Torr Na Lochs Vineyard & Winery
Texas Hill Country Vineyard & Winery Opening 2015! We hope that you will visit us soon at Torr Na Lochs – our hill over the lakes – and sip our estate wines as you overlook Lake Buchanan and Inks Lake.
Torr Na Lochs - Burnet, Texas
The stretch of state highway 29 between Burnet and Lake Buchanan is a wonderfully scenic area in the Texas Hill Country. With the granite slopes and surrounding lakes, you might wonder how could someone put a winery out here with all this rocky terrain? Wouldn't it be nice if you could find something like that out in that area though, so you could have a lovely spot to sit and sip as you enjoy the last slip of sunset tucking in at night. Well someone has! Owners Blake and Karen DeBerry purchased the 180 acre granite ponderosa about 11 years ago with the intent on retirement. Well, one thing led to another and now they have staked out their claim in the expanding Texas wine industry. Grape vines on granite you ask? Why yes! Some of the classic and great tasting old world wines in Europe come from vineyards on granite soils. Although much of the property is solid granite, there are plots that have good decomposed granite soil suitable for starting a vineyard. The 1250 foot elevation is just an added bonus for these young vines. Planting began back in 2014 with three acres of Syrah, Petite Syrah, and Malbec with plans to expand in the future. The building is quite beautiful and the tasting room is very spacious and open. The winery building was inspired after visiting another winery in Australia and as an ode to that inspiration, they have a special bottle from that winery proudly on display and highlighted on their entrance way and front porch. They have a great perch high above the surrounding Hill Country with views of Inks Lake and Lake Buchanan that you can indulge in as you sip their great wines. Plus, the roaming donkeys will be happy to great you as you drive in or out. (When you see the sign near the entrance about donkey crossing, take that literally - there are donkeys on the property and they like to roam across the area and may be taking a break on the road, so drive slowly and respect the animals.) Their inaugural selection of six wines are all made with Texas grapes. Currently, they are collaborating with winemakers from the Texas Hill Country and West Texas to help them get started with their wines. For whites, you'll start off with the 2014 Fion Geal. It's a six white blend that is quite clean and crisp. The chilled lemon-lime finish is refreshing during the Texas summer heat. The next white is a 2014 Roussanne. You'll definitely pick up the nice citrus flavors with a touch of oak. The last white is a 2014 Sweet Sunset which is a 50/50 blend of Roussanne and Orange Muscat. This soft citrus wine is a sweet treat for the hot afternoons and would make a lovely addition to brunch. Rosé lovers will be pleased with the 2014 Rosé di Montepulciano. It's a very nice, refreshing and smooth drinking Rosé that deserves to be served chilled to enhance the strawberry notes. For their fine reds, you'll start with the Fion Dearg. This blend of Tempranillo, Mouvedre, and Carignan has spicy and smoky notes that meld with bold cherry flavors. You'll definitely be pleased with the 2013 Sangiovese which rounds out the lineup. This last red has a nice balance of acids and tannins with subtle peppery notes in this dry wine. Future wines currently in the barrel include a Montepulciano, Dolcetto, and a red blend. Their grand opening will be September 12th, so mark you fall calendars and head out to welcome one of the newest wineries to the fold and check out all they have to offer. Their vineyard has great potential to show what the granite terroir of the Hill Country can do for the Texas grape growing industry. The potential for bold flavor profiles, aromatic fruit, and well balanced acids are positive here. We can't wait to try the estate grapes wines in the future. This is a nice jewel to check out on your next Texas wine trekking trip. Congratulations to Blake and Karen on the start of something great in the Texas Hill Country! Cheers!
torrnalochs.com
Texas Hill Country Part 9 - Solaro Estate Winery
Solaro Estate Winery is a very nice place and worth the visit, especially if you like dry wines.
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Solaro Estate Winery -- Dripping Springs, Texas
One of the newest boutique wineries to open in Texas is making some high quality robust reds that will make you want to come back for seconds and thirds. Winemaking can be both an art and a science and this winemaker has done a superb job balancing both skills. This winery ...is dedicated to creating pure Texas pleasure via the grape with mostly 100% Texas sourced grapes from single sourced vineyards. Over half of their wines use Texas sourced grapes, making this winery a must visit for those truly passionate about more locally and Texas sourced products and wines. Their current lineup is all about the reds, with every one well worth sipping and enjoying. They cater to dry reds and are doing a fantastic job producing them, with Rieslings and Muscat soon to follow later this fall or early winter. The tasting room is a delightful spot with floor and ceiling windows allowing visitors to soak up some beautiful Texas hill country scenery of distant rolling hills amid the foreground of grapevines, while savoring the fruits of the harvest.
Hawk Shadow Estate Winery – Dripping Springs, Texas
Just north of Dripping Springs, but south of the Pedernales River are some spectacular Texas Hill Country views. What a perfect place to establish a vineyard and winery! This all family run business has done just that. Owners Doug Reed, Tom Reed, and Chip Concklin opened up their tasting room in February 2014 and are serving some great tasting Texas wines along with generous Texas hospitality. Tim Drake from Flat Creek has assisted with some consulting, as well. They currently have seven acres planted on the estate with one area on its fourth leaf and the other on its ninth. Varietals include: Grenache, Syrah, Sangiovese, Tempranillo, Mourvedre, Nebbiolo,and Aglianico. The vines look quite healthy and cared for. As we all know, great wine starts with great grapes. Most of what is currently available for tasting has been sourced from the Texas High Plains while the estate vineyard has been maturing. There are three whites for tasting, but by no means are these your traditional white wines. As the owners will tell you, they make and serve “red style white wine for red wine drinkers”. The 2011 Orange Muscat is dry with some tawny toasted notes, making it quite unique compared to other Orange Muscats in the state as this one is dry without the sweet side that traditionally is used for this varietal. The 2012 version (same vineyard, different year) labeled, Big O, has a bit more alcohol, but also tastes just as good yet completely different from the 2011. Who thought that dry Orange Muscats could taste this good without being sweet, but the owners have done a fine job on those two. The barrel fermented and unfiltered Chenin Blanc will initially present the buttery notes with a lovely smoothness then finishes off as citrusy. The Texas Gal, a blend of Chenin Blanc and Muscat Canelli, has a hint of sweetness but not too much. For the reds, the 2012 Tres Robles is a blend of 78% Mourvedre and the rest comprised of Malbec and Syrah. It's light oak notes compliment the very strong strawberry, pomegranate and rhubarb aromas on the nose. Their local estate produced 2011 HSV is sold out but not to worry! A new vintage is already bottled and should be released by Fall 2014. You’ll also be in for a treat with their Wild Child 2. It has a nice smokiness yet remains quite smooth. They also have a Tempranillo barrel aged in Hungarian oak for twenty months….expect this one to be superb. Twenty months is a good bench mark for the winemaker. After all, quality cannot be rushed. Also in the works is a Syrah that is quite herbaceous. It, too, will be great on its own or as a complimentary blend in the future. When we visited, they were just about ready to harvest in the next day or two as the sugar was looking good on the fruit. We sampled some of their yet to be harvested Tempranillio grapes and they had wonderful flavors and characters for this yet to be aged juice. You could tell that the 2014 Tempranillo is going to be great tasting wine and a keeper for the cellar! We really enjoyed our initial visit to this up and coming rising star for Texas Hill Country Wineries. The owners and staff (family members) are extremely friendly, make you feel comfortable and at home, and are very happy to visit with you about what is going on at the winery. Hopefully, their future crops will be fruitful and their cases will multiply! We are definitely going back to check in and see how things progress and pick up some of the new releases. Cheers and Welcome to the Texas Hill Country Winery industry Hawk Shadow!!
hawksshadow.com
Our Fredericksburg-Fredericksburg's Grape Harvest
Just around the corner throughout the Texas Hill Country is Grape Harvest Season...this week on Our Fredericksburg we look at the fun activities and events on Fredericksburg's famed 290 Wine Road, featuring 9 wineries.
Spicewood Vineyards -- Spicewood, Texas
Nestled in the woody area of Spicewood, Texas is an established winery making wine primarily from 100% Texas Hill Country grapes. Spicewood Vineyards has changed ownership over the years, and has been increasing the number of vines on the property to further enhance their estate grown grape varietals. With a balance of red and white wines, a wine lover can enjoy a good tasting session while also enjoying the lovely hill country landscape. This winery continues the original owner's traditions of making great wines from area grown grapes and is moving toward producing more Spanish style wines. Be looking for continued expansion in the types of varietals in their blends and offerings in the future. (They're now more than just Merlot!)
spicewoodvineyards.com