Mendelbaum Cellars Tasting Room
Select a wine and try a taste of Texas. Mendelbaum Cellars in Fredericksburg, Texas, offers wines from the Texas Panhandle and the Texas High Plains . Located in the heart of the Texas 290 Wine Trail, our winery caters to groups of friends and families, as well as wine enthusiasts.
The ‘Hottest’ Wine Trail in Texas is Off Hwy 290!
Goodtaste.tv
There’s no way around it: the way we taste our Texas wines has changed. We’re now America’s No. 5 wine-producing state! If you haven’t heard the buzz on the Fredericksburg Wine Road 290 as of late, it’s time to hit the trail. This serene stretch of road along US Highway 290 near Fredericksburg, Texas is being compared to the Napa of 30 years ago–a higher level of development, growth and quality. Up for an adventure (and some best wine in the state)? This is where it’s happening! The thirteen Texas wineries found along this route specialize in home-grown hospitality, with newcomers to the neighborhood like Messina Hof adding to 290’s already esteemed reputation with 3 Top of Class Winners at the 2014 San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo. We’re getting ahead of ourselves, however. The first stop on our Goodtaste tour of 290 landed us at 4.0 Cellars.
4.0’s impressive facility is a good starting point. They’re tasting room is a lively spot with plenty of foot traffic. Here you’ll taste award-winning Texas wines from three different producers: Brennan Vineyards, Lost Oak Winery, and McPherson Cellars. Talk about saving some time on travel (and gas!). They also do a fun ‘Texas Cheese & Wine Experience’ – Texas cheeses from Veldhuizen Cheese Company paired with five wines selected from 4.0 Cellars.
Up the road, maybe 200 yards, is the aforementioned Messina Hof Winery & Resort. One of the pioneers of Texas wines, standouts include their Cabernet Franc Private Reserve as well as their crisp, clear and pleasantly sweet Angel Riesling.
Just across the highway – and a place that’s always intrigued me – is Dan Gatlin’s Inwood Estates Vineyard. Dan is a bit of a renegade and works extremely hard to elevate the status of Texas wines. A MUST, according to Dan, is that a wine needs to say ‘Texas’ on the font label or it is not a true Texas wine. Inwood is known for its Tempranillo, but also doing some really great work with Cabernet — which has immense potential largely untapped in Texas.
We made fast friends with Inwood’s on-site bistro. Be sure to stick around for something to munch on…
Lost Draw Cellars – Fredericksburg, Texas
Located in the Texas High Plains, Lost Draw Vineyards has done their best at contributing to the Texas wine industry by producing some great grapes. Many Texas winemakers can thank Lost Draw Vineyards for producing some top quality grapes for any number of wines produced by state wineries. Wine lovers know full well that good wine starts with good grapes….no ifs, ands or buts. In Fredericksburg, you can now find their tasting room, Lost Draw Cellars - a collaboration of partners Troy Ottmers, Andrew Sides, and Andy Timmons. Kim McPherson is also helping out with their initial wine making. At the Fredericksburg tasting room (opened last Nov 21st) you’ll be able to taste many of their quality wines. The late freeze of 2013 was a detriment to many Texas high plains vineyards. As a result, not all 2013 Texas vintages will be sourced from Texas grapes as wineries supplemented much of their grapes from New Mexico, California, and Washington. Lost Draw Vineyards has since installed a wind machine to help combat late freezes and proved its worth during an April 2014 freeze. Currently, there are eight wines for tasting. For whites, start with the 2013 Arroyo Blanco. It’s a blend of Chenin Blanc, Viognier and Roussanne that has good character and quite smooth. Next, try the Gemutlichkeit. It's blended with Grenache Blanc, Viognier, and Roussanne that comes across as crisp and dry. The other white is a Gewürztraminer. It’s a really good one to sip and swirl on a lazy afternoon. End off the white list with their very nice and refreshing French Colombard. Now on to the reds! The Arroyo Rojo is a Mourvedre, Grenache, Carignan blend with a touch of Viognier. It's a good enjoyable mellow red wine. Their Tempranillo is a great one that lives up to the Texas reputation as Tempranillo country. It has good aroma, color, and quite fruit forward. Lastly, you’ll savor the Sangiovese red wine. This one is the star of the show! Made from 40 year old vines (yes 40 year old Texas vines), it just has that quality taste and finish you’d expect from old world wines. Sadly, we heard that Lost Draw will be pulling up these old vines, so this is likely one of the last vintages for their old Sangiovese grape vines. The Arroyo Blush is a blend of Grenache, Mourvedre, and Cinsault that is a bit sweet and refreshing when chilled with some tangerine like notes. It’s always great to visit a winery when they first open. The staff here are warm and welcoming and will treat you wonderfully. Troy can be found at the tasting room and is a good friendly guy to chat with, too. So come check them out when you’re in town and enjoy Fredericksburg's newest winery and tasting room as we don't think you'll be disappointed!
lostdrawcellars.com
Andreucci Wines - Fredericksburg, TX, United States
Andreucci Wines - Fredericksburg, TX, United States
Capture Fredericksburg: Local Wines
Visitors to the Fredericksburg region will enjoy a diverse array of wineries - explore one or enjoy them all!
Andreucci Wines – Fredericksburg, Texas
Italy has come to Texas! And we’re talking about a very long established winery from Italy that has now set its sights on making a mark in the Texas Hill Country. If you’ve ever wondered what the bar is set to for fine Italian style wine, then this is it. Many frequent Hill Country wine travelers may have noticed construction of Andreucii Wines along HWY 290 for the last couple for years. That is a venture between Italian winemaker Flavio Andreucci and Bill Sutherland who both have a strong passion to bring fine Italian wine making styles to Texas. The Andreucci family have been well established at making wines and tending vineyards since the 1790s in the Tuscany region of Italy. Their vineyard foundations started in Montefollonico. The Andruecii goal of the vineyard along HWY 290 is to produce the same fine Tuscany style wines using classic Italian wine making techniques while using Texas grapes. A worthwhile effort, indeed! The Hill County vineyard has Sangiovese, Merlot, and Primitivo planted for that future endeavor. Until those fine wines come from that vineyard, you can enjoy some fantastic fine Italian wines at their tasting room in Fredericksburg. They have several wines available for tasting of which you get to choose five. The black label wines are the premium tasting, well worth the extra fee to sample. For the whites, we first tried the 2015 Donna Alma. This Pinot Grigio wine has distinctive citrus notes to this dry and smooth white. Next, was the 2014 Montepulciano. This deeply hued ruby red wine has some intense cherry aromas and strong to moderate tannins that linger on the palate. The Cabernet Black label is a bold Cab Franc with an excellent balance between acidity and tannins, making it one of the finer Cab Francs we’ve tasted. The 2014 Regale Black Label is a classic Super Tuscan blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet, and Merlot that has intense tobacco and smoke for those who find rich reds enticing. By far and away, the 2008 Brunello is worth your stop! Made from 100% Sangiovese, it harnesses rich plum flavors with long lasting tannins. There is something to be said for this 36-month aged sexy red. It sets the bar for a Sangiovese wine! To finish your tasting, try their Prosecco which is dry and delightful with lasting bubbles to cleans your palate. You can reminisce on this fantastic tasting experience as you rejoice that these folks plan to be around for many years, with an increased selection of both Italian and Texas made wines planned. Andreucci has really set the bar high for quality wine tasting in the Texas Hill Country. It’s a great place for you to relax and enjoy the rustic lounge area flanked with racks of lovely bottles of wine along the wall! Saluti!
andreucciwines.com
Fat Ass Ranch and Winery - Fredericksburg, Texas
Having Just opened last Memorial Day weekend, the newest winery on the Texas Hill Country Winery Trail, HWY 290, is not only an eye catcher with its name, but also a cool place to just hang out and shoot the breeze with some good wine. Owners Gail and Jennie McCulloch have put their own unique Texas style stamp on the decor with a moonshine still out front, installed silo style restrooms, used pickup tailgates to fashion benches and parked a replica of the General Lee hot rod out front. Both the inside and the back patio have ample room for seating and sipping. They use all Texas grapes for their wines. The folks at Texas Custom Wine Works are assisting with the wine making. There are currently four wines to try. The whites are all made in stainless steel. Both dry and sweet ones are made from the same blend: Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Chardonnay. If you're a crisp white wine drinker, then the first dry white you'll like. The same goes for the dry and sweet red, they have the same blend of grapes with different sweetness: Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc. The sweet red has a very nice jammy taste to it. We were told that peach and watermelon wines are on the way soon. Future plans are to have a vineyard on site. Besides the wine, they have a number of cool items in the shop for sale made by Jennie and friends. Do check out the bug guards for your wine glass with some clever and catchy verses. It's worth the stop, even if it is just to say you've been to the Fat Ass Winery down the road!
facebook.com/pages/Fat-Ass-Ranch-and-Winery/588933507887986
FOR SALE 4379 W US Hwy 290 - Fredericksburg TX
Beautiful Historic Home at 4379 W US Hwy 290 in Fredericksburg Texas USA in the heart of Fredericksburg's Wine Country! FOR SALE Pool, Guest House. Would make a great B & B, Winery, Wine Tasting Room, Vineyard, Orchard, etc.