Old Town Spring Tasting Room

While enjoying a Labor Day lunch with my wife, we were looking for something else to do. Something wine related. Living in Houston, the Hill Country was out for sure. I just so happened to be looking at Facebook, and noticed that the Old Town Spring Tasting Room was open just a few exits down I-45 from the Woodlands eatery we were at.

It was a slow Labor Day in Old Town Spring. If you’ve never been there, you know that it can get pretty busy. We found a street parking spot close to the tasting room and walked across the street for our visit. We picked a good day because when we arrived, we had the room to ourselves. We were quickly acknowledged and told that for a fee, we could taste five wines from their menu or opt for a per taste fee. I really just wanted to drink some wine. It was hot, so I asked for a Miraval Rosé from Provence, France. I was already familiar with this wine and knew I’d like it. My wife Carole opted for a California Chardonnay.

The Old Town Spring Tasting Room was formally branded as Wimberley Valley Wines, but due to a change in family status, it was taken over and renamed by two sisters, Jana Valentine and Karen Strole. They’ve been licensed under the new name for about two years. While serving up great wines by the glass or a taste, the sisters have created an event location and offer many activities and classes. The September calendar we saw was almost filled with wine classes, workshops, art and food events, a South African Wines Event with sommelier, Sunday Houston Texans watch parties, and many more activities. They also offer “Sip & Paint” events that are always fun. Several of their classes are led by a level II sommelier, Gabrielle Katz, who I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. Check out their website for current events.

Of course, here at Texas Wine Lover, we are about the wine, especially Texas wine. Currently they have Texas wines from:

• Flat Creek Estate – Several wines from sparkling almond to dry Super Texan
• Wimberley Valley Winery – Sweet and semi-sweet
• Texas SouthWind Vineyard & Winery – Sweet fruit wines
• Fiesta Vineyard and Winery – Sweet
• Duchman Family Winery – Dry Viognier
• Griffin Meadery – Several meads

These wines range from sweet to dry and white to red. You can even taste a jalapeño infused mead from Griffin. The menu is ever changing and the range of style is wide, so you should have no problem finding something you like.

Rounding out their current portfolio are wines from California, France, Australia, Italy, Spain, and Argentina. There are several dry white and red wines from these locations. Besides the Miraval (Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie), I tried the Rombauer Sauvignon Blanc (Napa), Double Malbec Alma Negra (Argentina), and Daniel Cohn Cabernet Sauvignon (CA). All were good offerings.

This tasting room is also great for couples or pairs when one likes wine and the other wants beer, as they also serve beer from Buffalo Bayou Brewing, Shiner, and Dos Equis. Perfect for those Sunday afternoon Texans games, or simply when one or more in your party gets tired of walking around Old Town Spring and just wants to enjoy a brew. This place will make me more likely to say “yes” when my wife wants to spend an afternoon checking out all the shops.

We enjoyed our visit and plan on going back. It’s great to know we can get a quick wine tasting so close to home, and not have to travel several hours to the “wine areas” in Texas.