San Martiño Winery
http://www.sanmartinowinery.com
San Martiño Winery is located north of Rockwall and is owned by Maria C. Perez and Emilio Ramos. Emilio Ramos is the winemaker. They started making wine in 2003 and the winery opened in 2004.
San Martiño Winery is a little difficult to locate because the online maps are usually wrong and some GPS’s don’t get their address. The best way to find the winery is to read the directions on their website. Fortunately they are aware of the situation and give clear directions to the winery.
The first time we visited the winery was on a Friday night and they close at 9:00pm. We arrived around 8:30pm and were told they were done doing tastings for the evening. They apologized and offered us a glass of wine, but since we didn’t know what we would like, we passed on the offer. The last time I was in the area I made sure I visited during the day.
The winery is a very impressive looking building and has a beautiful tasting room. A vineyard sits in front of the winery.
Since it was early during the day on a Friday, the only one in the winery was Cristina, daughter of Emilio Ramos. She greeted me and handled my wine tasting. Cristina commented how it was too bad her father was not at the winery as he would have been glad to give me a tour. You can arrange for a tour if you make an appointment prior to your visit. For groups of 10 or more, private tastings and a tour of the facilities with the winemaker can be reserved for a fee per person.
Tastings are done while standing at the tasting bar. There is a tasting fee for five Texas wines. The wines are poured from the bottle. San Martiño Winery uses corks but also has some wines with screw caps. Tables inside and outside are available to enjoy a glass of wine.
The winery makes mostly red wines although there are a few white wines. Cristina said the winery uses about 75% Texas grapes and there is no hiding where the grapes come from. For example:
- Paulina’s Vineyards located in Rockwall, Texas provides Blanc du Bois
- Newsom Vineyards in Plains, Texas provides Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Tempranillo, and Albariño
- Palacios Vineyards in Brenham, Texas is the source for Syrah, Merlot, and French Colombard
- Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc is from small vineyards across Texas
- Stuart Vineyards in Temecula, California is a source for Zinfandel
- Naggiard Vineyards in Grass Valley, California is a source for Petit Verdot, Mourvèdre, and Syrah
- Gunlash Vineyards in Sonoma, California is a source for Petite Sirah
The winery produces about 7,500 cases of wine a year. There is a small gift shop present and a wine club is available.
Music events are held during the week and dinners are held regularly. An event center is available which can be rented for events such as weddings.
San Martiño Winery is on the Munson Wine Trail. I would suggest the next time you are in the Rockwall area to stop by and visit the beautiful facilities and enjoy San Martiño Winery’s Texas wine.
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