Meet the Author/Illustrator

ARTIST’S RECEPTION

Who:  WALT DAVIS

When:  Friday, September 17, 2010, 6-8 pm

What better pairing with Texas wine could there be than a book & artwork about Texas?

Join us on Friday, September 17, 6-8 pm when Walt & Isabel Davis will be on hand to discuss their book “Exploring the Edges of Texas“. The Salado Winery gallery will be filled with Walt’s related art.  Each of the sixteen chapters opens with an original drawing by Walt and represents a segment of the Texas border where the authors selected a special place—a national park, a stretch of river, a mountain range, or an archeological site. Using a firsthand account of that place written by a previous visitor (artist, explorer, naturalist, or archeologist), they then identified a contemporary voice (biologist, rancher, river-runner, or paleontologist) to serve as a modern-day guide for their journey of rediscovery. This dual perspective allows the authors to attach personal stories to the places they visited, to connect the past with the present, and to compare Texas then with Texas now. Says Walt:

The natural world is my subject–watercolor my medium.  I believe that pigment, dissolved in water, and applied to paper produces more luminous color than any other medium.  It is perfect for capturing the glowing transparency of a Texas sky, a shimmering reflection, or the translucence of a newly unfurled leaf. 

 The medium is mercurial however: sometimes difficult, always full of surprises. I constantly weigh the importance of original intent against the unexpected opportunities that present themselves as the work progresses.  For me, painting in watercolor is a series of negotiations with the medium often involving painful decisions, trade offs, and sacrifices.  The ever present risk of failure lends excitement to the process and makes success especially sweet.   

 I am primarily a landscape painter, inspired by the beauty nature produces when left to express itself according to its own needs and potentialities.  Painting allows me to enter into that world and experience it in a more personal and intimate way.  Hopefully, the resulting painting captures the essence of a place and allows the viewer to experience it more deeply as well.

 A landscape is composed of essential elements (rocks, soil, water, plants, animals) playing their appointed roles according to fundamental principles.  A work of art is composed of essential elements as well (line, shape, value, color, texture) obeying a different but no less fundamental set of principles.  The challenge for the representational landscape painter is to choreograph a delicate dance between art and nature coaxing the fundamental truth of one to illuminate the fundamental truth of the other.

Whether retracing botanist Charles Wright’s 600-mile walk to El Paso in 1849 or paddling Houston’s Buffalo Bayou, where John James Audubon saw ivory-billed woodpeckers in 1837, the Davises seek to remind readers that the state’s natural history was written by passionate and determined people. Anyone interested in Texas or its rich natural history will find deep enjoyment in Exploring the Edges of Texas.   Explore the book here.

Leisure Seekers, Saturday SEP 4th, 4-7 pm

 Jammin on the Lawn

Saturday, September 4th, 4-7 pm

Come on down to Salado Winery and enjoy a glass of Texas wine while listening to music by the Leisure Seekers.  Picnics allowed, but no outside alcohol.  If weather is good, music will be outdoors.  In which case we recommend you bring a lawn chair.  Dogs on leashes are welcome then too.

If too hot, rainy or windy, music will be indoors.

Thursday, August 12th

Thursday, September 9th

Friday, September 24, 7:30-10pm, Evening of Chocolate and Wine 
$49.95 The festival kickoff begins on Friday evening with an Evening of Chocolate & Wine at Salado Wine Seller. Guests will be invited to savor the taste of premier Texas wines paired with decadent chocolates. The Evening of Chocolate & Wine will feature the finest in artisan chocolate desserts prepared by The Range and wine tasting from Texas vineyards.  

Saturday, September 25, 2-5 pm, Chocolate Trail & Wiseman House Chocolate
$24.95 Five chocolate stops throughout Salado. At Salado Wine Seller, we will feature Wiseman House Chocolate tastings.  Those who purchase a trail ticket will partake  Free golf cart shuttle in Salado from 12:30 pm – 9:30 pm 

Saturday, September 25, 7-9 pm, Folk & Fudge 
$9.95 Cover charge includes light hors d’oeuvres and of course fudge from Sir Wigglesworth sold at Mud Pies Pottery. Music will be by Austin folk band Jiminy Crisket. Texas Wine will be available for purchase. Free golf cart shuttle in Salado from 12:30 pm – 9:30 pm

CELEBRATE  TOTALLY TEXAS FLAVORS…

 It’s almost time for the 6th Annual Texas Fall Fest & Wine Auction where guests can sip and savor Texas’ best culinary and wine offerings in the heart of the Texas Hill Country.

 Texas Wineries will once again host this special weekend beginning Friday, October 8 through Sunday, 10, 2010. 

The three-day festival kicks-off Friday evening with “Sunset on the Lake”.  Stroll the sumptuous tables of fabulous fare prepared from the best chefs and restaurants in the Hill Country and beyond. Savor wares of Texas Winemakers as they boost your knowledge of their newest and most delicious wine varieties. Tap your toe or dance the night away on the covered patio. Bid on wine and chef packages, jewelry, art and great packages at our silent auction benefiting the Hill Country Court Appointed Special Assistance for children (C.A.S.A) and Texas Wine and Grape Research.

 Sip, Savor and Stroll as we host the 4th annual Chef’s Taste-Off”. Wes Marshall, wine writer for Austin Chronicle and Dallas Morning News, and Randy McCrea, wine columnist for the Williamson County Sun and the Texas Wine Correspondent for Houston’s My Table magazine and other wine writers from around the state will award of the delectable dishes the “BEST of the FEST” award. 6:30 – 9:00 pm. $40/person.

The Texas Fall Fest continues Saturday night “Trail o’ Food” Texas Celebrity Chef Dinner and Auction with Cowboy Chef Grady Spears!

Begin a Progressive Dinner Stroll down Main Street, stopping at Specialty Shops to browse and enjoy “Street Food” appetizers paired with a delicious choice of Texas Wines.  Then, we’ll convene under the Dinner Tent at Chef Grady Spear’s Table, accented by Texas Hill Country Music.

“Raise your Paddle” for the Live Texas Wine Auction….as you won’t want to miss out on the Wine Country Selections and Chefs’ Special Offerings! Strolling Appetizer & Wine Reception included with Full Dinner Price – $75 per person OR Strolling Appetizer & Wine Reception is sold separately at $25 per person.

The Sunday “Farm to Market & Wine Fair”, featuring all things locally grown, will be held in Downtown Marble Fall from 12noon to 4:00pm, and will be an entertaining finale to the spectacular wine and food offered during this weekend’s events. 

Fair goers will peruse the big tent of vendors presenting for purchase their locally grown/produced olive oils, meats, produce, chocolates, breads, and all things fresh, complimented by the best Texas wines, available by the taste, glass or bottles. 

The $15 gate fee includes 10 coupons for tastes at the wineries and a commemorative glass for you to take home!

A complete weekend pass to all events is available for only $125/person or $110/TWGGA member.  Individual Events tickets are for sale and offer a TWGGA member discount!

For more information on the weekend pass and individual event ticket sales, please visit www.texasfallfest.com or call the Texas Wine & Grape Growers Association at 817-424-0570.

harvest time

We’ll be harvesting sangiovese and merlot on Saturday, August 21, 2010 at 7 am – 11 am.  We will continue on Sunday 7-11 if there are too many grapes for Saturday.

If you have favorite prunners, bring them, otherwise we have extras for you. 

Please bring your favorite hat, sunscreen, bug spray, and sturdy shoes. Come for the fun and camaraderie!  Kids welcome. 

Beware of the wasps, fireants, mosquitos, and be prepared for the heat.

Thanks for your continued interest in Salado Winery Company!

Bringing in the Barrels! Sat Aug 14th

Talking about the Wine Making!

This is what it looks like the same day it was picked after the grapes are put through the 1st press. Mostly to get the stems and leaves out and to break the skins so the juice will come out.

7:30 pm–A terrific, refreshing glass of locally made Texas wine accompanied by a happy plate of cheese and fruit.

Reservations are encouraged so that the appropriate amount of food can be anticipated, but reservations are not required, so if moved by the spirit at the last minute, then come on down and join us! questions and so on, email tiffyoranch@gmail.com

Thursday, August 12th, 6:30 pm 

Friday, August 6, 5-8 pm

Salado Wine Seller presents “Uncorked”, August 6-September 12, 2010 at Salado Wine Seller, 841 Main Street, Salado, Texas, 76571 with Opening Reception Friday, August 6, 2010 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00p.m.

“Uncorked” will show case some of the finest new and seasoned artists from around Texas set in the coolest art venue in the historic Village of Salado. Patrons will enjoy the masterpieces of Texas artists while sipping Texas wines in the spacious interior of the Salado Wine Seller.

For the list of artists, please see http://saladoartfestival.com/2010/08/02/artists-for-2010/