III Forks Texas Wine Tasting – Red, White, & Rosé

Texas Wine Lover was invited for this coverage. All opinions, experiences, and photographs are entirely our own.

There are several company names that invoke a sense of fineness and luxury. III Forks Steakhouse is definitely on the list of restaurants that garner that very image. They are known for high end cuisine and impeccable customer service. When they agree to host a Texas wine tasting, there is a sense of accomplishment on Texas’ part with our movement toward some of the better wines produced in the USA. I was not going to miss the opportunity to attend this event, so the wife and I packed up the camera and headed to downtown Austin.

When we arrived, we were handed our wine glasses and a flyer that had the wineries and wines listed that were in participation that evening. The line-up was comprised of some well-known wineries from the industry, i.e. the Texas Fine Wine group. There were a few others we didn’t expect to see there like Bo Salling who was pouring the Windblown red wine, which is a compilation wine made from growers/producers in the Texas High Plains. Rae Wilson (Wine For the People) was also in attendance pouring her “The Source” Grower Project Sangiovese, that was without a doubt one of the more beautiful wines of the evening in my opinion.

There were 11 wineries pouring at the event.

• Brennan Vineyards
• Bending Branch Winery
• Duchman Family Winery
• Fall Creek Vineyards
• Rae Wilson, “The Source” Grower Project
• Hye Meadow Winery
• Infinite Monkey Theorem
• McPherson Cellars
• Pedernales Cellars
• Spicewood Vineyards
• Rancho Loma Vineyards

Aside from the marvelous Texas wine being poured, III Forks did their part to provide awesome gourmet appetizers to accompany the wine selection. The stunning lamb meatballs stand out as one of the most delectable of the evening, alongside several other beef based bites and charcuterie. Even at the appetizer bar, service was nothing less than stellar from the III Forks hospitality staff. You come to expect that sort of service when dining in, but they keep their well-known charm at 100% even for stand up, self-serve gourmet appetizers.

Dave Lund, who is the Wine Director at III Forks downtown Austin, was generous to put together and host such an enjoyable event. Dave decided to do a raffle for a few tasty prizes at the end of the evening, one of which was Boone’s Farm that was hilarious. I am surprised the person with that raffle ticket had the guts to hand it in and claim their “prize.” Robin and I won a bottle of 2010 Rioja Tempranillo, and the grand prize winners Jennifer and Michael Rangel took home Dave Lund’s personal favorite picks from the evening which included: Bending Branch Tannat, Spicewood Vineyards Good Guy, Rae Wilson’s The Source Sangiovese, and Bo’s Windblown Texas High Plains collaboration red wine. All of the wines served at the event were well presented and tasted fantastic!

Thanks to III Forks, Dave Lund, and all the Texas wineries who poured at the Texas wine tasting, and I really hope to see this joint venture come together again in the very near future. When luxury restauranteurs happily add Texas wines to their program, consumer’s heads begin to turn that direction, which is what we need as a youthful and flourishing wine industry.

Cheers!