Vines in the Pines is More than just wine… it’s arts, crafts, food and shopping!
The second annual Vines in the Pines Wine and Art Festival was host to a dozen or so wineries from across this great state. The festival is a great opportunity to enjoy the talents of the local artisans, chefs and artists, as well.
Being a wine festival, of course the tastings were plentiful, for the wine lovers. One of the popular wineries in attendance was Ruidoso’s own Noisy Water Winery. They have a wine tasting room in downtown Ruidoso, along with some tasty cheeses and a really unique boutique. Tid-bit: Noisy Water has been farming for five generations in New Mexico and grows its own grapes. Some of their wines have national and international medals hanging around their bottlenecks.
Other New Mexico wineries in attendance this year were:
- St. Clair Winery, Deming
- Tularosa Vineyards and Winery, Tularosa
- Amaro Winery, Las Cruces
- Luna Rossa Winery, Deming
- Black’s Smuggler, Bosque
- Jaramillo Vineyards, Belen
- Sheehan Winery, in Corrales and Bosque Farms
- Wicked Kreations Winery, La Canova
Wicked Kreations has various wines made from fruits…such as plum and choke cherry. We can’t forget The Lost Hiker Brewing Company, Ruidoso.
One of the best things about this festival was the food! You could savor a nice, hot bowl of homemade posole, which my brand new hubby said was the best he had ever tasted, from the Zia Grounds’ food truck.
Albertsons provided various kinds of cheese, strawberries, grapes, melons and wafer thin, melt in your mouth crackers.
There were numerous popular vendors on hand… here is a short list of some of some of our favorites:
- Old Barrel Tea and Spice Company was a very popular vendor at this year’s festival. They had some interesting varieties of unfiltered honey, such as avocado honey, along with their popular teas and spices. They have a tasting room in downtown Ruidoso.
- The Olive Branch, tempted guests with various tasty olive oils. Stop by their tasting room in downtown, Ruidoso.
- Made To Lather Handmade Soaps and Sundries in Artesia, had all kinds of good smelling toiletries. My favorite scent was the lavender, of course, but even their Monkey Farts smelled nice! Whodathunkit?
- Glencoe Distillery had some really cool copper mugs, barware and cork holders. They also own Sacred Grounds Coffee and Tea in Ruidoso.
There were so many vendors at the event and I wish I could give props to all of them.
Now for my favorite part of the festival…the art! One of the most talented artists in New Mexico, Virgil C. Stephens, had some of his breathtaking beauties on display.
I love Virgil’s quote from his Facebook page:
(photo courtesy of Virgil C. Stephens)
“There is just too much bad art out there because artists didn’t learn how to draw before they picked up a brush, and it’s my goal in some small way to change that.” says Virgil.
The second annual Vines in the Pines Wine and Art Festival was a huge success! A big thank you to all who helped make it so. We’ll see y’all next year!
-Jamye Stewart
