The 2025 H-E-B Wine Walk, Vino Lovers find New Legs at The Woodlands Resort

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- The H-E-B Wine Walk at The Woodlands Resort this past Saturday was quite a change from the previous Market Street location and brought about a successful conclusion to the 21st annual Wine & Food Week event season. It’s just another feather in the cap of Constance McDerby and her Food & Vine Time Productions team. The change to Saturday and the favorable weather brought out numbers that at times seemed overwhelming, but everyone apparently found their spots to enjoy the atmosphere, discovering the multitudes of wine offerings, samples of delectable delights from area restaurants on-hand, and even some shops offering a few brews, while others offered saké.

It was a wonderful sea of people, patiently making their way along the booths that were scattered in the walking paths that were located in front of the resort and to the parking lot to its side. Some restaurants that planned for seven to eight hundred samples were out of items to serve, in as little over an hour after the event started. To say the Wine Walk wasn’t a smashing success is an understatement. And even with a cramped parking lot resort side, with event goers scrambling for a spot, the realization that the Buckthorne Place opposite the lake has additional parking that will probably be more utilized for next year.

With The Woodlands Resort being much more ‘walky’ than the confining space of Market Street, for the first year at the site, the resort offers room for growth. No one really seemed to mind the wait at booths near the entrance, seeing as many were enjoying the wine and food offerings while chatting with friends or family, and even though the humidity was up, the feels-like temperature was still fairly tolerable. The extra walking this year allowed for much more people watching, as well as being watched.

Attendees came not only from our region, but from other states, and lands overseas. Even representatives from the Los Angeles Tribune, a website and annual magazine from California were in town, being invited by an influential local. They came to be impressed with the hundreds of wines available from vineyards from California to Bulgaria, then to Arkansas saké with a fruit taste, and locally brewed beers that celebrated an Oktoberfest party in the heart of The Woodlands.

The restaurants also brought their best tastes forward, with truly inspiring and incredible ideas that rocked taste buds. New to the scene was PINCHO, a Miami-based hamburger chain with some true innovation in the burger game, with a restaurant just across the highway on the east side of I-45 on SH 242. Of course the usual heavy-hitters of area cuisine, led by Del Frisco’s Grille’s Chef of Chefs Winner this year, Edgar Morales; and others like Sorriso and Thistle Draftshop.

J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines, brought a lovely dessert wine, their 2022 ‘Tower Road J. Lohr Petite Sirah’ Paso Robles. And if you don’t know about J. Lohr’s naming convention, the actual location of where the grapes are grown is worked into the name of the wine. So if the grapes were grown on Smith Road? Well, you get the picture. On the nose, you get the mixed-berry aroma, with some floral notes. It’s very energetic with touches of red and blue berries, along with the Paso Robles grapes. It has a long and enjoyable finish, as well as a nicely balanced structure. I’ve tried it before at a private tasting with Cynthia Lohr, and it tastes adorable with chocolate cake, especially if a chocolate ganache is involved.

Bernhardt Winery in Plantersville brought Bulgarian wines from the Thracian Lowlands that aren’t even on the market yet. One bottle they had forgotten in storage was their 2019 Contour Via Vinera Pinot Noir, which proved very rich with straw and cranberry aromas. It is fruity and light-bodied, with a finish that has some spice about it, which was unexpected but welcomed.

Thistle Draftshop’s Chef Trenis Shields’ brought his ‘Black Garlic Herb Biscuit,’ topped with a Bree Crema, layered with a red pepper and orange marmalade. It’s a tasty concoction, only made better by the truffle influence, and Trenis vows to up his game for next year. Miya’s Munchies’ had a nice display with their version of ‘Chicken and Waffles,’ a super sweet and savory dish that really stood out, while Local Table brought their ‘Anaheim Grilled Chicken over Basmati Rice with a Pita Chip. The savory chicken stew really hit home and had some tasters running for a nearby Sauvignon Blanc pairing.

This year's Wine and Food Week events were a triumph bringing close to 21 great years of wonderful memories. Many thanks go out to H-E-B, Constance McDerby, and the Wine Walk crew and volunteers who made the event a great success. Wine and Food Week does support some wonderful charitable causes such as the Montgomery County Food Bank, New Danville: which benefits adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and The Woodlands Waterway Arts Council. Who knows what 2026 holds, but no doubt it will be full of sips and savors that will draw the crowds over and over.

Ruben can be reached at: ruben@montgomerycountynews.net

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