Each spring and fall the city of Lindale, proud hometown of Miranda Lambert, hosts the Piney Woods Wine Festival. This year’s spring festival was held on May 12th and 13th at the Picker’s Pavilion in downtown Lindale and featured sixteen wineries from the Piney Woods Wine Trail. As I had not visited any of the wineries in that region of our great state, I thought it would be a good opportunity to correct that failure on my part.
Loaded up on coffee and donuts, my wife and I began our two-hour trek from DFW with some trepidation because of potential rain in the Lindale forecast. Our fears were unfounded, however, and the day turned out bright and beautiful.
The Picker’s Pavilion grounds are located on a park green a few blocks from downtown Lindale. Parking was free and readily available despite a good-sized crowd. As we entered the grounds, we found the festival divided into two sections, with artists, food trucks, and vendors occupying the largest space, and the Wine Garden cordoned off to a section of its own near the pavilion building.
The Piney Woods Wine Festival operates under a different format than we typically see. A one-day ticket for $15.00 (or two-day VIP ticket for $25.00) gets you a wristband and access to the Wine Garden. Then for each tasting you pay $1.00 directly to the winery as your tasting is poured. Festival guests are advised to bring plenty of small bills as there are no ATM machines on the event grounds.
The following Texas wineries were featured:
- Briar Creek Vineyards
- Britt’s Wine + Dine
- Enoch’s Stomp Vineyard & Winery
- Kiepersol
- Los Pinos Ranch Vineyards
- Moody Family Winery
- O’Farrell Country Vineyards
- Red 55 Winery
- Red Road Vineyard & Winery
- Rowdy Creek Ranch
- Silver Lake Cellars
- Tara Vineyard & Winery
- Triple N Ranch Winery
- Valle della Pace
- Walkers Mill Vineyard & Winery
- White Fox Vineyards
Each of the wineries are members of the Piney Woods Wine Trail. We enjoyed all of the wines we tasted and had a few favorites follow us home.
As the day grew warm, we slipped into the air-conditioned Picker’s Pavilion to enjoy a glass of wine and listen to smooth jazz. Then it was back to the winery booths for another tour of tastings to round off a very pleasant Saturday afternoon.
And, of course, as we were leaving the Lindale/Tyler area, we couldn’t resist the chance to stop at Stanley’s Famous Pit BBQ in Tyler for a plate of those amazing pork ribs.
The Piney Woods Wine Festival offers Texas wine enthusiasts a good opportunity to experience some of Northeast Texas’ finest wineries in one location. If you missed the spring festival, never fear. You’ll have another opportunity later in the year. The fall festival will be held on October 20th and 21st. Be sure to watch the Lindale Tourist Information Center at https://www.visitlindale.com for news, updates, and ticket information.
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