Fortunata Winery

Fortunata Winery is a new winery located in Aubrey, Texas, which is located north of Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW). The winery opened in September 2016 and is owned by Shari and Dr. Kelby Trusty along with sons Jon Marc and Jay Lewis.

I found the winery just as it was getting dark after having driven through some heavy rush hour Dallas traffic on a Friday night. The goal of wine kept me pushing forward and eventually into the beautiful grounds of Fortunata Winery.

The first thing I noticed was there were many cars in the parking lot! I parked in the last row and wondered if there was a special event going on like a wedding. As I learned later, it is always like that, especially with live music being enjoyed on the back patio. There is also a front patio with seating available for enjoying a glass of wine.

The tasting room was large along with a dining area and gift shop, and then of course the tasting bar. Tastings are done while standing or sitting at the tasting bar. Since I was alone, I opted to find a seat at the tasting bar; otherwise, I might have enjoyed some wine on the back patio and listened to the music.

There are two tasting fees depending on if you would like three wines, or five or four wines with a reserve wine. Tastings are poured from the uncorked bottles using a measured pourer. Oyster crackers are available to cleanse your palate.

Since it was now near my dinnertime, fortunately Fortunate Winery serves wood fired pizza along with cheese and meat boards. I opted for a pizza cooked Neapolitan style while I enjoyed my tasting. The interesting thing is the wines are tasted sweet to dry.

These wines were available during my visit:

• Pinot Gris
• Sauvignon Blanc
• Symphony (There was some confusion on this from my tasting guide since the tasting menu said it was Muscat and Grenache Gris, but I learned later it is indeed the Symphony grape. The Symphony grape is a crossing of the vinifera varieties Muscat of Alexandria and Grenache Gris.)
• Rosé (Zinfandel)
• Red Blend (70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Zinfandel, 8% Syrah, 2% unknown)
• Reserve Meritage (70% Zinfandel, 30% Petite Sirah)

Sparkling wines only available by the bottle are:

• Celebrate Gold
• Celebrate Rose
• Fortunata Sparkle (sparkling wine with strawberries added and sold by the pitcher)

Since the winery is new, the grapes are not Texas and mostly come from Lodi, along with the Pinot Gris from Monterrey, and Napa Justin Cellars for the Reserve Meritage. So far, they have 1,400 cases of wine.

There is a gift shop available with candles, clothing, and other miscellaneous merchandise. The winery is available for reserving receptions, showers, and other special events. Shari took time away from being busy pouring wine to show me quickly around the property. There are beautiful villas available that actually I tried to stay in to make the winery my base camp for my DFW visit, but a wedding party took all the villas for a wedding that week. Speaking of weddings, a chapel is being finished and will be available for small weddings. I was able to see inside two styles of villas, one with a kitchen and one without. They are gorgeous! I will definitely be looking at staying there the next time I am in the north Dallas-Fort Worth area. The only issue I had with trying to make a reservation weeks in advance for my hopeful stay was the responsiveness in making the reservation. I am sure that will be improved after being open longer.

I commented how the parking lot was almost full when I arrived and Shari told me they have already expanded the parking lot once and might have to do it again. They were hoping to plant another vineyard in front of the winery, but it might have to turn into parking instead.

There is a one-acre vineyard at Fortunata Winery growing Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chambourcin, Blanc du Bois, Sauvignon Blanc, and Montepulciano. They plan on planting another acre of grapes soon.

There was a large crowd enjoying Fortunata Winery and after tasting the wines, the food, and listening to the live music, I can definitely see why.