By Brittany Anderson
BUDA — Buda is gearing up to host the Texas International Wine Competition (TIWC) for the third time.
Destination Services Director Lysa Gonzalez presented city council with information regarding the upcoming competition and a request for a hotel occupancy tax grant for TIWC, which was unanimously approved during the Nov. 16 meeting.
The competition will take place at The Lodge at Grace from Dec. 2 to 5. Twenty six judges will be coming to Buda from six different states and countries to taste over 800 wines from 16 different countries.
TIWC have accounted for 102 room nights at Fairfield Inn & Suites for judges, volunteers and wine makers coming to attend the event. Gonzalez said that per the rules in place of $85 per room night, the price comes out to $8,860.
Gonzalez said that staff recommendation is to bump up to $9,000 to give them additional room nights that may come in. That money would be used to reimburse the promotion used for the event to get judges to register with them, as well as the wine makers they had come in.
Additionally, the city will host a “welcome reception” for the judges on Dec. 2, followed by a city sponsored “judges night on the town” on Dec. 3 which will include dinner at Mudbugs and line dancing at Mavericks. The dinner cost is projected to be around $1,200.
With the $9,000 room night and $1,200 city sponsored dinner, TIWC will receive $10,200 from the city.
Gonazlez said that proceeds from the competition will be donated to Buda’s Brightside, a local non-profit aimed at empowering adults with disabilities through community inclusion, education development and social enrichment. The city has also partnered with TIWC to identify local events for TIWC to donate wine to; earlier this year, they donated wine from the 2019 competition to the Plein Air Festival.
TIWC founder Bonnie Villacampa was also present at the meeting, saying that Texas is “making some of the most amazing wines in the world.”
The event received positive feedback from council members who voiced their appreciation and excitement for what it will bring to the community.
