Blackberry Wine – NV; Poteet Winery; Poteet, Texas

Extra fruity with both sweet and tart notes, this fruit wine gives a whole new meaning to blackberry pie.  Berries are locally sourced to make this sweet wine.  The alcohol content is not high and it’s not syrupy sweet.  You get the sweet side first, quickly followed by the berries tart side across the top of your tongue. This deep plum colored wine is a well balanced fruit wine you can enjoy all year round, but sure does tastes especially nice in Spring.

www.poteetwine.com

Private Cuvee - NV; Rancho Ponte Vineyards; Fredericksburg, Texas

This delightfully sparkling wine is a pleasure to enjoy for almost any occasion.  It has just the right amount of “bubbles” and just a tad bit of sweetness, making this an easy sipping sparkler.  It does taste like a blend of different whites rather than a single varietal, but doesn’t distract from the experience, in fact we thought it added nice character.  Although the back of the label says that it was made by Woodbridge Champagne Cellars in California, it really doesn’t matter where it came from. What we want you to focus on is how it tastes, looks and how it can compliment any occasion you want to celebrate.  It’s good and enjoyable for all! Cheers!

 

www.ranchoponte.com

Nolan Creek Winery – Belton, Texas

Phil Monge and Vira Chudasma opened up this place about a year ago just off the downtown square.  Located in the “Gin” marketplace, this winery not only offers their own wine, but a good selection from other wineries around the world.  To sample their in-house made wines, ask for the ‘Nolan Creek Winery flight’.  Grapes are sourced from the Texas High plains and some from California.  During this visit, they had four wines available for tasting.  Their sweet white is quite nice, with definite green apple notes to this crisp but sweet wine.  It has good flavor and is an easy drinking wine.  Their White Blend is a mix of Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc and is a drier wine with a crispness and a bit of a toasted nut finish. Their sweet red, Texas Moonlight, is smooth and suitable for any afternoon or after dinner event. It packs a lot of blueberry and raspberry notes in this very fruit forward option, while it is very smooth and makes for another easy sipping option to enjoy. They are proud of their red blend (Syrah/Mourvedra) being a bronze medal winner at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo International Wine Competition.  Let this one age for a few more years and compare your notes from the first taste.  We hear they are also working on a future Zinfandel release that should be very nice. Be looking for more updates on that one on their Facebook page. Their wine bar décor has an upscale, jazzy chic bistro feel that is inviting and makes you feel very welcomed.  The owners picked a great locale in Belton.  Worth the visit and the time to just hanging out!

www.winesofnolancreek.com

Chardonnay – 2006; Red Caboose Winery; Meridian, Texas

Who says a Chardonnay can’t last this long?  Well, this one did!  Here’s the bottom line:  still a good clean and crisp medium bodied white wine with a good full flavor.  This wine had some slight acidity, yet had some toasted nut notes and a lovely feel on the palate. It is smooth and buttery enough to make you think it might have been oaked, but this was not oaked. We found this wine to be a very nice wine to welcome in the Spring season.  Enjoy with fish and poultry dishes as well as with cheese and crackers, or just alone. It pairs well with food but also is quite enjoyable on its own. Cheers!

www.redcaboosewinery.com