Cork House Winery – Waxahachie, Texas

In historic downtown Waxahachie, greatness has arrived in the form of … a winery! Owners Doug and Karla Gibson opened Cork House Winery about two years ago as a retirement project.  Since then, they have worked to create this great addition to the downtown Waxahachie scene.  They have really spruced up this site by adding their own décor themes while leaving the exposed bricks that still pay homage to the historic downtown area. You can still see the old tire and lube place name on the bricks by the tasting bar and front window area. Karla is no stranger to winemaking as she had previously been making “amateur” wines beforehand and has won a few awards.  Their Texas wines are sourced from Texas High Plains fruit near Brownfield. They currently have just over two dozen wines, so there should surely be something to suit everyone’s taste.  For the whites, we sampled the Cheek-to-Cheek. This Texas Roussanne has a lovely bouquet or apricots with peach and pear on the palate. The Midnight sun is an off-dry Rosé that is crisp with subtle and smooth strawberry notes. For the red wines, we had to try the Pinot Noir.  It was soft, very smooth and easy to drink.  The Rowdy Texas is their Malbec wine that features leather and coffee notes and it is a heavy one crafted for those who love robust reds. The Red Beard, a classic Bordeaux style red wine blend, featured Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc and won a Silver medal in the Houston livestock show. We found it to be very well balanced with light tannins and a fine lasting finish. It was our favorite among those we sampled. The GSM version is called Moonlight and has a touch of Cinsault added to the blend, with notes of plum and raspberry that stand out with a touch of smokiness. Finally, we ended off with Casanova - a Cabernet/Zinfandel blend that was aged in bourbon barrel that burst with vanilla and cameral flavors. We truly enjoyed this find and delight in seeing couples successfully shift into the winery business as they continue their journey and add to their story and life’s adventures.  This winery is a testament to their journey and a welcomed addition to Waxahachie. Cheers!

www.corkhousewinery.com