Less than 90 minutes east of Dallas and just about 15 minutes north of Tyler is the small town of Lindale. With a population of just over 6,000 residents, the town was founded in 1871. In a town this size, you may be surprised to learn several notable talents grew up in the area. These include Kelli Finglass, the director of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, Pat Mahomes, a pitcher in Major League Baseball and father of the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and maybe most well-known, Grammy Award-winning country music singer and songwriter Miranda Lambert.
Miranda was a young and talented artist who started on the Texas music scene opening for performers such as Cooder Graw, Kevin Fowler, and Jack Ingram. In 2003, she placed third in the television program Nashville Star; from then on, her star was rising. Two years later, her album Kerosene was certified Platinum. She has recorded eight studio albums, 39 singles, and has won nearly 100 major music awards including Grammy Awards, Academy of Country Music Awards, and Country Music Association Awards, to name a few.
And Miranda knows a little about wine. At least she’s mentioned it in more than one song! In Heart Like Mine, Miranda sings, “‘Cause I heard Jesus he drank wine…” And in Better in the Long Run, she has “Cheap red wine straight out of a coffee cup.” While things take a turn in Hard Staying Sober when the chorus states, “It’s hard staying sober when I’m getting over you.”
But what does all of this have to do with Texas wine? Well, in the small town of Lindale, you’ll find Red 55 Winery established in 2006 by Miranda Lambert and her family. Named for Miranda’s first truck, a 1955 candy-apple-red Chevy stepside, the winery welcomes locals and tourists to get a taste of the musician’s style – and wine.
The Pink Pistol is a boutique shop offering dish towels with witty sayings, olive oils and barbecue spices, blinged-out shirts, and an array of cowboy boots. Attached are the tasting room for Red 55 and the wine production area with stainless tanks visible across from a new Ponderosa Pour House bar.
The winery, tasting room, and brewery bar are owned by Miranda’s father, Rick Lambert. This pink spot in the tiny town draws over 50,000 visitors each year. True Vine Brewery in Tyler is crafting beer for the Lamberts project. And the wines are varied, from a crisp and easy-drinking Pinot Grigio called Kerosene to a sweet Wildcard Moscato, from an unoaked Chardonnay named White Liar to a dry and tannic Malbec known as Vice. Regardless of your style, there’s something here you’ll like. Several of the wines are made from California juice, or a blend of California and Texas. I tried two 100% Texas wines, Moscato and the Love Letters Sangiovese. Overall, I was pleasantly pleased with the wines and took home three bottles of Chardonnay.
If you are looking for a day trip from Dallas or you find yourself in the Tyler area, this boutique and tasting room is worth a stop, even if you aren’t a country music fan.
Leave a Reply