Longshot Winery – New Braunfels, Texas

Located in the oldest house of New Braunfels, this newest winery is bringing some nice wines to locals and newcomers of the area.  Yes, it actually is the oldest house!  Check out the historical marker out front of the renovated 18^th century Meriwether homestead, where you can read up on the historical placard out front about the history of this homestead which is now the current location of the winery.  The inside renovations thankfully retained some of the original charm and exposed beams from the original architecture of the period home. Part of the experience of this winery is appreciating the space as you sip and enjoy the lineup. This is the dream come true of owner Jasper McDonald. Opened in November of 2014, this winery has a great location for foot traffic as it is in the heart of commuters and those seeking refuge from tubing adventures. Jasper has a vineyard out near Brownfield where he has been growing his own grapes for the past few years.  Most of his grapes are sourced from the Texas High Plains AVA and California. In the tasting room, you get three free tastings from the wine list available.  At the time of our visit, 8/15/2015, there were eight wines listed (three whites and 5 reds) plus the unlisted Malbec. We had six of them during our visit.  The two sweet white wines, Jo Ann Semi-Sweet and Cactus Sweet, are great summer time treats. The Jo Ann is more sweet than semi-sweet, so just be prepared.  It has some lovely orange notes. The Cactus sweet comes off as fairly crisp with some tropical notes.  For the reds, the Tempranillo is a gold medal winner.  Berries, coconuts, and vanilla meld in the tasting profile for this wine, which is a pretty good one to try. The Sangiovese has medium tannins and a nice long smoky flavor on the finish. The Malbec has great earthiness that we loved. Lastly, the Sweet Red was a nice treat for this hot August afternoon.  It was a great refreshing drink at the end the day’s visit. Although it is sweet, it is not as sweet as the two whites and was quite easy to sip and enjoy as a refreshing afternoon wine.  This winery is a great addition to the New Braunfels area.  You’ll naturally feel relaxed and comfortable sipping your wine while surrounded by some great scenery.  It’s a cool place to visit and we recommend you stop in and check it out. There's a lovely outdoor sitting area in the front too, which should be great to check out in the coming cooler months of fall.

www.longshotwines.com