Texas Vineyard & Smokehaus is located in Palestine and is owned by Rafael and Cheryl Hernandez. The winery opened in 2008.
The winery was not found on our GPS so we used the coordinates we found from Google maps. Fortunately the coordinates brought us to the winery fairly easily as we found the winery on a corner lot in the rural area.
As we entered the winery, Cheryl Hernandez was finishing up with a customer and welcomed us to the winery. She then handled our wine tasting.
There is a tasting fee for 4 wines and an extra fee for their special Sangria by the glass or pitcher. All the wines are corked and are poured with a measured pourer while we stood at the tasting bar. Cheese, crackers, and chocolate are available for cleansing your palate between the different wines.
Cheryl described how they used to live near a large city and they decided to move to the country. Rafael purchased ten acres of land in Anderson County and began to fulfill his dream of making Texas wines. He commuted to Palestine every two weeks to clear the land and the neighbors helped to clear the land too. Rafael erected a building which would eventually become the winery and tasting room.
Cheryl told us all their grapes are grown in Texas and they personally grow about 70%. They have 100 acres of vineyards in the Lubbock area. They use the Homestead Winery production facility in Denison to help produce their Texas wines.
A nice gift shop contains a nice selection of wine related items, candles, and other gifts. Personalized labels are available for wine bottles. A large front porch with a balcony is welcoming for relaxing with a glass of wine.
Music events are held at the winery and tours are available if you make reservations in advance.
Texas Vineyard & Smokehaus is on the Piney Woods Wine Trail. It is worth a drive to the countryside to visit the winery and enjoy their country charm.
