Upcoming events

	Betsa Marsh Garden Manor bed and breakfast inn is an amalgam of two old Texas homes, cobbled togeher into one with Tuscan columns and Classical Revival touches. Click photo for larger image.

Sept. 7-10: 20th Annual GrapeFest. All of Grapevine's Main Street becomes an outdoor tasting room. International wines share the spotlight with Texas' best, vying in the People's Choice Wine Tasting Classic. Travelers can jump into the festival with the competitive GrapeStomp, going after the Purple Foot award. Six stages will throb with live music, and free shuttle vans will loop among Grapevine's wineries and tasting rooms.

Wine tasting

Six of Grapevine's eight wineries/tasting rooms are clustered in its historic district, with two more a short ride away. Most of the working vineyards are on less-expensive land in West Texas, but La Buena Vida and Delaney have a few acres each in Grapevine.

1. La Buena Vida Vineyards, 416 E. College St.; Phone: 817-481-9463; www.labuenavida.com. In an old Sunday school building of the Grapevine Church of Christ from 1903, remodeled in 1970. Its Walnut Creek Cellar's Vida del Sol Port was a prize-winner in the 2005 Lone Star International Wine Competition. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., noon-5 p.m. Sun. $5-$12 for four wines.

2. Homestead Winery & Tasting Room, 211 E. Worth St.; Phone: 817-251-9463; www.homesteadwinery.com. In a sensitively restored Folk Victorian house circa 1895, surrounded by trees. Its Rose of Ivanhoe is a multiple award winner in competitions. Open 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily. $5 for four wines.

3. Cross Timbers Winery in the Dorris-Brock House, 805 N. Main St.; Phone: 817-488-6789; www.crosstimberswinery.com. The wood frame house dates back to 1875. Cross Timbers' Grapevine Texas Grapevine White was a winner in the Lone Star International Wine Competition. Open noon-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 12:30-5 p.m. Sun. $5 for four wines.

4. Su Vino Winery, 120 S. Main St. No. 40.; Phone: 817-424-0123; www.suvinowinery.com. Travelers can buy off the shelf or design their own custom wine and label with a vintner's help. Open noon-7 p.m. Tues.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. Closed Mon. $5 for five wines.

5. D'Vine Wine of Texas, 409 S. Main St.; Phone: 817-329-1011; www.dvinewineusa.com. The Grande Rosso Reserve is a prize winner in the Lone Star International Wine Competition. The shop cultivates a Tuscan feel in the old city hall. It's buy-a-bottle, or design your own blend and label. Open 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Tues.-Fri., 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Sat., noon-5 p.m. Sun. Closed Mon. $5 for three wines.

6. Delaney Vineyards and Winery, 2000 Champagne Blvd.; Phone: 817-481-5668; www.delaneyvineyards.com. Delaney's Sauvignon Blanc took a prize at the Houston Livestock & Rodeo International Wine Competition. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat. Closed Sun. $10 for seven to eight wines.

7. La Bodega Winery, Terminal A opposite Gate 15, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport; Phone: 972-574-1440. For ticketed passengers only. The winery's 2002 La Bodega Private Reserve Merlot won a prize at the Wine Society of Texas Competition. Open 9 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri., noon-8 p.m. Sat. and Sun. Tasting flight: $8-$20 for three to four wines.

8. La Bodega Winery, Terminal D, near Gates D20 and D33, Village, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport; Phone: 972-973-9463. For ticketed passengers only. Tasting flight: $8-$15 for three wines.

Recommended Accommodations

Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas, 4150 N. Macarthur Blvd., Irving; Phone: 800-332-3442; www.fourseasons.com. AAA Five Diamond hotel with two championship 18-hole golf courses, including the home course of the PGA Tour EDS Byron Nelson Championship. Plus the Byron Nelson Golf School, extensive fitness center, tennis, racquetball and squash courts, as well as a spa and salon. Doubles from $350.

Omni Mandalay Hotel at Las Colinas, 221 E. Las Colinas Blvd., Irving; Phone: 888-444-6664; www.omnihotels.com. Doubles from $159.

Garden Manor of Grapevine, 205 E. College St., Grapevine; Phone: 877-424-9177; www.gardenmanorbandb.com. Four bedrooms with queen-size beds, heated towel racks, free wireless DSL service and satellite TV with HBO. Doubles from $145.

Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center, 1501 Gaylord Trail, Grapevine; Phone: 817-778-1000; www.gaylordhotels.com. All of Texas is encapsulated in its lobby, set next to 7,200-acre Lake Grapevine. 1,511 rooms. Doubles from $129.

Embassy Suites DFW Airport South, 4650 W. Airport Freeway, Irving; Phone: 972-790-0093; www.esdfwsouth.com. Doubles from $129.

The Westin Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, 4545 W. John Carpenter Freeway, Irving; Phone: 972-929-4500; www.westin.com/irving. Opened April 2006. Doubles from $99.

Hilton Garden Inn DFW Airport South, 2001 Valley View Lane, Irving; Phone: 972-313-2800; www.dfwairportsouth.gardeninn.com. Doubles from $99.

Recommended dining

Cafe on the Green, Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas, 4150 N. MacArthur Blvd., Irving; Phone: 800-332-3442; www.fourseasons.com. Glass-enclosed with views to the resort villas and pool. Open 6:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 7 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Sat. and Sun. Lunch entrees from $12. Dinner entrees from $16.

Cool River Cafe, 1045 Hidden Ridge Road, Irving; Phone: 972-871-8881; www.coolrivercafe.com. Steak and Southwestern specialties, such as Devil Creek Shrimp with pepper jack-stuffed jumbo shrimp wrapped in smoked bacon and grilled in chipotle hickory sauce. Open 11 a.m.-2 a.m. daily. Live music Thurs., Fri. and Sat. nights. Lunch entrees from $10. Dinner entrees from $19.

Main Street Blues Room, 814 S. Main St., Grapevine; Phone: 817-310-3211; www.mainstreetbluesroom.com. Don't be put off by the corrugated metal exterior-this is another example of Grapevine's adaptive reuse. A 1950s cabinet shop is now a blues club developed by Monika Guzman, wife of former Texas Rangers pitcher Jose Guzman. The interior is deep indigo, with dramatic black-and-white photos of blues and jazz greats on the wall. Known for Monika's filet mignon with grilled lobster and spiced hollandaise sauce, and Texas striped bass with charred tomato relish. Blues nightly. Open 5 p.m.-12 a.m. Tues.-Thurs., 5 p.m.-2 a.m. Fri. and Sat. Closed Sun. and Mon. Entrees from $13.

Via Real, 4020 N. MacArthur Blvd., Irving; Phone: 972-650-9001. Tex-Mex goes a bit up-market. Open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sun.-Thurs.; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Fri.; 5 p.m.-11 p.m. Sat. Lunch entrees from $7. Dinner entrees from $10.

i Fratelli, 7750 N. MacArthur Blvd., Irving; Phone: 972-501-9700. Italian restaurant and wine bar. Open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sun.-Thurs.; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Lunch entrees from $6. Dinner entrees from $10.

Willhoite's Restaurant, 432 S. Main St., Grapevine; Phone: 817-481-7511; www.willhoites.com. Eat in Grapevine's first automotive center and gas station, with a Model A on the original hydraulic lift over the salad bar. Open 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Mon.-Sat., 10:30 a.m.-2 a.m. Sun. Under $10.

Po' Melvens, 4070 N. Beltline Rd., Irving; Phone: 972-255-3919. Louisiana Cajun home cooking. Open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sun.-Thurs.; 11 a.m.-11p.m. Fri.-Sat. Lunch and dinner entrees from $7.

Texas Bar and Grill, 220 E. Las Colinas Blvd. No. 260, Irving; Phone: 972-869-2007; www.texasbarandgrill.com. Tex-Mex specialties, plus burgers. Canal-side patio, darts and shuffleboard. Happy Hour 4 p.m.-7 p.m. Mon.-Fri. Open 11 a.m.-midnight Mon.-Thurs.; 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Fri.; 10 a.m.-midnight Sat.; 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sun. Lunch and dinner entrees from $7.

British Emporium, North Main Center, 140 N. Main St., Grapevine; Phone: 817-421-2311; www.british-emporium.com. Improbable but true: Home of the "Best Bangers, Beans & Sundries," according to Dallas Magazine, and "Best British Store 2005," from the Dallas Observer, in an unremarkable strip mall. This is the place to fill a basket with British goodies for a picnic in the park.

For more information

On Grapevine: Phone: 800-457-6338; www.grapevinetexasusa.com.

On Irving: Phone: 800-247-8464; www.irvingtexas.com.