Red House Winery – Nacogdoches, Texas

The oldest town in Texas has many legends and stories to tell.  Who would have thought back in 1779 that Nacogdoches and the surrounding east Texas region would one day be leading the charge of some great wines for the area?  Welcome to the 21^st century!  Located in a renovated 120-year old building in the historic downtown area is a new chapter of storytelling for Nacogdoches, Red House Winery.  Owners Jacob and Rikki Leigh Willoughby began the winery back in 2015.  Opened last May, the tasting room offers visitors the opportunity to experience some fantastic quality wines, art work, and friendly people that add to this city’s natural charm. Mike Henry from Wedding Oak Winery has been providing invaluable mentoring to the Willoughby’s. With the famous Penny Adams providing top notch winemaking for them, they have certainly gotten off to a great start! Currently, Red House Winery does small productions of about 1500 cases.  Their tasting menu is divided into flights of Red, White, and New Releases.  For the whites, we first tried the 2018 Roussanne.  The floral aromas are quite enticing and it’s a blend of Roussanne and Riesling!  The 2018 Floral Blanc is a Trebbiano/Vermentino blend with some slight residual sugar.  It exhibits notes of the best of both grapes and when chilled makes for a great summer time sipper. For the 2016 vintage of 1779, this is a blend of 40% Orange Muscat, 40% Riesling, and 21% Muscat Canelli. This would be a great pairing for some spicy East Texas chili! The last white we tried was the 2016 Sweet Azalea.  This raspberry hued Riesling/Muscat/Tempranillio blend is fabulous on its own or as an after-dinner sweet wine.  For the reds, we started out with the 2017 Tempranillo.  A little tight at first, but once it begins to open you know this will be a great pairing for a fine ribeye.  The 2016 Sangiovese is a shining star in their lineup.  With a touch of Touriga Nacional, Dolcetto, and Cabernet Sauvignon, its rich and earthy texture is to die for!  The 2016 Rebellion Red is a blend of 55% Montepulciano and 45% Dolcetto. This well-balanced red blend expresses itself well with lovely aromas and flavors.  Finally, you’ll be in for another stellar treat with their dry 2018 Rosato di Sangiovese. Mixed in with 10% Cinsault grape, this will make you a believer in the beauty of Texas Rose’s.  If you end up being a wine club member, the owners have established a very spacious and relaxing lounge area in the back for you to sip and enjoy your wine in style. This a great addition to downtown Nacogdoches and we look forward to more stops in our future wine treks out here! When in the area, do stop in and visit and enjoy their wines, we think you will be very pleased.

www.redhousewinery.com