Piney Woods Wine Trail - Texas Wine Lover

Wine Trail Events

January 30, 2013 by Jeff 4 Comments

I recently published a post about spring and summer wine festivals. A comment was added from Bruce Anderson of Sunset Winery that I should list wine trail events. What a great idea! A lot of Texas wineries are on wine trails and they often have events throughout the year which feature different themes, special activities/wines at each winery, etc. It makes it easy to visit a number of wineries which are in close proximity to each other. Bottom line, they are fun!

So now there is a new page to the website where you should be able to get all your wine trail event information. When you come back to this website, just select the Texas Wineries menu and the Texas Wine Trail Events menu item.

I will keep it updated throughout the year as new events are announced for each wine trail. Enjoy and hit a wine trail today!

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: Bluebonnet Wine Trail, Grapevine, Hill Country, Munson Wine Trail, Piney Woods Wine Trail, road trip, San Gabriel Wine Trail, Texas Hill Country Wine Trail, Texas Wine, Texas Wineries, Way Out Wineries

Maydelle Country Wines and Vino Incognita

September 18, 2012 by Jeff Leave a Comment

http://www.maydellewines.com
http://www.facebook.com/VinoIncognita

Maydelle Country Wines is located in Rusk near the railroad tracks of the Rusk railroad. The winery is owned by Steve Harper and Cheryl Ivie-Harper and was opened in 2004.

The Texas State Railroad in Rusk has railroad tracks located right next to the winery and you have to cross them to get to the winery. The first time we visited the winery it was unfortunately closed because of an unplanned appointment according to the sign at the door, so we made a point the next time we were in the area to visit again.

Maydelle Country Wines

The next time we visited, the winery was open and Cheryl Ivie-Harper greeted us when we walked into the winery. We commented on the railroad tracks and Cheryl said when the train goes by the windows in the winery shake.

Cheryl then led us through a tasting of their wines. The tastings were complimentary for whatever wines they had available. You stand at the tasting bar to do your tasting and the tastings are poured from the uncorked bottles. Crackers are available during the tasting.

Maydelle Country Wines

Maydelle Country Wines is noted for their fruit wines like Blackberry, Lime, Lemon, Peach, Pear, and even Elderberry. At the time we tried an experimental Grapefruit wine which was done with filtered water. Usually they don’t use the water at the winery location to make their wine but bring 100 gallons of local city water in at a time. The Grapefruit wine must have passed the experiment as it is now offered.

Their Lemon and Lime wines are their best sellers. We had the Lime wine with salt, similar to a margarita. One local store who sells some Maydelle Country Wines also said they have trouble keeping the Lemon and Lime wines in stock.

Cheryl gave us a tour of the winery after the tasting. We walked by Steve Harper who was busy in another room with winemaking but he did say hello.

Maydelle Country Wines may be a small winery but they are big in their distribution of their wines. I give them major credit for getting their wines into distribution stores like Brookshire Brothers supermarkets and Spec’s liquor stores.

Cheryl mentioned they were hoping to open a new tasting room in Rusk with their wines but also wines from other local wineries. They had hoped to feature wines with unusual labels. In June 2012, Vino Incognita opened in Rusk and this is the start of what Cheryl and Steve had envisioned.

Vino Incognita

Vino Incognita is located right in the downtown heart of Rusk next to the courthouse. Steve Harper was very visible outside the winery in his traditional tie-dyed shirt but was busy on the phone.

I entered the winery which has a large tasting room with many tables and in the back is a small tasting bar. I was asked if I would like to do a tasting but since I have tried most of the wines they feature from various wineries I declined. Vino Incognita offers wines from various wineries in the area such as Los Pinos Ranch Vineyards, Tara Winery, Fairhaven Winery, Sweet Dreams Winery, Dixie Wine Company, and of course Maydelle Country Wines.

Tastings are served at the tasting bar and there is a tasting fee for five wines. Pretzels are available to cleanse your palate.

Vino Incognita

One of the people helping me was the chef who will be overseeing the operations at the winery. Since my visit, Vino Incognita now has opened the restaurant which serves lunch during the week and dinner Friday and Saturday nights.

The gift shop at Vino Incognita sells goat’s milk soap and candles in addition to a selection of teas. Live music had just started being held at the winery too.

The concept looks like a great idea as you can stop in to enjoy a good meal in addition to picking up your favorite wines including those from Maydelle Country Wines and other local wineries.

Filed Under: Wineries Tagged With: East Texas, Piney Woods Wine Trail, restaurant, Texas Wine, Texas Wineries

KE Cellars Winery

September 10, 2012 by Jeff 6 Comments

http://www.kiepersol.com/kecellars/rockwall.shtml

KE Cellars Winery is located in Rockwall and is owned by Jenniffer and Bill Norman. KE Cellars, owned by Kiepersol Estates Vineyards in Tyler, has now opened two other locations in Texas. The location in Rockwall however is actually a franchise which differentiates it from the others with the Winery name.

KE Cellars Winery first opened at The Harbor in Rockwall on August 9, 2011. They closed the location on March 9 and then re-opened in their new location in Rockwall on June 9th, 2012.

I arrived in Rockwall at the winery and wasn’t quite sure if I had the correct location since the winery is located in what looks like a house. Once I saw the sign on the corner though, I knew I was at the correct location.

Jenniffer Norman greeted me as I walked into the winery and showed me around the various rooms of the winery. Most rooms had tables where people could sit to enjoy a glass of wine. Some rooms had shelves available with over 30 Texas wines for purchase from over 14 Texas wineries. There is a back room available to reserve which has couches and chairs to enjoy a nice time at the winery. Another room has a long table which can also be held for various events including private tastings.

A tasting bar is available if you prefer to do your tasting standing at the bar. There is a tasting fee for five wines if you are standing at the tasting bar. If you are seated at a table, the tasting fee is slightly higher for five wines. Crackers are available to cleanse your palate. The tasting menu is changed every week based on the winery chosen. If more than one winery is chosen, then the list of wines to select your tastings from could be longer.

Food is not available for purchase by the winery but the winery works with local restaurants Zanata and El Cayote Rojo which delivers food.

There is a nice gift shop available with jewelry, wine accessories, and art is available throughout the winery. An art show is held every month.

Jenniffer Norman

Other events held at the winery include live music during the weekend, wine classes, networking parties, etc. In fact on September 18th Pierre de Wet, owner of Kiepersol Estates Vineyards, will be at KE Cellars Winery to talk about his winery and vineyard during a wine class.

KE Cellars Winery is classified as a retail store and not a wine bar or a winery which makes only one brand. Regardless, the atmosphere at KE Cellars Winery was very nice and I wish we had a similar establishment near where we live.