A Taste of the Best

A fun weekend of celebrating wine and wine grapes was held in Terry County this past week with two very special events.

The weekend started off in a wonderfully relaxed atmosphere at the outstanding Triple D restaurant in Brownfield. “An Evening with a Winemaker” was held in the vintage restaurant. Jim Evans of Lost Oak Winery was present and brought with him three wonderful wines. All wines were made with grapes from Diamante Doble and Diamante Doble Dos vineyards.

Soprano was the first wine introduced. It is a blend of one-half Muscat and one-half Gewürztraminer. Evans called the grapes the High Plains vineyards “exceptional grapes.” This wine is a little sweet, and the grapes are fermented then blended.

Sweet Grass was the next wine up for discussion. This wine is the sweetest one at the Lost Oak Winery. It is a 50/50 mix of Orange Muscat and Riesling. This wine won a silver medal at the Texas International Wine Competition.

Lastly, Evans introduced Double Diamond Merlot. This wine is 100% Merlot from Diamante Doble. Aged in French oak, this wine is a full-bodied red, and excellent in taste and color. Evans stated with this wine you should, “Buy two bottles. Drink one now and keep the other for a year for an even richer flavor.”

A Taste of Terry County, held on Saturday evening, April 9, was a pleasant way to pass an evening as fantastic food and wine were paired exquisitely, much to the delight of all who attended.

The meal, catered by Jeanna’s Feedbag Catering, was excellent! The meal started with a cranberry, almond, and lettuce salad served with a lemon vinaigrette. Fiesta Winery’s Vermentino from the Bingham Family Vineyards was paired with this salad. This wine is a soft floral aromatic with the flavor of ripe pear giving the wine a wonderful bold body. This wine was a Bronze Medal winner at the 2016 Lone Star Wine Competition.

The next course was a beautifully tender pork loin with a raspberry chipotle sauce. This paired fabulously with local favorite “Dirt Farmer,” a dark wine this time from the winery Bingham Family Vineyards. This wine consists of Tempranillo, Merlot, Dolcetto, and Cabernet Sauvignon which are blended to perfection to create flavors of blackberry and dried figs. This wine was a silver medal winner at the 2016 San Francisco International Wine Competition, a gold medal winner at the 2017 Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo International Wine Competition, and a silver medal winner at the 2017 San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo Wine Competition.

Dessert was a fantastic “Brown Cow Cheesecake.” This creamy mixture of a chocolate and vanilla cheesecake paired well with the Lost Oak Saku made with grapes from Diamante Doble Vineyard. Saku is a blend of 50% Riesling and 50% Orange Muscat, and has just a hint of sweetness. If you like your wines with just the least amount of sweetness as a background sensation, this wine is for you.

A great evening of fun and easy conversation made this annual event a night to remember. It was a wonderful way to start a month full of activities celebrating the wine and grape industry on the High Plains.