Sloan & Williams Winery

http://www.sloanwilliams.com

Sloan & Williams Winery is owned by Alan W. Kunst Jr. and Ralph S. Mattison Jr. and is located in Grapevine. Alan Kunst is also the winemaker. The winery opened in July, 2014. The name Sloan & Williams actually comes from the middle names of the two owners.

The winery was very easy to find right off Main Street in Grapevine. There are actually two front doors even though we didn’t realize it at the time we first entered.

Tastings are done while seated at the tasting bar. There is a tasting fee per wine so you can choose out of the list of wines which ones you want to taste. The tastings are poured from the uncorked bottles. I didn’t see any crackers or palate cleansing food but there is a large selection of food from which to buy.

There were meat and cheese plates, charcuterie (prepared meats) platter, Asian tapas, meat tapas, and other types of tapas. And don’t let me forget to mention the wine ice cream. Instead of me repeating about the wine ice cream, let me refer you to Rebecca Marmaduke’s previous post on the wine ice cream now available at Sloan & Williams Winery.

At the time of our visit there were ten wines on the tasting menu. Most of the wines mentioned said the grapes came from places like Lodi, California, or New Mexico. We were told three wines came from Texas grapes from the Hill Country and High Plains, but surprisingly only one wine on the tasting menu said it was from Texas with the statement “Texas pride!” If two others were from Texas grapes, I would have thought the same statement would have been on those too.

These are the wines available at the time of our visit:

• 2012 Chardonnay – Lodi
• 2013 Roussanne – Texas
• 2013 Serenity (65% Chenin Blanc, 14% Gewürztraminer, 11% French Colombard, 5% Roussanne, 5% Viognier) – California and New Mexico
• 2013 Symphony – Lodi
• 2013 Spectrum blush (61% Chenin Blanc, 23% Muscat Canelli, 16% Gewürztraminer, dap of Mourvèdre)
• 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon – Lodi
• 2012 Merlot – Lodi
• 2012 Sangiovese – Texas High Plains
• 2012 Serendipity (30% Carignan, 30% Cinsault, 20% Tempranillo, 15% Mourvèdre, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon) – Texas
• 2012 Zinfandel – Lodi

Right now over 4,000 cases of wine are produced at Sloan & Williams Winery.

Live music is held at the winery along with parties, birthdays, and other private events. Private wine tastings can be done for 2-10 people for 45 minutes. Private wine labels are available for your favorite wines. A wine club is also available.

We did not get a chance to meet Alan Kunst and Ralph Mattison while visiting, but Rebecca Marmaduke did in an earlier visit. Here’s her photo of them but you should also read her story of Sloan & Williams Winery from her post.

Alan Kunst and Ralph Mattison

Sloan & Williams Winery is already showing great potential, especially with their three initial Texas wines, and it will be nice to have another quality winery in Grapevine.