Most people think of Texas as endless prairie with herds of grazing cattle, farm land for a variety of vegetables, and rows and rows of cotton, but wine is making a name for itself in the fertile soil of the Lone Star State. With 113 bonded wineries, wine aficionados are raising eyebrows, eager to learn more about some of Texas’ award winning wines. Many vineyards offer tours and wine tastings to tourists and native Texans alike, but three vineyards stand out among the rest, showing off their grapes, catering to their guests while educating and entertaining at the same time.
Bella Vista Ranch, located in the Texas Hill Country in Wimberly, Texas is a ranch designed to reflect the traditional Italian family farm, complete with a producing olive orchard, vineyard, winery, a Red Brangus herd and many seasonal fruit and vegetable specialties. Bella Vista Cellars mimics a true Tuscan winery, specializing in creating Italian varieties as well as fruit wines, such as their famous blackberry wine. Not only will visitors tour a working winery, but they can visit The First Texas Olive Oil Company where fresh pressed Texas Extra Virgin olive oil is pressed, milled and bottled in a frantoio right on the ranch. Visitors are invited to taste Bella Vista’s fresh-made products. Guided tours last about 1 – 1 1/2 hours and cost $6 per person. Tour times are 10:00 AM, 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM, Monday through Saturday and noon and 2:00 PM on Sundays.
Another premiere Texas winery is Flat Creek Estate, nestled in the Texas Hill Country, just west of Austin. Flat Creek boasts nearly twenty acres of Rhone, Italian and Portuguese Port varietal grapes. Loaded with charm, visitors can sip wine in the Old World tasting room, enjoy a picnic lunch among the various patios and ponds, lodge at the cozy Vintner’s Quarters or book a grand wedding in the Tuscan styled Main Hall. Wine tastings are $5 per person, available Tuesday through Friday, Noon to 5 PM, Saturday, 10 AM to 5 PM and Sunday, Noon until 5 PM..
For wine lovers visiting North Texas, Delaney Vineyards will not disappoint. Celebrating more than twenty years in the wine business, Jerry Delaney remains founder and sole owner of not one, but two operational vineyards and wineries in Texas. The Grapevine, Texas vineyard contains ten lush acres of Cynthiana grapes, the best southern-bred hybrid to grow in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Wine enthusiasts will want to learn about this delicious vine. Cynthiana, known for it’s resiliency to the humid Texas summer heat, thrives in the red rock indigenous to the area. The vineyard in Lamesa, Texas produces some of the grandest varieties of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Petit Verdot, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc this side of the Red River. Wine connoisseurs won’t want to miss the 12th annual Delaney Vineyards and Winery Harvest and Grape Stomp this August. The public is welcome to assist in the harvesting of the 2007 crop of Cynthiana grapes from the Delaney Vineyard. Following the harvest, an old fashioned grape stomp will be featured on the Delaney Vineyards crush pad. Children and adults can climb into a vat and stomp the newly harvested grapes. Tours of Delaney’s winery are free to the public and last half an hour, available Monday through Saturday, 12 PM to 5 PM. Visitors can sample their award winning Texas wines grown in the unique red, hard clay of the area. Wine tastings are $10 per person and include seven Delaney wines.
Wine masters are carving out a niche in the Lone Star State with impressive crops of sublime grapes, making for some very unique wines. Native Texans have only to drive within their home state to visit a working vineyard and winery while tourists will be surprised to find that Texas has much more to offer than big city life, flat plains and rugged cowboys.
