The San Angelo Rodeo Chooses the Top Wines to be Served in the Wine Tent

SAN ANGELO, TX — The newest phenom at each year’s San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo is what is commonly called The Wine Tent. Its official name is The Rustic Cellar. Now in its third year, wine and rodeo now go together well. Last year, it was the most popular social gathering place other than the Beer Barn adjacent. It saw record-sized crowds, especially on the weekends.

In preparation for The Rustic Cellar’s grand opening Thursday, January 30, like all things rodeo, there was a wine competition last week where five of San Angelo’s well-known wine palettes chose the best wines to present to patrons in the VIP areas of the Cellar.

Gus Clemens, the San Angelo advertising guy who also writes a weekly syndicated wine column and tweets about wine, was joined by the former owners of Pinkie’s Liquor, Joe Duncan, his wife Rebecca, Dean McInturff, and Suzan Gargan to judge the wines. Rebecca Duncan teaches a wine appreciation class at Angelo State University.

In all, there were 22 wines entered and tasted in the competition. The judges chose the winners under “double blind” taste testing rules. Judges were not allowed to know the region from where the wines were created or the types of grapes.

After the winners were selected, the judges Ubered home, we’re told. Here are the winners:

Red Wines

• 1st Place: Longhorn Cellar’s Tannat, a full bodied and rich wine. It’s smokey, rich and full bodied, this bold and beautiful wine will pair well with Filet Minon, grilled red meat, wild game, and bitter vegetables, Longhorn stated.
• 2nd Place: Bull Lion Ranch & Vinyard’s Tempranillo, a Spanish Varietal. It’s bold, smooth & dry. Great with steaks, pasta or a good cigar, Bull Lion Ranch stated.
• 3rd Place: Christoval Vinyard’s Rendezvous Red Blend, a fun, off-dry red table wine that is "blended with love,” stated Christoval Winery. 

White Wines:

1st Place: Longhorn Cellar’s Viognier, a white wine that’s full of aromatics. The off-dry, refreshing wine is perfect for picnics. This wine pairs well with fried fish, vegetables, and smoked meats, stated Longhorn Cellars.

2nd Place: Christoval Vinyard’s Angel’s Kiss is created with a blend of Roussanne and Canelli, similar to sweet Moscato. This soft, sweet dessert wine pairs well with white meats, caramel and cinnamon, or medium to firm cheeses, according to the vineyard.

3rd Place: Longhorn Vinyard‘s Muscat. This Muscat blends both the Blanc and Orange Varietals into a dry aromatic wine. This wine pairs well with cheeses such as Gorgonzola, Bleu Cheese, and Swiss, Longhorn Cellars stated.

The winner of the Sparkling Wine category was Christoval Vineyard‘s Sparkling Almond. The vineyard’s description recommends it “for any celebration with sparkle.” The sparkling wine presents a touch of sweetness and a background of almond. 

No wine competition is complete without a top dessert. This year’s winner was the Copper Star Cellars Temptation. You’ll have to get a VIP table to try it this year.

The 2020 Grand Champion was Longhorn Cellars, from whom three of the top six wines in the competition were created at the Fredericksburg winery. The Reserve Grand Champion was Bull Lion Winery for its Tempranillo red wine.

The All-Around Winery was Christoval Winery. The vineyard located 20 miles south of San Angelo placed in three categories, including a white and red wine each, in addition to the sparkling category.

The Rustic Cellar is a volunteer project organized by Mollie Van Winkle, Stephanie Dobbs, and Jennifer Wood. It features live music, usually a lower key acoustic performance, followed by a DJ each night of the rodeo performances. Entrance into the tent is free for those 21 and over and with a ticket to access the rodeo fairgrounds. Entrance to the fairgrounds is included with a rodeo ticket. You can also purchase fairgrounds access at the gate for $5.

The Cellar’s bar serves not only the winning wines, but also allows you to choose from a curated assortment of wines from all of the 22 competitors. The bar also serves mixed drinks and beer. For those who do not have tickets to the rodeo inside the arena next door, the Rustic Cellar will live stream the rodeo performance on big screens inside the tent.

VIP tables are available each evening on performance days for $200 each. In the VIP area, there are complimentary heavy hors d’oeuvres and all of the champion wines can be sampled free of charge. To order a VIP table, contact Mollie Van Winkle via email at [email protected]

All of the profit from The Rustic Cellar is contributed to the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo Foundation. The Foundation awards significant college scholarships to high school seniors who demonstrate leadership, particularly with raising livestock and participation in high school Ag extracurricular activities like 4H and the Future Farmers of America.