Wine bidding a bit dry at rodeo

The recession claimed another casualty Saturday when the top two prize winners at the 2009 Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo International Wine Competition sold for about half as much as their 2008 counterparts.

The grand champion wine went for $100,000 and the reserve grand champion went for $55,00, down from last year’s winning bids of $201,000 and 126,000, respectively.

“Everyone’s been scaling back so this year the grand champion was within reach,” said automobile dealer George DeMontrond, one of the winning team of buyers. “You’ve got to prioritize our charities as a result of the recession, but the rodeo is the top one for us.”

In all, the auction took in $610,000, proceeds that will fund about 25 scholarships at Texas colleges and universities.

Last year’s auction netted $1.1 million.

The high-bidding team for the grand champion, a 2006 Vina Robles Suendero, Pasa Robles, was comprised of Demontrond and his wife Marilyn, Chuck Simmons, Brad Fish and Raye White.

The wine, which retails for about $36-$42, is a Bordeaux-esque blend from California.

The reserve grand champion, a 2007 McManis Family Vineyards Petite Sirah, was purchased by Joe Van Metre, Jim and Lynda Winne, Jerrol and Pam Springer, and Pete and Melinda Ruman.

The California-grown wine sells for about $12 a bottle.

The winning wines competed in a field of about 1,800 entries, which represented 14 countries and 500 wineries.

The 900 people who attended the auction got to sample the top wines with dinner.

Tables cost $2,500.