Posts Tagged Bluebonnet Wine Trail

http://www.saddlehornwinery.com

Saddlehorn Winery is located on a 360 acre ranch in Burton and is very easy to find as it is not far from Highway 290 between Houston and Austin. The winery was opened in 2010 by Steve and Galin Morgan. The vineyard was planted in 2006 and consists of two acres of Blanc du Bois and one acre of Black Spanish grapes to make their Texas wine.

As you enter the driveway, you eventually cross a wood and metal framed bridge reminding you of days gone by. The winery and tasting room is just beyond in a renovated horse barn. When you first walk into the winery, you can see the tasting room is very large. A nice gift shop is available which you walk by as you make your way to the tasting bar in the rear of the open room. The production facility can be seen behind the tasting bar through the glass windows. It makes for a nice view while you do tastings.

We have been to the winery a few times and we were fortunate to meet Steve Morgan the first time we visited. We had a nice conversation with Steve and learned he used to work for Compaq Computer and later decided to open the winery.

The tasting is done while standing at the tasting bar and for a fee you can select four wines to try. Saddlehorn Winery uses both screw caps and corks in their bottles and the tasting is done with measured pourers. You can buy snacks to eat while tasting or while drinking a glass in the nearby sitting area which has comfortable seating.

On our last visit, Saddlehorn Winery had just come out with four new variations of Blanc du Bois wines. Since you can choose four wines to taste, that was perfect for us to try their new wine. The new wines are all Texas wine but some of their wines are made using grapes brought in from California.

We were told Steve was in the production facility area, but unfortunately we didn’t get a chance to talk with him then. A wine club is available at Saddlehorn Winery.

Next time you’re driving between Houston and Austin, you can’t miss the blue winery sign so definitely stop in to visit. Saddlehorn Winery is on the Bluebonnet Wine Trail.

http://www.pleasanthillwinery.com

Pleasant Hill Winery is located in Brenham and is very easy to find off the main road. The winery is in a building resembling a barn at the top of the hill and is owned by Bob and Jeanne Cottle. We first visited Pleasant Hill during the summer.

A tour is available at certain hours which take you to the winery cellar where the wine making process happens. Bob gave us the tour when we took it. Even though we have taken more than one tour and they are very similar, we always learn something different on each tour.

Depending on the time you arrive at the winery, you can do the tasting or the tour first. After our tour, we did our tasting. For a tasting fee, you get to taste four wines. There are special port pairings that are available for an additional cost. Along with the port is a special chocolate that a local chocolatier makes which includes the Pleasant Hill port in the chocolate. The tasting is done while standing at the bar. The wine bottles are corked and the tastings are poured from the bottle. Crackers are available for eating between tastings.

Pleasant Hill Winery has a vineyard in the back of the winery where they get some of their grapes, and they also use grapes come from the Fort Davis and Lubbock area.

Later that fall we were at a wine festival in which Pleasant Hill was present. Bob was the representative for their table and he remembered us from all the visitors who have visited their winery. We thought that was impressive.

The last time we were in the Brenham area, we had to visit Pleasant Hill Winery again. When we arrived, an arts and crafts festival was happening outside the winery. We looked at the booths before we entered the winery.

We did another tasting and this time met Jeanne Cottle who handled the tastings. She said Bob was out in the vineyard doing some pruning. We did not arrive at the right time for a tour so we just did a tasting.

An adjacent room to the tasting bar has tables in addition to a corkscrew collection and winery artifacts. Pleasant Hill was celebrating their 14th anniversary and had a beautiful cake which we would have loved to dig into.

There is a large gift shop at the winery offering wines and souvenirs. A covered patio is available to enjoy drinking a glass of wine.

Upon leaving the winery, we visited one of the arts and crafts booths again which was by the front door. Co-owner Bob was coming up from the cellar fresh from the vineyard, recognized us, and said it was nice to see us again. Gloria was able to convince Bob to let her take a photo of him and Jeanne behind the tasting bar.

Bob and Jeanne Cottle

A wine club is available and events are always happening at the winery. Pleasant Hill Winery is on the Bluebonnet Wine Trail.

The largest wine trail in the state is the Texas Hill Country wine trail with 27 wineries at the moment. There are some fantastic wineries on the wine trail, and although it is a beautiful drive through the Hill Country, a lot of the wineries are far apart requiring more than a weekend if you want to visit them all. Fortunately, they have come up with a way to make it a little easier for you to taste the wines from some of the wineries on the wine trail. Four road shows are planned this year where 14-17 wineries will travel to you! The first road show was in Fort Worth and the second just occurred in Houston.

Fortunately we were able to attend the one in Houston and had a fantastic time. For three hours you get to talk with the winery representatives and taste the wines they brought. The time flies by and the evening is over before you know it. You cannot purchase any wines there but you can either order online with the winery or better yet, plan a visit to the Hill Country and visit the wineries.

The last two road shows are planned for San Antonio in July and Austin in October/November. If you get a chance to attend one of these events, you will not regret it.

Messina Hof Winery and Resort

http://www.messinahof.com

Messina Hof Winery and Resort is in the town of Bryan. The winery is owned by Paul and Merrill Bonarrigo and was opened in 1977 making it the third oldest winery in Texas. Winemaker Paul Bonarrigo is also famous for his bright clothes and red beret.

When one visits Messina Hof, they are greeted by three large buildings: the Villa bed and breakfast, the Guest Center (tasting room, store, and wine bar), and the Vintage House restaurant. These buildings are located on the 100 acre property which includes 42 acres of vineyards growing the Black Spanish grape.

Guest Center

There is a fee for a tour and tasting four wines. The tour lasts approximately one hour and includes a souvenir wine glass. You can do a tasting without a tour, but the tour is definitely worth attending. Even though we have taken it twice, we have learned something different each time. After the tour, you are brought into the wine bar to taste four wines which are poured from the bottle. Depending on the tour guide, you can learn different things. For example, one guide taught us the proper way to drink wine. When the tasting is over, you have the ability to go to the tasting room and try some of the many other corked wines Messina Hof makes. A wine club is available.

Also in the Guest Center, the wine bar offers wine by the glass, bottle, or a wine flight. You can also purchase tapas to enjoy with the wine. A patio in the back of the Guest Center overlooks a pond where you can enjoy a glass of wine. There is also a trail that lets you walk around the pond.

The gift shop has a large variety of wine accessories in addition to food samples like jams and jellies.

Villa Bed and Breakfast

The Villa Bed and Breakfast has ten rooms in the villa. For a Christmas gift, I surprised Gloria with a weekend in the Villa for us. The rooms in the villa are all uniquely decorated with a specific theme and the rooms are individually named. For example, we stayed in the Romeo and Juliet room. (pause for big ahhh).

When staying in the villa, there is a complimentary wine and cheese social in the evening at the wine bar and a champagne breakfast is served in the villa. A tour and tasting is also included with a stay in the villa.

Vintage House restaurant

The Vintage House restaurant serves both lunch and dinner. Surrounding the dining tables in the first room are wine oak barrels. On our first visit to Messina Hof, we ate a delicious lunch in the restaurant. The weekend we stayed at Messina Hof, we opted for the Chef’s Table. This is a five to six course meal in which you answer a questionnaire as to what kinds of foods you like and dislike. The chef will then prepare a specialized meal for you paired perfectly with Messina Hof wines.

The Chef’s Table meal was planned for Saturday night. We took a tour in the morning and when they showed us the bed and breakfast villa, which we were already staying in, the chef happened to walk in and the tour guide introduced us to him. It is a good thing we met him then because that was the last time we saw him. The expensive Chef’s Table meal was excellent and they like to end it with a flaming desert; we chose bananas foster which was prepared by the waitress. Even though the meal was excellent, we were disappointed we never saw the chef. You would think since we were sitting at the “Chef’s Table” and since he prepared the meal especially for us, he would have made an appearance to say hello and see how we enjoyed the meal.

All kinds of events are held at the winery including cooking classes, wine appreciation classes, food and wine pairing seminars, murder mystery, and winemaker dinners. Weddings are held at the winery and winemaker Paul can even perform the ceremony.

Since family is important at Messina Hof, they offer a VIP Red Beret program in which you can “join their family.” By joining the VIP program, you get many different benefits. Some of the benefits include discounts, tour and tasting for twenty people, and four VIP private parties throughout the year. One of the other items is a winemaker’s red beret so you can also try to look like a winemaker like Paul.

Merrill, Gloria, Paul, Jeff

During our stay at the Villa, we came out of our room later in the morning and were pleasantly surprised to run into Paul and Merrill giving a tour to another gentleman. We had yet to meet the owners at that time. They said hello and we had to have our photo taken with them. We then went to the wine bar and the three of them walked in later and sat at a nearby table. We were considering joining the VIP program and decided it was time. Our tour guide was still in the wine bar and helped us out by joining. We received our red berets and he suggested we get our berets signed by Paul. We didn’t want to interrupt Paul, Merrill, and their guest, so the tour guide did it for us.

Paul came to sit at our table and signed both our berets. He talked to us for a while and told us the gentleman they were with was the architect for the rumored upcoming location in Fredericksburg. When he learned we had visited quite a few Texas wineries, he was appreciative and was very complimentary about other wineries. It was nice for Paul to take some time to talk to us and we felt better joining the VIP program after his little visit.

As it turned out, a week later Messina Hof announced they would be opening another winery in Fredericksburg. The grand opening is scheduled for October 19, 2011.

Messina Hof Winery and Resort is on the Bluebonnet Wine Trail. It is definitely worth a visit to enjoy the beautiful winery and hospitality from everybody.

We mentioned Sister Creek Vineyards previously so we thought it would be appropriate to talk about them this time. Also we thought we would discuss one nearby winery in addition to a winery we accidentally discovered while doing the Munson Wine Trail in the east Dallas area.

Sister Creek Vineyards

http://www.sistercreekvineyards.com

Sister Creek Vineyards is located in the “huge” town of Sisterdale, TX, population 25. When we first arrived at the Vineyard, it looked like a barn in this tiny town on a main road, so we weren’t sure what to expect. The barn is actually a restored 1885 cotton gin.

Sister Creek has a self-guided tour of their winery in which you can learn about the different parts of the winery by reading a paper guide. When we arrived back at the tasting room which is a low table with different wines for a fee, we were able to ask any questions we had while taking the tour.

One wine Gloria introduced me to previously was an Italian Moscato d’Asti. If you have never had it, it is a sparkling wine similar to a champagne but with fewer bubbles. We have tried Moscatos from the United States but nothing was similar to the Italian style.

We did the tasting and were excited to try the Muscat Canelli (Moscato). Sister Creek has two varieties of Muscat Canelli, one you can perhaps find in your local store and a Reserve in which you can only buy at the winery. Gloria prefers the Reserve so we have to stop at Sister Creek Vineyards whenever we’re near Fredericksburg. Sister Creek also makes traditional wines.

The tastings are done without measured pourers. A nice quaint gift shop geared toward country items is present and enjoyable to shop.

Sister Creek Vineyards is on the Hill Country Wine Trail.

Lenoir-Sage Vineyards

http://lenoir-sagevineyards.com

Lenoir-Sage Vineyards is located in the town of Bells northeast of Dallas. We were doing the Munson Wine Trail and a winery told us about Lenoir-Sage. We had not heard of them since they are not on the Munson Wine Trail, and in fact for some reason, they are not on the Go Texan website even though they have a TX Passport code.

It was near the end of the day and we were tired but drove to Bells to visit the winery. Gloria at first opted to stay in the car but when I first tasted their Gewurztraminer, I had to get Gloria. She agreed it was good and we ended up buying a bottle. Their other wines were tasty as well.

You stand at the bar and enjoy their tastings. There is a small gift shop where items can be purchased. All in all, we were glad we were directed to the winery to try.

Colony Cellars

http://www.colonycellars.com

Colony Cellars is located in Waller, TX and opened in 2006. Upon arriving at the winery you usually see a trolley located outside. That is because the winery gives wine tours three times a day. The vineyard is noticeable behind the winery.

Walking into the winery brings you into the abundant gift shop along with the tasting bar and tables. We were directed to have a seat at a table and they would bring the tastings to us. Don and Ruby Corley are the owners, and Ruby presents the tastings to you. Don is also present and gives you information about Colony Cellars’ wines.

Don and Ruby Corley

Don is very informative explaining his background and the winery’s beliefs in wines. After telling us about his background, one thing he told us which was very interesting is that he believes no bottle of wine should cost more than $10. That is why every bottle of Colony Cellars wine is less than $10.

One thing Don is proud of is all of their red and white grapes are fermented with the skins present. This gives them full-flavored wines and the whites have the same health benefits as the reds. The white wines also have more of an amber color to them.

There are 12 bottles of wine which colony Cellars produces and you can usually taste all 12 for no fee. All bottles have a screw cap and are poured directly from the bottle. There are four styles of wine with three types of wine in each style: Reds, Blushes, and Blancs. Each style of wine is a blend and the final style of wine is called a Random Harvest. This is a blend of wine made from the barrel tag ends of each bottle run. This means you will never get the same taste from the bottle year to year.

You are given a tasting sheet with the wines to help you make notes during your tasting. They purposely do not tell you about their wines like flavor and taste so you can make your own judgment during your tastings.

Besides the grapes Colony Cellars produces, they also use grapes from the Fort Davis and Lubbock area.

We mentioned we were hungry and were able to purchase a nice snack try to help us through all 12 wines. Prior to the snack tray they do have crackers available to cleanse the palate.

Colony Cellars is on the Bluebonnet Wine Trail.

We’re still trying to determine exactly what we want to describe about each winery so if there’s something you want us to ask or something to know about each winery, please let us know by leaving a comment.

The first winery we’ll discuss is Bernhardt Winery. We learned one thing last year about Texas wineries. We assumed one winery is a competitor to another and learned otherwise. We were talking to the owner of one winery and he mentioned how one time one of their machines in making their wines had broken. They called Bernhardt Winery and they brought one of their machines to the other winery to help out. That certainly is not the actions of a competitor.

Bernhardt Winery

http://www.bernhardtwinery.com

We were first introduced to Bernhardt Winery in Plantersville by attending one of their Sunday On the Porch Concert Series with a group of friends. These are concerts held Sunday afternoons with either bands or single musicians. You bring a lawn chair or blanket and enjoy the concerts on the lawn while drinking their delicious wine. At sunset, they stop the music and hold a toast to life. Since the winery is out in the country, it is very quiet and the whole experience is very relaxing and peaceful.

Since our first visit to Bernhardt, they have expanded the winery and also built a bed and breakfast above the winery. We hope to take advantage of the lovely loft some day. Weddings are also held at Bernhardt Winery. As is common with most wineries, Bernhardt has a wine club where you can have wine shipped during the year to you.

We have met Barre Bernhardt, the owner’s brother, at various places such as wine festivals and even among a group of friends listening to a band at a local restaurant. One of the most shocking times we saw Barre was when we were in Fredericksburg and had just pulled up to one of our favorite wineries, Sister Creek Vineyards. We asked why he was there and he said because they know how to make great Muscat Canelli. We couldn’t agree more since we enjoy Italian Moscato d’Asti and have found only a couple Texas wineries which make it somewhat close to Italian style. We’ll talk about Sister Creek Vineyards in a later blog.

Bernhardt Winery’s tasting room has a nice gift shop with some comfortable couches if you want to buy a glass or bottle of wine to enjoy. There is also seating outside the tasting room to enjoy the beautiful scenery. Free tastings of jams, jellies, and sauces are available in the gift shop too.

They have different types of tastings. A regular tasting takes place at the tasting bar where you stand, and for a fee you can enjoy all the wines available at the time of your visit. The wines are all corked. Private tastings can be reserved in advance and the tasting is done in a room in the back of the winery with the barrels. We enjoyed a tasting with a group of friends in this style one time. Other types of tastings are also available.

Bernhardt Winery is on the Bluebonnet Wine Trail.

Fawncrest Vineyard

http://www.fawncrest.com

Fawncrest Vineyard is located in the Hill Country in Canyon Lake. We were driving to visit some of the wineries on the Hill Country Wine Trail and were surprised when we drove by a sign pointing to a winery. With our knowledge of the wine trail, there was not supposed to be a winery located there. Later that night we checked the Go Texan Wine website and sure enough there was Fawncrest Vineyard. We called to ensure they would be open the next day and made plans to visit.

Following the GPS and directions to the winery brought us to a subdivision which was kind of surprising. We eventually were brought right to a house. It was nearing dark and we didn’t see any signs or activity so we weren’t sure if we were at the right place. As we walked up to the house, we were greeted by the same young lady we talked to on the phone the previous night. She brought us into the house and to the back of the house where the bar was. This was definitely the most unusual winery and tasting room we had visited to date since it was in the house.

We sampled Fawncrest’s wines which are all corked and had fun learning about the winery. We learned the house belonged to the owners, Wayne and Patty McNeil, and it had a beautiful view overlooking Canyon Lake. Since the house was at a higher level, we could see the winery and vineyards below.

We enjoyed a nice and unique visit to Fawncrest Vineyard.

Windy Winery

http://www.windywinery.com

Windy Winery is located outside of Brenham and is owned by August and Linda Meitzen with August handling the winemaking duties. Windy Winery opened in 2005. Our GPS found the winery location and it was fairly easy to find.

You enter the small gift shop when you walk into the winery. The first time we visited the winery, a wall divided the gift shop with the tasting bar in the back. The last time we visited, the wall had been removed giving a much more open feel to the tasting room.

August greeted us on our last visit and Linda was in the back room and said hello too. August explained various things to us during our tasting while we stood at the bar. The pouring during the tasting is done without measured pourers and all the wines are corked.

Windy Winery grows Blanc du Bois and Black Spanish grapes in their vineyard which they use to make some of their wines. The other wines are made with grapes from California. You can walk outside to the back of the winery to view the vineyard and patio with seating.

Live music events are held every Saturday. The first time we visited the winery, a musician was playing and food could be purchased along with, of course, wine.

Windy Winery is on the Bluebonnet Wine Trail.