The hustle of the holiday season is over, but that doesn’t mean you have to stay home. Several Hill Country wineries are offering events to tempt your taste buds.

Jazz at Chisholm Trail

Chisholm Trail Winery,  2367 Usener Road, Fredericksburg, is offering two events in January.  On Jan. 14, the winery will hold its annual Jazz in January event. The George Eychner Quartet will perform from 2 to 5 p.m. Listen to the smooth jazz while having some wine and lunch from the winery’s restaurant, the Oval Oven, featuring wood-fired gourmet pizza.

On Jan. 21, Chisholm Trail will be part of the Wine Road 290 Port and Pairings Event. Complimentary samples of Bourbon Orange Pecan Pie from the Fredericksburg Pie Company will be paired with the winery’s Port-style dessert wine, Almagres. The Oval Oven will also be open during normal winery hours.

For more information on Chisholm Trail, click here or call 830-990-2675. For more on the Wine Road 290 schedule, click here.

Winery U at Dry Comal Creek

The fourth annual Winery U at Dry Comal Creek Vineyards, 1741 Herbelin Road, New Braunfels, begins Jan. 14.

Sessions are held once a month on Saturday mornings, with each class focusing on a different aspect of wine “in as non-pretentious a way as allowed by law,” says instructor David King, who holds the Certified Specialist of Wine certificate from the Society of Wine Educators.  “We keep it fun and entertaining, because when you come right down to it, wine should be fun and entertaining. I talk for a while, and then we taste wine. Or in the case of the Food and Wine Pairings class, I talk very little and we eat and drink at lot.”

Here’s the lineup for the 2012 classes, subject to the water rising in the Dry Comal Creek:

• Jan. 14: Introduction to Wine
• Feb. 11: Texas Wines
• March 13: Decoding the Wine Label
• April 7: Growing Grapes and Making Wine
• May 19: Wines of France
• June 9: The Black Spanish Grape
• July 21: Sensory Evaluation
• Aug. 18: Wines of Spain and Italy
• Sept. 15: Sauvignon Blanc
• Oct. 20: Food and Wine Pairings
• Nov. 10: Wines of the Southern Hemisphere
• Dec. 8: Cabernet Sauvignon

Classes are $30 each, or $25 if four or more are purchased at once. For information and registration, click here.

Hill Top hosts Becker dinner

Hill Top Cafe, 10661 U.S. Highway 87, Fredericksburg, is hosting Richard and Bunny Becker at a dinner featuring a collection of Becker Vineyards wines from the Tallent vineyard and from Mason County. The dinner begins at 5 p.m. Jan. 29.

Reception wines include the 2011 Provençal and 2010 Reserve Grenache, followed by a first course of  Moroccan Red Lentil and Lamb Bessara with the 2010 Raven. Winter Salad with Bartlett Pears, Prosciutto and Fresh Texas Goat Cheese will be paired with the 2010 Albariño, followed by  Steamed Gulf Prawns with Sweet Ginger, Curry and Scallions and the 2011 Pinot Grigio.  Braised Texas Dry-aged Beef Short Ribs in Puff Pastry with Winter Vegetables and the 2009 Raven will be served before a dessert of El Rey Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Cake with Chantilly Cream and Becker Vineyards’ 2010 Vintage Port.

The cost is $75 a person plus tax and tip. Call 830-997-8922 or email reservation@hilltopcafe.com.

A flavorful white wine, Sauvignon Blanc can taste many different ways depending how the grapes were grown and how the wine was made.

Sauvignon Blanc is a white wine with a character all its own.

For more information and to taste samples of this wine, come to Winery U at Dry Comal Creek Vineyards & Winery this Saturday.  Participants will receive course materials, additional informational materials, a Winery U diploma, and possible surprises.  Preregistration is required and the class is limited to 30 participants.  www.drycomalcreek.com

Saturday (Sept. 11), 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., $30 ($25 if registered for all 4 classes in the series)
Dry Comal Creek Vineyards and Winery
1741 Herbelin Road, New Braunfels

It’s crab-picking time again at Dry Comal Creek Vineyards. The annual Crab Pick Dinner will be at 6:30 p.m.  Oct. 24 at the vineyards in New Braunfels.  They’ll provide the mallets, crackers, picks and bibs, and more importantly, the three-pound Dungeness crab flown in fresh from the Pacific Northwest.  A full menu of side dishes and accompaniments also will be served.

The meal will be paired with Dry Comal Creek Vineyards Texas-style wines.

Purchase your reserved seats online, but do it soon — only 60 seats are available and this event always sells out. Pre-registration is required.  The cost is $85 per person or $160 per couple, plus tax.

To reserve seats online, get more information and directions to the winery, go to www.drycomalcreek.com.

The Texas Department of Agriculture wants you to know more about wine.

To that end, it has produced a six-video series featuring some of the state’s winemakers and vineyard owners discussing grape varieties and wine styles. The series can be found at  gotexanwine.org or at the GO TEXAN YouTube channel (click here).

In the introduction, Susan Auler of Fall Creek Vineyards in Tow discusses the growth and history of the Texas wine industry with Tanji Patton.

In the second clip, Pat Brennan of Brennan Vineyards in Comanche details the rise of viognier (vee-ohn-yay) as one of the white grapes proving especially suited to Texas soils. Viognier displays peach, apricot, honey and citrus characteristics, and it can be paired with a variety of foods.

Kim McPherson of McPherson Vineyards in Lubbock talks about the success Texas winemakers have had with sangiovese in the third installment. This light-bodied Italian varietal goes well with pork, spicy fish dishes and cheeses.

Jim Johnson of Alamosa Wine Cellars in Bend discusses the Spanish varietal tempranillo, which loves hot climates like those found across Texas. In the fourth video, he talks about pairing the hearty red wine with leg of lamb.

Franklin Houser of Dry Comal Creek in New Braunfels showcases Black Spanish in the fifth piece. This varietal is proving to be resistant to disease, heat and humidity, making it an appealing option for grape growers and winemakers alike.

In the final video, Merrill Bonarrigo of Messina Hof in Bryan discusses port-style wines and other dessert wines that Texas is producing.

These videos are great introductions. Now, take that information and apply it to your tastings.