Sparkling White - Braman Winery; Refugio, Texas

This is a very nice sparkling sweet white wine that suits any occasion.  It is quite fruit forward with citrus and some melon flavors that pop. It also seems to have just the right amount of sweetness, more than off-dry but not super sweet.   It makes for a great bubbly wine to enjoy with friends and family and stands up well for special occasions.  It's a crowd and palate pleaser.

 

 

www.bramanbrands.com

 

Sunshine Lemon – Sugar Ridge Winery; Bristol, Texas

This wine gives a whole new meaning to tart lemonade!  It is a white wine with lemon and packs quite a smart punch to the newbie.  It has some stronger sour notes to it and can be a bit too much alone for most taste buds.  However, it does make a great mixer as an icy lemon slush or with ice cream.   Other mixes to try would be 50/50 mix with a good white sweet white wine, perhaps with your favorite muscat wine.  If you’re looking for a new twist to lemon chicken, try it as a cooking wine….but a bit will do or you can use this to help marinade. Don't forget baking as well, as we used this for some Lemon Pound Cake as well, which turned out nicely. This wine has many surprisingly wide varieties of uses from mixed drinks, desserts, and cooking.  So, check it out and don't be afraid to experiment with something totally new to you.  Who knows what new famous concoction you could come up with?

www.sugarridgewinery.com

Eden Hill Winery – Celina, Texas

Owner’s Clark and Linda Hornbaker started planting vines on their Texas plot about six years ago.  Like many Texas winery entrepreneurs, they started out their adult professional lives doing one thing and ended up in the Texas vineyard and wine business after talking about it and just finally doing it.  Their son, Chris Hornbaker (Grayson College alumni) has a hand as winemaker in their family operation.  With the maturing vines, they’ve been able to produce some estate Tempranillo and Muscat wines. Grapes from Smith Estate Vineyard (owned by Texas wine pioneer Bobby Smith), as well as West Texas help supplement the Hornbaker’s wine production.  They have a full range of the wines available for tasting.  One wine you may have a hard time finding in Texas that they serve is an Albarino white wine.  Blended with Viognier, this dry wine has a unique crisp, citrus and lime flavor that is quite delightful.  They also serve a very nice dry Blanc du Bois that is quite refreshing on a warm December day in Texas. Don’t miss out on the late harvest Roussanne with its buttery color and well balanced presentation.  Their estate Tempranillo (a gold Dallas wine competition winner) has a strong fruit forward and medium body characteristic that is quite fulfilling.  The 2011 Texas vintage should be one for keepers!  They also have a Tempranillo/Cabernet blend that is quite good and should please most red wine lovers.   You’ll want to save some room for their estate Orange Muscat.  It’s sweet and crisp and leaves a nice long zesty finish on your palate.  Definitely try this one with some dark chocolate!  We were fortunate to be able to sample some Chambroucin that was still in the tank.  “Wow” may be an understatement.  If they keep this up, they may put Chambroucin on the Texas map.  They also had a Cabernet Sauvignon still in the barrel that we were able to sample, that was pretty darn tasty for one of their first cracks at a single varietal Cabernet.  It should settle and age well in the bottle.  The other yet to be released wine we sampled was Devine White, which is a blend of Albarino, Pinot Grigio, and Orange Muscat.  There won’t be that many cases produced, but it is well worth the effort to get some before they are gone once they are released. The Eden Hill estate is a delightful place to relax on a sunny Sunday afternoon.  The neighboring moo cows just add that nice “off the beaten path” and “you can relax now you’re in the country” feel to the place.  The estate is a working farm that harvests fresh fruits and vegetables and practices sustainable methods.   Take some time on your next road trip when in the area and head to this new place north of Dallas. It’s a cool place to sip and swirl with delightful owners very willing to chat about what makes Texas wines so good. Cheers!

 

www.edenhill.com

Syrah - 2004; La Cruz de Comal; Canyon Lake, Texas

This estate bottled wine is from an occasional older vintage collection that you may find available from the winery.  Grapes were sourced from the LD3 Ranch Vineyard (Texas Hill Country) using three to four year old Syrah vines.   The strong aromas may make your eyes pop out after first opening the bottle, but hey, it's a 10 year old wine!  The color seems to have held up well and was a bit more opaque than expected.  Make sure you have a well cleansed palate before tasting.  It definitely has a string peppery taste that will stick around for a bit.  The acidity is on the high end, as well.  Not bad for this old gal.  No sense in saving some for the next day, but there is plenty in the bottle for during and after meal enjoyment.

www.lacruzdecomalwines.com

Sweet Plum Wine – Wimberley Valley Winery; Driftwood, Texas

This delightfully pleasant plum wine has a rich a fruity bouquet that entices you to sit down and spend some valuable sipping time enjoying both the aromatic and flavorful notes.  This medium bodied sweet  wine is smooth and fruit forward, with bold, bright fruit flavors springing forward on the palate quite nicely. It tastes just as good chilled or at room temperature. Even the sweet fruit wine skeptic should find this an enjoyable option.

www.wimberleyvalleywinery.com