The annual Katy Wine Festival takes place at The Cafe at Brookwood, which features a garden.[/caption]

The Cinco Ranch Rotary Club brings various wines from across the United States to the 10th annual Katy Wine Festival to benefit The Brookwood Community on Nov. 6.

“It’s really a benchmark event in Katy,” event director Melissa Houser said. “We really strive to provide an experience like no other. It’s definitely more of an upscale event. We try really hard to choose wines that are a little bit harder to find.”

Houser said every year the organization features wine from a particular country. This year winetasters at the festival will get to taste several Texas wines as a part of the U.S. selection.

“A lot of times the U.S. gets overlooked—and especially different parts of the U.S. like Texas get overlooked—when people talk about great wines. We’re really trying hard to bring a very wide variety to our guests, not only in wine, but in food as well,” Houser said.

Houser said the hope is to fundraise $20,000 to $25,000 for The Brookwood Community in Brookshire. This is the fourth year that the community has been a beneficiary of the Wine Festival, she said.

Brookwood Community is a Christian-based residential facility and vocational center for adults with disabilities. About 110 adults live at the Fulshear facility and another 80 participate in day activities, according to the center’s website. Brookwood’s community includes those with autism spectrum disorders, intellectual and developmental disabilities and traumatic brain injuries.

Money raised from the Katy Wine Festival will go toward Brookwood’s outreach and training programs as well as for programs in Brookwood’s Center for Learning, which shares its training curriculum with similar organizations.

The event has raised about $50,000 over the last four years, Houser said.

“Brookwood and the Cinco Ranch Rotary have a very long friendship. [Brookwood has] always been very near and dear to the hearts of Cinco Ranch Rotarians,” Houser said.

The event will feature 60 wines for general admission guests while those opting for VIP tickets will be offered more selections. The event will feature food, a silent auction and live music from Chris Austin Martinez of Austin.

“We just have a lot of fun, and it’s just one of those really wonderful times to raise money for a wonderful organization,” Houser said.