Now that spring is here, a day out or weekend away exploring the beautiful Brazos Valley is the perfect way to relax and spend time with friends and family.

And there’s no better destination than Messina Hof Winery & Resort, which is set to host its 35^th annual Wine and Roses Festival to celebrate the budding of the vines and blooming of the roses at the Messina Hof estate in Bryan Saturday, April 13. The festival will feature an exciting variety of activities including wine tastings, local vendors and artisans, pairing classes and the infamous grape stomp competition.

Here are seven reasons why you should make plans today to attend this weekend’s festival.

1. Wine Tastings

Wine tastings from Messina Hof’s robust catalogue of wines will be available. Nearly all of Messina Hof’s portfolio of wines will be offered for tasting. Bonus: you’ll be tasting 100% Texas wine.

2. Perfect Weekend Getaway

The festival is perfect for a weekend family getaway. Outside seating and the lakeside deck are ideal for relaxation. Plus, kids will love the pond, where they can feed the turtles. And, if the kids want to get it on the tasting action, there’ll be plenty of grape juice on hand for them.

3. Grape Stomping

The winery will be bringing back the highly-anticipated grape stomping competition. Teams of up to four people will compete by filling bottles with juice they have stomped. Following each two-minute heat, the team with the most juice will continue on to the next grape-stomping bracket. Registration for the competition is $50 per team.

4. Enjoy the Outdoors

The festival is outdoors just in time to enjoy the warm spring weather. Live music, food vendors and local crafters selling a variety of products will all be set up outdoors.

5. Art Competition

The 29^th annual Choice Wine Label Competition will be the centerpiece of the Wine and Roses Festival. Texas artists will compete for the chance to have their work featured on a Messina Hof wine bottle. What a great spectator sport!

6. Marathon & 5K

Be sure to stick around for the whole weekend as Messina Hof will host their annual Wine and Roses Half Marathon and 5K on Sunday, April 14, following the festival. The race course will weave through the beautiful vines that dot the Messina Hof estate. Runners will receive a shirt, race-bib, a commemorative wine glass and a breakfast prepared by Messina Hof’s in-house chef. Runners can register here up until the day of the race.

7. Free Festival Admission

Admission to the festival is free, although several events require tickets which can be pre-purchased or included a specialty package. Festival packages for specific events can be purchased here.

Cover photo courtesy Messina Hof Winery

Cullen Parker is an Agricultural Communications and Journalism student at Texas A&M University. He is an agricultural enthusiast, and you can find him outdoors or playing a concert with his band in Austin or College Station.