Celebrate the Grape – October is Texas Wine Month
There is a crispness to the morning air and a decided drop in temperature. It’s the top down, convertible weather that we’ve been waiting for. Yes, glorious October is here and the cooler month is ideal for all sorts of autumn revelry like wine tasting. Taking the Texas Wine Trail is a great way to enjoy the Lone Star state’s fermented bounty any time of year, but especially so in October, as we celebrate Texas Wine Month, now in its 17th year.
Photo credit: Peary Photography
All month, 31 days, Texas Hill Country Wineries' Texas Wine Trail tickets afford wine lovers the opportunity to visit all 51 Texas Hill Country wineries. Limited tickets priced at $70 per couple or $40 for an individual includes a full complimentary tasting at each winery (with a limit of 4 wineries a day), a 15% discount on three bottle purchases at each participating winery, and a trail tasting passport. In support of October’s Breast Cancer Awareness month, $5 of each Texas Wine Trail ticket sold will be donated to Susan G. Komen®.
Photo credit: Peary Photography
?If you’d rather skip the trail ticket and select individual wineries to visit, you can expect a typical tasting to cost on average around $11 - 14 per person. Just make sure and check the winery’s hours of operation. Some wineries offer special grape to glass seminars and other special events.
Photo credit: Peary Photography
?For a luxury experience, gather a group of friends or family and leave the driving to someone else when you board the Mercedes mini-buses at Heart of Texas Wine Tours for chartered day trips to wineries. While they specialize in tours of Fredericksburg, Wimberley, Austin and Marble Falls, they’ll also customize a trip to include other destinations or even brew pubs and distilleries like Garrison Brothers Bourbon Distillery and Cypress Creek Reserve Rum Distillery.
Photo credit: Peary Photography
Here’s a sampling of wineries that await your discovery:
Bending Branch Winery Sitting on 56-prime acres in Comfort with beautiful vistas overlooking the vineyards and Hill Country, this estate grows 17 grape varietals. The boutique winery has earned Best Texas Winery in the 2016 San Antonio Express-News Readers’ Choice Awards for the second consecutive year. Their operation incorporates organic farming techniques, sustainable practices, and a pursuit of varietals suited to grow in the Hill Country. The Tannat has become their signature grape and has proven to be exceptionally well suited to the Texas terroir and one of their many award winners, which includes Picpoul Blanc, Cabernet, Souzão, Vermentino, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, and Roussanne. Private tours of the vineyards, production facility with barrel and tank sampling, and tasting room samplings can be arranged. Open for tastings Thursday – Sunday. If you like what you try, there are two wine club options offering discounts on purchases and other benefits. There is also a tasting room, Branch on High, located in the heart of historic downtown Comfort where their wine is available by tasting, glass, and bottle.??
Photo credit: Bending Branch Winery
Duchman Family Winery With its vine-covered Italianate Villa, vast views, and themed setting, it’s no wonder HGTV listed it as one of the 20 most picturesque wineries in the country. Located in Driftwood, the winery’s philosophy is founded on producing world class Texas wine from Texas-grown, Italian varietals. They are known for award-winning varieties including Dolcetto, Montepulciano, Sangiovese, and Aglianico. Their best-selling white Vermentino with its citrus and floral aromatics, lime zest, and just a faint minerality is especially popular. Duchman Family Winery offers daily wine tastings every day of the week in the tasting room. Private tours and tastings for groups of all sizes can be arranged. While their kitchen serves small plate food offerings like ahi poke, charcuterie, or pizzas every afternoon Thursday – Sunday, guests are also welcome to bring their own picnics to enjoy under the oak-tree-shaded picnic area.
?Photo credit: Duchman Family Winery
Flat Creek Estate An 80-acre spread of rolling Hill Country in charming Marble Falls is the perfect place to grow grapes and make wine. It’s also a picturesque location to escape from the city and do some tasting of their many award-winning wines. Their renowned Pinot Grigio has been racking up medals since 2009. This year, their well-crafted 2015 Viognier placed bronze at the San Francisco International with its broad creamy mouthfeel and notes of lemon and florals. In addition to Texas wine’s from their own Flat Creek Estate vineyard, there are premium European wines. Tastings are available Tuesday – Sunday at the tasting room. The wines pair nicely with their bistro’s cuisine, available by reservation for lunch Thursday – Sunday and dinner Friday and Saturdays. Enjoy mimosas, migas, a selection of benedicts, and more from their weekend brunch menu. Delight in live music and late night drinks with friends at their urban wine bar, The Enoteca, for self-guided wine flights and food from their wood-fired oven.
?Photo credit: Flat Creek Estate
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