Winestyr Comes to Texas

We received the product for review and all opinions are our own.

Winestyr was founded in 2011 with a goal to make wines from a wide variety of small independent wineries available to their customers online. Many of the wines that Winestyr sells are not available in traditional distribution outlets as they are from wineries that produce less than 10,000 cases per year. From my time playing on their site, I see Winestyr as the online version of your favorite indie wine shop. Their site is full of in-depth info about their winery partners and their wines. I found it easy to leisurely spend a lot of time browsing their site learning about their wines.

While spending time on their site I noticed they sell a few wines from The Austin Winery. I’ve often heard the conversation, “How do we get more people outside of Texas excited about Texas wines?” Businesses like Winstyr seem like a great way for Texas wineries to have access to a nation-wide group of engaged customers with an interest in wines from small producers.

Winestyr just recently began selling wine in the Texas market. They sell their wines through a wine club that offers several options including an all-red wine option as well as different delivery sizes. Customers can also purchase wines a-la-carte through their site. I had the opportunity to sample one of their 3-bottle mixed wine club shipments. The shipment included Smith Story Sauvignon Blanc, Two Kings Pinot Noir, and Megahertz Cabernet Sauvignon from Bello Family Vineyards. The wines were delivered in slick packaging that also included a newsletter with write-ups about the wineries and their wines.

The 2017 Megahertz Cabernet Sauvignon from Bello Family Vineyards has a deep purple-ruby color in the glass with lots of black cherry and blackberry on the nose. The dark fruit flavors carry onto the palate complimented with sweet spice and cigar box. It’s a full bodied, nicely balanced wine, with well-integrated tannins that support the long finish. A good candidate for a go-to Cab. 13.8% ABV. 4,500 cases produced.

The 2018 Two Kings Pinot Noir from The Wonderland Project shows the classic Pinot garnet color in the glass. I picked up red cherry, wild strawberry, and a mushroom earthiness on the nose. On the palate there are flavors of red cherry, cranberry, allspice, white pepper, and mushroom that carries through the finish. There’s a lot going on in this wine, which is usually reserved for a higher price point in the world of Pinot Noirs. Sonoma County AVA. 13.5% ABV. 2,700 cases produced.

The 2018 Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc from Smith Story Wine Cellars presents a pale lemon color in the glass with a pronounced nose of grapefruit, white peach, and minerality. This wine has flavors of grapefruit, Meyer lemon, white peach, and dried herbs. Bright acidity and minerality support a long finish. Sonoma County AVA. 13.0% ABV. 1,600 cases produced.

I enjoyed all three of the wines from Winestyr. They were all well-made and showed a true representation of their grape varieties and origin, while representing good value. Over the course of my time learning about Winestyr and trying their wines, the Kincade fire in Sonoma County broke out. Winestyr partners with quite a few Sonoma County wineries and also has a fulfillment center in Sonoma. I reached out to Winestyr to ask if they were impacted by the fire. All of Winestyr’s winery partners had to be evacuated. A few of the wineries had very close calls, but thankfully all avoided major damage. The Kincade fire is causing major financial implications for Sonoma County wineries. Closed tasting rooms means lost direct to consumer sales. Extended power outages means lost time fulling orders with the holidays right around the corner. More Sonoma wineries are getting back to business, so it’s a good time to support our friends in Sonoma County as they battle this natural disaster and move towards recovery.