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…
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, TX, United States
Andreucci Wines - Fredericksburg, TX, United States
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!
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Visiting Pedernales Cellars - Episode #266
Visiting Pedernales Cellars - Episode #266 from 1337 Wine TV. Like this? Watch the latest episode of 1337 Wine TV on Blip!
In this special episode of 1337 Wine TV, Mark visits Pedernales Cellars in Stonewall, TX in the Texas Hill Country. He is joined by the owners Fredrik Osterberg, Julie Kuhlken, and David Kuhlken on their beautiful deck discussing three of their wines. The wines tasted are the 2012 Viognier, the 2010 Tempranillo, and the 2010 GSM (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre).
See all episodes of 1337 Wine TV
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09-19-2015 Fat Ass Winery Tasting Room
One of the stops with Texas Winos