Texas SouthWind Vineyard & Winery is located in Refugio and is owned by David and Regina Staggs. Both owners take part in the winemaking. The winery opened in December 2009.
I first visited Texas SouthWind before this blog started and after seeing them at the 2012 Houston Wine Fest, I knew it was time for a return visit. I made the trip south and pulled into the driveway where the Quonset hut style winery is located.
Tastings are done in the winery while standing at the tasting bar and when I entered, the bar was already full of customers. Since they were almost finished tasting, I waited to do a tasting instead of squeezing in between the others.
There is a tasting fee for the wines available which also includes a very nice logo wine glass, larger than a normal tasting wine glass. Dessert/Port tastings have an additional fee. Texas SouthWind uses corks in their bottles and the tastings are poured using measured pourers. Flat pretzels are available to cleanse your palate which is the first time I have seen flat pretzels, and they were great. Chocolate is also available when tasting the dessert wines.
While you are tasting or enjoying a glass of wine, you can buy food from two available trays. One is a cheese, cracker, and fruit plate. The other is a deluxe version with cheese, cracker, meat, and fruit.
David and Regina Staggs
Texas SouthWind uses 90% Texas grapes and they grow Lenoir grapes. The rest of their Texas grapes come from Palacios Vineyards in Brenham. Other grapes come from the Lodi region in California. Even though Blanc du Bois, Merlot, Lenoir, and Cabernet Sauvignon wines are made, they make four fruit wines: OrangeGrape, Strawberry, Blueberry, and Blackberry. Blackberry is by far the most popular of all their wines with Blueberry coming in second most popular. Texas SouthWind produces about 1,300 cases of wine a year.
You can enjoy a glass of wine in the tasting room which includes a small gift shop and a piano. Live music is held on the first and third Saturday of every month at the winery.
A friend and I were in Fredericksburg over the weekend and stumbled across this company, the flavor was blackberry, one of the best wines i have ever tasted, we will definitely visit on our trips to the coast.
If you enjoyed the blackberry wine, you will definitely enjoy your trip to the winery to try their other wines. Cheers!
My husband and I were on one of our annual trips the the grapevine winery in Gruene Texas and tried the blackberry wine. It was the best tasting wine I have ever come across. Wish you had a place to get the wine in Iowa, we of course bought a bottle but is now long gone lol 🙂
You can order is from Southwind online.
Hey dontboffer shipping to some states. I’m struggling to find online places I can get it from. Any suggestions?
Hi Montse. I’m not sure exactly what your first sentence meant, but yes, unfortunately for a winery to sell a wine in another state, they have to get a special permit(?) for just that state. That’s why it is difficult to find Texas wine in a lot of states.
I’m in illinois and not sure what online sites I can look at so they can ship it here.. any suggestions? I won’t be in Texas for another year and I LOVED there blackberry one
Had this wonderful wine at a restaurant in Victoria it is wonderful. Will definitely visit the winery.
Glad you enjoyed another wine made by a Texas winery. Enjoy your visit!
We tried this wine on our trip to Fredericksburg for our anniversary. My husband does not like wine. But he loved your blackberry wine. We bought a bottle, but it will be gone soon. Do you sell it in any stores in the Austin area?
Hi Shelley, I would suggest contacting the winery to ask them. The website address is at the top of the post.
Stopped by The Grapevine in Gruene Tx while on vacation with my boyfriend and had a bottle of blackberry. Absolutely amazing!