Second time as charming as the first- Mitas Hill Vineyard

A second visit to Mitas Hill Vineyard had been in the works since I finished my bottle of their awesome tempranillo, and especially after we told our family and friends of our initial visit. What made this go-round more memorable was that this was my parents' first ever winery visit. I knew they would enjoy the wine tasting, but I knew they would also take pleasure in the vineyard tour. 

I told you he was intrigued.

Case in point, my Dad got a kick out of the "rootstock" portion of the tour. My Dad, a fellow gardener, found the rootstock process intriguing as seen in the photo here. For me, besides hearing how painstaking and important this process is, I just like the way Mr. Mitas says "root." Seriously. 

Though you cannot tell from the photos posted here, the leaves on some of the trees on property have started to turn. So if you come by in the coming weeks, you may see as much of a touch of autumn as you can get here in North Texas. 

Oh, speaking of leaves turning colors, the following pictures are of some of the grape leaves that were nice and green at the end of August. See my post from that visit for comparison, namely the Black Venus. 

I think these are Black Spanish grape leaves.

Black Venus leaves as big as my as my hands.

Tank used to top off some of the barrels.

I will continue to learn new wine things with each subsequent visit as was the case this time around. As I said in a previous posting, I am a wine novice and am learn things from great websites like Jeff Cope's and others, and from books picked up from my local library. This visit's fascinating tidbit came from how much wine is lost during the aging process. I forgot the amount Mr. Mitas said that is lost in this process, but it is enough to get the barrels refilled every so often. Full barrels keeps the wine from oxidizing. I wondered out loud if that intoxicating scent of fermenting wine in the air is the missing wine lost due to evaporation from the barrels.

"2013 Temp Blush" if you had any qualms about this sign.

What I also learned from this trip were the two new wines slated to be rolled out some time in the future: a tempranillo blush and a tempranillo reserve. If memory serves me right, and wine makers, please correct me, what does not get used in the making of the blush gets added to the reserve. Either way, I cannot wait for these to make it to the tasting room and into bottles to be purchased. The Reserve Tempranillo will be made available exclusively to those signed up in the Mitas Hill wine club. Where do I sign up? I need a wine club form stat!

The event center is coming along nicely and there were noticeable changes to the construction site since our last visit: the foundations have been poured in the ballroom, winery, and tasting areas and walls starting to come up, too. The Mitas family plans to make the event center the premier location for weddings and events in the DFW area. I look forward to the pizza oven and bed and breakfast next summer. Though we are at least twenty years from this occurring, I could see my daughter having her reception here.

Winery and tasting areas

Sorry I cropped you out of the frame there, Mr. Mitas.

The last time we were here, one of the Mitas' daughters, Michelle, led our wine tasting. Since then, they have hired MJ Hawe, who now performs this splendid task. She was marvelous and is as nice and approachable as the rest of the Mitas clan.

Mr. Mitas reiterated that his intentions are to provide a top of the line location for events and such, with the wine making aspect of their business almost secondary. While this may be true, he does have a wonderful product grown and made from the hard work done on the premises. Though they have a sizable amount of grapes growing at the moment, he is looking to put in another thousand plants to keep up with future demand. Of course, he needs more land. Hey Squeezepenny neighbors, Harold Mitas might be knocking on your door soon.

Come by and stay a while.