. on Jan. 28. 

Wine tasting tickets will be available from LWV members for $20. Tickets will also be available at the door.

The wine tasting is an important fundraiser for the LWV’s voter education services. The  event traditionally features wines from a Texas winery. This year, the league’s wine tasting commitee, co-chaired by Douglas Holcomb and Kaylene Ray, chose Llano Estacado Winery. Six wines from the Lubbock based vineyard will be featured.

In addition to the wine tasting, a silent auction will be featured again this year.

Proceeds from the wine tasting help fund the publication of the LWV local voter’s guide. The proceeds also help with expenses incurred by the LWV candidate debates and meet-and-greet receptions.

Llano Estacado is the largest winery in Texas.  Founded in 1976, it is also one of the state’s oldest wineries. Its first 1,300 bottles of wine were released in 1988. The winery is known for producing wines of world class quality and taking the lead in introducing Texans and the world to the great wines that can be made in Texas. Texas is the fifth largest wine producing state in the country.

The winery began as the interest of a group of Texas investors, including a Texas Tech horticulturist and chemist, who believed West Texas held the potential to become a quality source for wine grapes. The main difficulty, after the winery was founded, was convincing local farmers to invest in vineyards.

Llana Estacado’s original wine making facility was constructed to convince local farmers to experiment with growing grapes. The construction of the new winery succeeded in encouraging new grape growers and vineyard began to dot the Texas High Plains. In 1978, Llano Estacado planted its first vineyard.

The 22nd annual wine tasting will be catered by All Occasions Catering of Seguin. The full service catering company has been in operation for more than 25 years and has catered events throughout the South Texas area, including the league’s wine tasting event last year.

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that strives to encourage the informed and active participation  of citizens in government. The LWV does not support or endorse any particular candidate or party.

The LWV’s guiding principles focus on belief in the representative form of government and individual liberties established in the Constitution of the United States. Another guiding principal is that “democratic government depends upon the informed and active participation of its citizens and requires that governmental bodies protect the citizen’s right to know by giving adequate notice of proposed actions, holding open meetings and making public records accessible.”  The league is open to both men and women.

The centerpiece of the league’s voter education program is the popular non-partisan voters guides that are published before each local election.

The San Marcos LWV also will host the state LWV convention in San Marcos in April of 2010.

For additional information on the wine tasting, call (512) 35303595. Information for league membership may be obtained by calling (512) 353-2872.