Just a couple of blocks from I-10 and Beltway 8, Ryan Levy developed Houstons first and only commercial winemaking vineyard. The small, family-owned winery is organic and sustainably farmed. That means chickens are used for pest control, and small bites served out of the kitchen come straight from their garden.
300 grape vines on the property produce some of Levys award-winning wines. He began by making just one wine. 19 years later, there are 40 Nice wines for customers to try at tastings, wine club dinners, or wine classes.
For the second year, industry experts at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo awarded Nice Winery with top honors. They were recognized as the top all-around Winery with a special belt buckle and saddle trophy. That means more of their wines scored number one in their category than any other winery in the world.
Levy said, "When I started making wine, I didn't even know that rodeo had a wine competition. That wasn't even on my radar."
Levy may not have known about Uncorked!, but he was well aware of the reason behind the Houston rodeo.
Three decades ago, Levy said he really wanted to attend Rice University, but his parents couldnt afford to send him there. A rodeo scholarship helped him become an Owl and set him on a path that would lead to France, California, and eventually back home to Houston where that same generosity is bottled up in his business.
Levy said, "Half of all of the classes we teach here at Nice Winery, half of them are donated back to local 501(c)(3) charities here in Houston to help give back and pay forward the spectacular gift that, 31 years ago, volunteers at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo gave to me. It's that spirit that I want to inspire in, in all Houstonians... and it wasn't until we started to win in the competition that I understood the gravity of this full circle moment. We are able to help raise money to send other kids to college.
These kids, like Levy, will get an education in Texas and the opportunity to make their community a much nicer place.