Jack's Journal: Texas Wine

Merrill and Paul Vincent Bonarrigo pose in Bryan, Texas, July 21, 2006. The couple founded Messina Hof Winery in 1977. A sixth generation wine maker, Paul Bonarrigo's passion for wine stems from his family's rich wine making tradition. Today, Messina Hof is one of the top wine producers in the Lone Star state.

Picking grapes in the Messina Hof vineyard on a sunny Saturday in Bryan, Texas, July 22, 2006. Harvest weekend is an opportunity to take part in harvesting the Lenoir grapes that are grown on this site's 40 acres.

Lisa, left, gets a helping hand picking grapes from Merrill Bonarrigo, Saturday, July 22, 2006, at the Messina Hof Winery and Resort in Bryan, Texas.

Under the direction of staff members like Kevin Fortorny, left, and Sam Clarke, teams of guests picked grapes from the vines to the accompaniment of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin playing from a portable CD player atop a flatbed truck, Saturday, July 22, in Bryan, Texas.

Kevin Fotorny and some of the Bunko girls -- Kim, Lisa, Kelly and Denise -- show off the fruits of their labor, Saturday, July 22, 2006, in Bryan, Texas.

Trenton King of Spring, Texas, has his hands full!

Kristi and Brian England take part in harvesting grapes at the Messina Hof Winery and Resort in Bryan, Texas, July 22, 2006. Kristi is a seventh generation Texan.

Randy Buntyn of Baton Rouge, La., holds up a T-shirt with his grape juice-infused footprints preserved on the back. Randy also took top honors as the Big Kahuna -- the person who picks the oddest looking cluster of grapes, gives it a descriptive name somewhat reminiscent of its shape and then performs a little ditty in front of the assembled crowd to show his or her own talent.

After the stomping, the bins of grapes are dumped into a crusher and strained.

Yo Lucy! Jack gets a little help from Merrill Bonarrigo before stomping grapes during winery's harvest weekend festivities, Saturday, July 22, 2006.

Stomp those grapes! The Bunko bunch, nine wonderfully funny and raucous ladies, came to the Bryan, Texas, winery and resort for a girls getaway weekend.

Putting their best feet forward, the Bunko girls get busy stomping a bin of the Lenoir grapes they picked earlier in the day at the Messina Hof vineyards, Saturday, July 22, 2006, in Bryan, Texas.

The Bunko gals pose in front of "Winny" Saturday July 22, 2006, at the Messina Hof Winery and Resort in Bryan, Texas.

For the Koehler's, the harvest weekend was a family affair. Ten members of the family took part in the festivities at the Messina Hof Winery and Resort.

The Coulston family, Gerald, Laurie and baby Lauren, enjoyed the day at the Messina Hof Winery and Resort Saturday, July 22, 2006, in Bryan, Texas.