Jubilant notes from brass and horns dance in the air, all while cups fill with the finest vintages from both near and far. One couldn’t be faulted for thinking they were summering in the Hamptons or making a quick weekend getaway to the Napa Valley.

It’s hard to shake the comparisons. Jazz is everywhere at a garden party that would be right at home in a Seurat painting. Guests in silks and linens laugh with slightly bigger smiles and are far more easily convinced onto the dance floor.

But it isn’t Newport, Aspen, CharIeston or any of the other Jazz or wine capitals where such a scene most often unfolds. Rather, it’s just a picture of what a weekend at Horseshoe Bay Resort’s Wine, Dine and Jazz Festival looks and sounds like. It’s Texas, and it makes that dream scenario far closer than one might imagine.

Having recently celebrated the festival’s 20th anniversary, Horseshoe Bay Resort transports its guests to a different world for the last weekend of Texas’ famous prolonged summers. It boasts three major events over two days, with an intentional focus on music, wine and cuisine from Texas producers.

Setting the Stage

Horseshoe Bay Resort is the closest one can get to the regatta and marina lifestyle without leaving Central Texas. Nestled in the Hill Country, the resort sits in the bend of the horseshoe and is surrounded by a wide swath of the Colorado River that could almost be considered a lake. It makes for refreshing breezes and a feeling for guests that they are truly away from it all.

The hotel and resort are first class enterprises, from top to bottom. Accommodations are what one would expect from all-inclusive resorts in the most sought-after vacation spots, with crisp linens on beds and room to roam in even the most modest of rooms.

And while children aren’t the target audience for the Wine, Dine and Jazz crowd, there is plenty for children and families to do on property. Horseshoe Bay Resort has an elite version of mini golf, boasting an 18-hole putting course that has real grass, real bunkers and real challenges for kids of all ages. The resort also has what can only be described as a full-building playscape, dubbed the Jungle Kids Club, where kids can enjoy a multi-story jungle gym. Marina access, a floating pool that hovers in the middle of the bay, and plenty of activities ensure the resort caters to the entire family. There are movies, s’mores workshops, a Sand Bar beach for building castles, and an impressive wade-in entry pool near the resort’s main building, should the kids need more places to play.

And for grown-ups who want to play, too, the resort is probably best known for its three golf courses. Designed by renowned course designer, Robert Trent Jones, Sr., the resort is featured on the lists of top golf resorts. With the beauty of the Hill Country, a nearby body of water and every accommodation a golfer might need, it’s no mystery as to why.

Fresh air, an escape from the demands of everyday life, and an exhaustive list of diversions and entertainments for everyone, Horseshoe Bay Resort is, on its own, an idyllic retreat. And into that dream setting, for the past 20 years, Horseshoe Bay Resort has added a little melody.

A Little Night Music

The Wine, Dine and Jazz Festival kicks off a full weekend with its only formal expression. Friday night, the Granite Ballroom is decked out in full gala regalia. Guests get a quick amuse bouche in the ballroom’s lobby, as preview bites of the festival’s guest chefs are passed around alongside pours of select wines.

Before the event has begun, this cocktail hour is a perfect prelude. Hamachi agua chile bites resting on crisp tortilla chips, whipped brie in puff pastry, and an incredible take on shrimp and grits were just a taste of what was to come for the 20th anniversary.

Guests are assigned tables near a dance floor and stage and are treated to the sounds of select Jazz artists of national and international renown. Monty Seward and Rebecca Jade took the spotlight, backed by a full band that featured Michael Paulo.

A five-course meal is then presented to each guest, course by course, as Jazz standards and popular tunes alike float over the dance floor to entertain enthusiastic diners. Each dish is paired with wines from either Texas or Napa, and each course is introduced from the stage by the chef or the team who prepared the dish.

It makes for a heady night, as courses and pairings and songs flow together. And, while the dance floor might lay dormant for the dining portion of the night’s agenda, by the time dessert arrives, the enticing allure of the evening is a siren song to guests. By the final song of the event, the dance floor is alive with excitement, and few guests want the night to end.

School is in Session

The following morning, though not too early, the Wine, Dine and Jazz Festival picks up where it left off the night before. Around lunchtime, the invited chefs, who are a who’s who of on-air television talent and lauded local culinary talent, give demonstrations al fresco in the resort’s outdoor auditorium.

Imagine a cooking demonstration from your favorite chef, wherein you can ask questions about preparation methods or alternate ingredients, The Celebrity Chef Demonstrations offer tips, tricks and recipes from some of the most up-and-coming experts, and all at a pace that is languid and easy. No one is in a hurry here; and the chefs get a chance to preview dishes they plan to feature later in the day, walking attentive guests through not only the steps of the dish, but through the stories behind the dishes.

On this 20th anniversary, the chefs in attendance were Atlanta’s Shawn Osbey, of the Food Network’s “Chopped,” San Antonio’s own Jesse Kuykendall, who won “Chopped” in 2020; and Austin’s Sarah Heard, whose restaurant, Foreign + Domestic, has been a staple on Austin’s best-of lists for almost its entire 15-year history.

As with every part of the Wine, Dine and Jazz Festival, this event moved seamlessly into the rest of the day.

A Late Summer Stroll

After just enough time to repose, recline or enjoy some of the resort’s recreations, the star of the weekend’s festivities commenced. The Wine, Dine and Jazz Stroll is the festival’s final event and marks the culmination of all these elements.

At one end of the resort’s lawn sits a stage that features an even bigger roster of Jazz stars from near and far, and as they play through classic jazz standards or cover the occasional modern groove, guests walk around an expansive lawn. Dappled around the lawn are booths that showcase either a local vineyard, a renowned vineyard from Napa, restaurants from the area, or the celebrity chefs featured throughout the weekend.

Shady umbrellas cover white tables and chairs, and bistro tables or barrels are strategically placed around the lawn to inspire gathering and lively discussion. It’s the garden party from Seurat’s paintings, made real.

Guests vote on the best bites from dozens of booths, as well as best sips from more than a handful of vineyards. Pairings are explored and palates expanded, as some of the offerings were as delightfully straightforward as a slider, while others featured foie gras atop Manchego toast. It’s a competition where everybody wins, because there is so much to enjoy at the festival that it’s hard to find fault with anything.

As guests stroll from booth to booth, trying each or all of the wines offered, the summer at Horseshoe Bay Resort stretches out just a little longer, in the most delightful way. And, with the sun setting over the bay as only a late summer Texas sun can, those in attendance may retire once more in this retreat from the everyday demands.

Texas Lifestyle Magazine has long enjoyed the ease of vacationing at Horseshoe Bay Resort’s restorative oasis, but it is in immersive experiences, such as the Wine, Dine and Jazz Festival, where the resort creates its magnum opus. The festival is truly a masterpiece of setting, score and sublime sips.

We fully anticipate the 21st year of the Wine, Dine and Jazz Festival, and we hope to see you there.

Encore

While Horseshoe Bay Resort’s Wine, Dine and Jazz Festival has concluded, there are plenty of other programmed weekends at the resort that are worthy of the short drive and can transport guests far from the mundane.

Their Christmas celebration transforms the resort into a Winter Wonderland and kicks off with a tree lighting and other holiday features, like carriage rides and choral performances, on Saturday, Nov. 29. To get a sense of the Wine, Dine and Jazz Festival, the resort is hosting a sister event, Wine Expo, that evening. Shoppers can stroll and sip while shopping at a Christmas market curated in the same vein as the festival.

Additionally, the resort invites guests aboard for a Christmas Cruise of Lake LBJ on Saturday, Dec. 6, which will feature holiday cocktails while cruising festively on the water.

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Cover Photo Daniel Ramirez

Daniel Ramirez is a native Texan, who has written about the life, leisure and legends of the Lone Star State. From music to food to film, he is always looking to remind the world that the cultural epicenter of the U.S. is just as rooted in Texas as it is on either coast. With his own roots firmly established in Houston, Austin and Central Texas, his nomadic pursuits are always grounded in a familiar mantra – Texas Forever.