Food & Drink: 2006 Central Texas Wine Guide

The wineries of Central Texas

Take a trip through the features and bragging rights of 27 wineries

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

1. Alamosa Wine Cellars
Founded: 1999
Address: 677 County Road 430, Bend
Phone: (325) 628-3313
Web site: alamosawinecellars.com
Tasting room hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday (Wine Trail weekends until 6 p.m.)
Specialty style: Warm-climate varietals
Showcase wine: El Guapo, a tempranillo (Spanish varietal) well-adapted to the Central Texas climate

2. Becker Vineyards
Founded: 1992
Address: 464 Becker Farms Road, Stonewall
Phone: (830) 644-2681
Web site: beckervineyards.com
Tasting room hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday-Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. Sunday
Specialty style: Handcrafted, small-production wines, traditional dry style, aged in French and American oak barrels
Showcase wine: Iconoclast cabernet sauvignon, a typically big red aged in American oak barrels from 20 months to two years

3. Bell Mountain Vineyards
Founded: 1984
Address: 463 Bell Mountain Road, Fredericksburg
Phone: (830) 685-3297
Web site: bellmountainwine.com
Tasting room hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, other days by appointment
Specialty styles: Premium varieties of the Old World including merlot, cabernet sauvignon and pinot noir, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, sémillon and riesling.
Showcase wine: Merlot, a rich wine made from the vintage of the decade

4. Chisholm Trail Winery
Founded: 1999-2001
Address: 2367 Usener Road, Fredericksburg
Phone: (830) 990-2675
Web site: chisholmtrailwinery.com
Tasting room hours: Noon to 6 p.m. Thursday-Monday
Specialty style: Cabernet sauvignon, Desperado (a dry red wine blend)
Showcase wine: Ghost Rider, a sweet, easy-drinking merlot

5. Comfort Cellars Winery
Founded: 1999
Address: 723 Front St., Comfort
Phone: (830) 995-3274
Web site: None
Tasting room hours: Noon to 6 p.m. Sunday-Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.Thursday-Saturday
Specialty: An eclectic variety including raisin wine, orange chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon and pinot noir
Showcase wine: None

6. Driftwood Vineyards
Founded: 1998-2001
Address: 4001 Elder Hill Road, Driftwood
Phone: (512) 692-6229
Web site: driftwoodvineyards.com
Tasting room hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, tours on Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m.
Specialty: Viognier
Showcase wine: 2002 viognier, a dry-style white wine with no oak

7. Dry Comal Creek Vineyards & Winery
Founded: 1998
Address: 1741 Herbelin Road, New Braunfels
Phone: (830) 885-4121
Web site: www.drycomalcreek.com
Tasting room hours: Noon to 5 p.m. daily
Specialty style: French colombard, sauvignon blanc, cabernet, merlot, black Spanish
Showcase wine: French colombard, bone-dry white wine with low acid, allowed to go through fermentation until no sugar is left.

8. Fall Creek Vineyards
Founded: 1979
Address: 1820 County Road 222, Tow
Phone: (325) 379-5361
Web site: fcv.com
Tasting room hours: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. Sunday
Specialty styles: A wide variety including several blended wines as well as chenin blanc, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, merlot, riesling and white zinfandel
Showcase wine: 2003 Meritus, a concentrated Bordeaux blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and petite verdot grapes

9. FawnCrest Vineyard
Founded: 1999
Address: 1370 West Side Circle, Canyon Lake
Phone: (830) 935-2407
Web site: fawncrest.com
Tasting room hours: Noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. Sunday
Specialty style: Dry Bordeaux-style reds
Showcase wine: Meritage, a blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc allowed to ferment in same tank so flavors flow together

10. Flat Creek Estate
Founded: 1999
Address: 24912 Singleton Bend East Road, Marble Falls
Phone: (512) 267-6310
Web site: flatcreekestate.com
Tasting room hours: Noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday
Specialty style: Italian muscatos (muscato blanco and orange muscato) and Italian reds and whites (sangiovese, primitivo, pinot grigio and pinot blanc)
Showcase wine: Super Texan, a light- to medium-bodied Super Tuscan-styled sangiovese, a San Francisco International Wine competition Double Gold winnerflatcreekwines@aol.com flatcreekevents@ev1net

11. Fredericksburg Winery
Founded: 1996
Address: 247 W. Main St., Fredericksburg
Phone: (830) 990-8747
Web site: fbgwinery.com
Tasting room hours: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, noon to 5:30 p.m. Sunday
Specialty: A wide variety of red, white and rosé
Showcase wine: New port, a sweet, full-bodied, ruby-red wine

12. Grape Creek Vineyard
Founded: 1989
Address: 97 Vineyard Lane, Stonewall
Phone: (830) 644-2710
Web site: grapecreek.com
Tasting room hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday
Specialty styles: Cabernet sauvignon, cabernet trois, cabernet blanc, pinot grigio and a Bordeaux-style blend
Showcase wine: Bellissimo, a Super Tuscan-style blend of merlot, sangiovese and cabernet sauvignon grapes

13. La Cruz de Comal
Founded: 2004
Address: 7405 RM 2722, Startzville
Phone: (830) 899-2723
Web Site: lacruzdecomalwines.com
Tasting room hours: Call for appointment
Specialty styles: Authentic Texas Hill Country wine
Showcase wine: Troubadour, a fleshy, sturdy red made primarily from merlot, blended with malbec and/or cabernet sauvignon and aged in new French oak barrels

14. Lost Creek Vineyard
Founded: 2003
Address: 1129 RM 2233, Sunrise Beach
Phone: (325) 388-3753
Web site: lostcreekvineyard.com
Tasting room hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday
Specialty styles: Six different wines including blanc du bois and merlot
Showcase wine: Merlot, a very dense and concentrated wine

15. Mandola Estate Winery
Founded: 2005
Address: 13308 RM 150 W., Driftwood
Phone: (512) 858-1470
Web site: mandolawines.com
Tasting room hours: Summer hours 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday; November-March 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily
Specialty: Central and Southern Italian wine varieties
Showcase wine: Nebbiolo, a very smooth red wine

16. McReynolds Winery
Founded: 1999
Address: 706 Shovel Mountain Road, Cypress Mill
Phone: (830) 825-3544
Web site: mcreynoldswines.com
Tasting room hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. Sunday
Specialty styles: Chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon and merlot
Showcase wine: Chardonnay, a medium-bodied wine with not too much oak

17. Pillar Bluff Vineyards
Founded: 1999
Address: 300 County Road 111, Lampasas
Phone: (512) 556-4078
Web site: pillarbluff.com
Tasting room hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday
Specialty styles: French varietals including chardonnay, chenin blanc, Bordeaux and white merlot (seasonal)
Showcase wine: Boar Doe, a rugged, hearty blend of five Bordeaux-style grapes

18. Sandstone Cellars Winery
Founded: 2003
Address: 211 San Antonio St., Mason
Phone: (325) 347-9463
Web site: sandstonecellars winery.com
Tasting room hours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday
Specialty style: Mediterranean varietals blended for Mason County terroir
Showcase wine: 2005 II, a blend of eight Mediterranean varietals aged 10 months in Pennsylvania oak

19. Singing Water Vineyards
Founded: 1998-2003
Address: 316 Mill Dam Road, Comfort
Phone: (830) 995-2246
Web site: shopcomfort.com/ singingwater
Tasting room hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Wine Trail Weekends noon to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday
Specialty styles: Merlot, cabernet and red blends
Showcase wine: Reserve Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon Blend, a dry, fruity wine made from the most mature grapes from their own vineyard blended with high quality West Texas cabernet, aged in oak for 18 months

20. Sister Creek Vineyards
Founded: 1988
Address: 1142 Sisterdale Road, Sisterdale
Phone: (830) 324-6704
Web site: sistercreekvineyards.com
Tasting room hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, noon to 5:30 p.m. Sunday
Specialty styles: Cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, chardonnay, muscat canelli
Showcase wine: Muscat cannelli, a crisp, white, low-alcohol, Italian-style wine

21. Spicewood Vineyards
Founded: 1992
Address: 1419 Burnet County Road 409, Spicewood
Phone: (830) 693-5328
Web site: spicewood vineyards.com
Tasting room hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, call for appointments at other times
Specialty: Sauvignon blanc, zinfandel, Merlot Nouveau
Showcase wine: Sémillon reserve, a dry, oaked white wine

22. Stone House Vineyard
Founded: 1999-2006
Address: 24350 Haynie Flat Road, Spicewood
Phone: (512) 264-3630 or (512) 264-9890
Web site: www.stonehousevineyard.com
Tasting room hours: Noon to 5 p.m. Friday-Sunday
Specialty styles: Norton grape varietal, port wine, Australian wines from the Barossa Valley and three special reserve wines
Showcase wine: Claros, a red wine aged for 18 months in French oak barriques, winner of silver medal at the San Francisco International Wine Competition

23. Texas Hills Vineyard
Founded: 1995
Address: 878 RM 2766, Johnson City
Phone: (830) 868-2321
Web site: texashillsvineyard.com
Tasting room hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday
Specialty style: Italian-style, not as much oak, pinots and cabernets
Showcase wine: Kick Butt Cab, fruit-forward with lots of depth, made with grapes from 21-year-old vines, winner of silver medal at 2006 Lone Star International Wine Competition

24. Three Dudes Winery
Founded: 2005
Address: 125 Old Martindale Road, San Marcos,
Phone: (512) 392-5634
Web site: threedudeswinery.com
Tasting room hours: Noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday
Specialty styles: Chenin blanc, white zinfandel, cabernet sauvignon, merlot and Texas white
Showcase wine: Texas white, a chenin blanc-based, blended wine

25. Torre di Pietra Vineyards
Founded: 2002
Address: 10915 E. U.S. 290, Fredericksburg
Phone: (830) 644-2829
Web site: texashillcountry wine.com
Tasting room hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Specialty: Mediterranean and traditional reds, including mourvèdre, touriga nacional, cabernet sauvignon, the Red Flirt and Chiaro de Luna
Showcase wine: Primitivo, an Italian varietal from the Doss Valley vineyard

26. Wimberley Valley Winery at Driftwood
Founded: 1983
Address: 2825 Lone Man Mountain Road, Driftwood
Phone: (512) 847-2592
Web site: None
Tasting room hours: None
Specialty styles: Sweet wines, including sweet red, blush, white and Sangria, mulled and spiced.
Showcase wine: Texas Country Cellars Sweet Red, a blend of cabernet sauvignon and other sweet reds

27. Woodrose Winery & Retreat
Founded: 2000
Address: 662 Woodrose Lane, Stonewall
Phone: (830) 644-2539
Web site: woodrosewinery.com
Tasting room hours: Noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday
Specialty styles: Fruit-forward and approachable wines
Showcase wine: Cabernet sauvignon, a deep, full-bodied wine cold-fermented for color and flavor and aged for a year in oak

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Holiday wine trail

Looking for a way to get into the holiday spirit? The Texas Hill Country Wineries' Holiday Wine Trail might be just the thing. On Dec. 1-3 and Dec. 8-10, sample new and classic offerings from any or all of the 21 Hill Country Wineries member wineries. Trail ticket holders will receive a grapevine wreath with customized and dated ornaments provided by each participating winery. Tickets are $35 per pair, and each couple will receive one wreath. Go to www.texaswinetrail.com for tickets.

Wine lovers trail

In February, take your Valentine or a good friend out to the Texas Hill Country Wineries' Wine Lovers Trail, Feb. 9-11 and Feb. 16-18. Tickets are $25 per pair. Tastings will be free for ticket holders, and some of the 21 participating member wineries will have special events or decorations. Purchase tickets online at www.texaswinetrail.com.