Seven things I learned at the Kerrville Wine and Music Festival:
1. I don't have the hips to wear a tie-dye man skirt. Though my legs are probably good enough.
2. Cowboy boots and short skirts are a particularly Texas fashion statement.
3. Two days of listening to music made by people who love what they're doing makes even the Wine Curmudgeon a little less cranky.
4. It's very difficult to drive five miles an hour. Very, very difficult.
5. All of the acts were terrific -- and some were even better than that, including The Marshall Ford Swing Band, Chet O'Keefe, Andrew Delaney, and a pickup band featuring Anthony DaCosta, John Elliott and Raina Rose.
6. The Kerrville wine seminar audiences are fantastic. They pay attention, they ask good questions, and they want to learn about regional wine. It's one of the few places I speak where the audience breaks into loud cheers when you tell them that it's OK to drink what they like, even if what they like is regional wine.
7. Brennan Vineyards makes outstanding Texas syrah, and the 2007 is no exception (and, at $17, is a fair value). It has found the sweet spot between Rhone, Californian and Australian syrahs. Open the bottle 20 or 30 minutes before you drink it, and it will surprise you with its depth and complexity.
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