Jump In!  The Wine is Fine!

Post date: Dec 18, 2014 3:39:52 AM

I am now a very humble ex-California wine snob.  I've visited 2 wineries in New Mexico and 3 in the Texas Hill Country - see my map Wineries I Have Visited (So Far) .  With one exception, to my taste, all the wines were really good and some were excellent. The one exception was a "Pinot Grigio" in New Mexico that was the color of a fried egg, smelled oxidized and tasted like lemonade without the sugar.  When I told her that I had never tasted a Pinot Gris quite like this one, I was told that there were 2 types of Pinot Grigio - Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio and this was the Pinot Gris type, which perhaps I had never tasted before. Anyway, today I tasted a fabulous 2014 William Chris Trebbiano ($32) that had a beautiful multi-fruit-and-flower bouquet and a unique tartness that made me forget the so-called Pinot Gris.  I also tasted, loved and bought a Don Quixote winery Red River Red ($20), a Bordeaux blend with a full fruity flavor, softer than most Bordeaux-style wines. Texas Hills Vineyard in Johnson City offers an endless tasting list of nothing but French varietals (no American varietals for any of these places).  I loved their 2010 Due Bianco ($12.95), a blend of Chenin Blanc (hooray for them!) and Pinot Grigio.  I was surprised to learn that Texas wineries use grapes from at least a dozen locations all over Texas, most often from Lubbock!  Texas Hill Country is the premier winery location but there is no one grape-growing area.  I did visit one winery that brings in grapes from California, but it was the only one.  When I visited Pedernales Winery in Stonewall, they told me that they had won medals at the San Francisco Wine Competition.  I didn't like their attitude, so I looked it up.  Guess what - in 2013, a gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze for their Tempranillos, Red Rhone blend, Albarino and Viognier!  This has been a very humbling experience.  Check out the photos on my Hill Country Wineries Album .