To the Red River Valley We Go: A Recent Texas Wine Trip

I tend to wax nostalgic around this time of year, not just because it is my birthday week, but also because we took our first big Texas wine trip to the Texas Hill Country for my fortieth birthday a few years ago. That trip laid the groundwork for subsequent trips to Texas wineries and also left a big impression on our family because it was the first non visit-family-type vacation we had ever taken. Since then we have taken a couple non visit-family-type trips that somehow always include a winery stop or two. One of these includes a brief but memorable stop at Brennan Vineyards back in May of 2016 (the write-up for this visit has been on the back-burner since but is coming soon!). However, this year we were unable to take a big road trip to celebrate my birthday, but we did take a quick trip to a couple wineries up in the Red River Valley a couple weeks ago. This trip included visits to Arché Winery and Blue Ostrich Winery and Vineyard near the hamlet of St. Jo, which lies a few miles south of the Red River. Though we were only there for a few hours, we had a great time and I will share some memories here.

Arché Winery
This visit to Arché has been a long time coming as I mentioned wanting to take a trip there on one of my first Texas wine blog posts, so my excitement bordered on ecstatic as we drove up the dirt road between rows of vines to their tasting room. We missed the opportunity to take a vineyard and winery tour by one week as harvest is slated to start a little early this year, so we "settled" on a fantastic wine tasting with winemaker Grayson Davies, son of Howard and Amy Davies, owners and operators of Arché. 

Rows of Arché Syrah.

I shared with Grayson that I had been wanting to visit Arché for a good while now and was excited to finally make the relatively short trip from Dallas. He noticed our matching "Texas Wine" tattoos, and told him that we got them from a fellow Texas wine aficionado a while back and thought it apropos to wear them for this trip.

Hurray for Texas rosé!

Our wine tasting stayed on the dry side of their 100% Texas wines and found them to be excellent with the Texas Rose (dry rosé of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah) to be our consensus favorite. Other exceptional wines included the Roussanne and Ryan's Red (red blend of estate Cab and Syrah).  

Matchy, matchy for #TxWine.

While Grayson attended to other customers in the tasting room who arrived shortly after we did, his mother Amy came by and poured the next wine on our tasting. I forgot how the introductions came about, but she remembered that I had emailed her a few days prior to our visit, so we made our acquaintance, chatted about the vines, and talked 'shop' which included how they want to apply to have their vineyard recognized as their own American Viticultural Area. 

Veraison is well under way.

Amy shared with us some of their future plans that include to pull out and replant a portion of the vineyard near the winery to narrow the space between the rows which currently has a width of 12' (then narrow width to 8'), and then to expand their tasting room area by creating a patio for folks to enjoy both their wine and their scenery. This patio should be ready to go soon, perhaps as soon as this fall.

Future Arché patio, future wine fun!

On our next Red River Valley visit, we hope to take advantage of their vineyard and winery tour so we could not only broaden our Arché experience, because their strive for environment sustainability in their winemaking and viticulture intrigues me, but also to drink more of their amazing Texas wine. Priorities, right?



 
Thanks to Grayson and Amy Davies for an unforgettable first visit to Arché.
Let's just say that my wife and I cannot wait for our next visit!

Blue Ostrich Winery and Vineyard
A short and scenic route from Arché to Blue Ostrich Vineyards took us literally to the edge of Texas-- the Red River was essentially a stone's throw from the Farm to Market road we were on. Our plans at Blue Ostrich involved us arriving in time for a wine tasting and then take a tour of the vineyards and winery, but we instead got caught up in our great tastings and subsequent glass of wine so much so that we totally forgot about the tour. But who could blame us! The live music and gorgeous scenery kept us in the patio for the duration of our stay.

Truth is that there's great wine here!

As it was at Arché, our tastings stayed on the dry side of things though my wife did try a couple sweet whites which she did not find as appealing as she used to try during our early Texas wine travels. 

Each of our tastings were very nice, which I think had to do with how busy the tasting room as our visit also coincided with a live music event in the pavilion (perhaps also a wine club pick up event). Their estate viognier was our first wine to taste, which we enjoyed, but the highlights were a couple extra tastings, that included an inky dark petite sirah that the wife completely loved (huge surprise to me!), and the newly released Brüder, a reserve 2014 tempranillo made from grapes grown on the Blue Ostrich estate, which was released the day of our visit, and one that my wife also loved (another huge surprise!). I'm still awestruck that she loved that wine because she is not a big fan of tempranillos (my fave). I think the 'reserve' nature of the wine, having been aged a little longer in oak barrels, went a long way towards making this palatable for her.

Dig those 80s 'staches!

As wonderful as the wines were, we absolutely loved the view of the vineyard and beyond from our seats in the pavilion. I could not help but notice how much this view reminded me of the environs around Fredericksburg in the Texas Hill Country. Somewhere along the way during our visit there, I picked up a nice brochure that said that this area of Texas is the "north Texas Hill Country." I would have to agree as the views in and around both of these wineries did take my mind back to previous Texas Hill Country visits.

The last of the ostrich Mohicans at Blue Ostrich.

As is the case on our road trips, we do not know what we will see once we hit the road. Whether it was that surprisingly winding and scenic jaunt up FM 677 from St. Jo to Arché, then knowing how tantalizingly close our road was to the Red River on the way to Blue Ostrich, and finally knowing that these locales are so very close to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, but yet felt so far away in our minds. The pull to make our pilgrimage to the Texas Hill Country and the wineries surrounding Fredericksburg is oh so very strong, but it is very comforting to know that we can hop in the car for an hour and half and experience something quite similar. We ventured up a familiar road but in a different direction, and it made all the difference in our world. It was certainly the wine road less traveled, but it will be one that will become quite familiar in due time.

Blue skies + vineyards = good times with Texas wine at Blue Ostrich!

Umbra Winey's new vine: Umbra Winery at La Buena Vida Vineyards

Umbra Winery sent out a new 'vine', northwest of Fort Worth, when they purchased La Buena Vida Vineyards in Springtown several months ago. For John and Debbie Wilson, owners of Umbra Winery, the "buena vida" (good life) includes the building of a new event center and tasting room at La Buena Vida Vineyards. Their aspirations at La Buena Vida Vineyards will build on the legacy of Dr. Bobby Smith, a pioneer of Texas wine culture who previously owned the property and planted the vineyard more than 40 years ago.

The Wilsons not only bought a 49 acre vineyard, but they also inherited a much bigger wine production facility, and the opportunity to also produce mead. The mead is now on tap at Umbra in Grapevine-- which is fantastic by the way, and is a perennial mainstay at the Scarborough Renaissance Festival in Waxahachie.

We paid our first visit to Umbra's new digs last weekend after having spent a fun (wine) filled day at a couple Red River Valley wineries the day before (write-up here). We've known John and Debbie since their CrossRoads days in Little Elm when their production facility also doubled as a tasting room, so when they told us of this new venture several months ago, we were ecstatic to say the least. Upon our arrival, John took us on a quick tour of their expansive new facility, and I noted that they could fit their old Little Elm wine making facility inside this area a few times over.

Afterwards, John let us wander among the vineyard, which is the third oldest in Texas behind Val Verde Winery in Del Rio, and those of Llano Estacado Winery up on the Texas High Plains. During our short stroll we saw vines of Pinot Blanc, Chambourcin, Syrah, Viognier, and Pinot Grigio. We were told that there are Albariño vines as well.

Is the Syrah getting close to harvest?

We came across the Memory Garden, a lovely place built by Dr. Smith, that greets folks as they come onto the property. The plaque that adorns the garden entrance is apropos for a Texas vineyard.

 

They should be breaking ground on the event center towards the end of July, but the process to dig out the wine cellar is to happen sooner. The event center is tentatively set to open in the spring of 2018. 

In the middle of this picture, off in this distance, is where the new event center will be built. I spy a 'cat'!

This 'cat' is ready to pounce!

As big fans of Umbra's wine, and of course of John and Debbie, we gush about our own personal excitement about their new journey, so we cannot imagine the excitement they feel. But there is still much more work to be done: new ground will be broken, buildings will be erected, grapes will be harvested, and a new Texas wine adventure will soon be born.

Above and below are architectural renderings of the new event center and tasting room. Can't wait!

Setting Down More Roots: Umbra Winery Keeps Growing

Everyone is welcome at Umbra, especially Walkens.

 UPDATE--
The plans laid out in this post never came to fruition. Please visit newer posts for up to date information on Umbra Winery.

A recent visit to Umbra Winery proved to be fruitful in a few different ways. We tried a fantastic new Cabernet Sauvignon. We found out that owner John Wilson is now the winemaker. And we found out that Umbra is expanding its footprint in Grapevine. Excitement is building, and rightly so, since Umbra has only been open several months.

John Wilson greeted us and said we had to try the soon to be released Roussanne. This lesser known white varietal has shown to be another great white wine that pairs well with Texas terroir. The fruit for this new Umbra wine is grown out in the Texas High Plains at Oswald Vineyards. I personally have been wanting to try it since John mentioned it last year, and it is very good. However the wine that caught my fancy was not this one, but the new Cabernet Sauvignon made by John Wilson himself.

Longtime CrossRoads and Umbra Winery winemaker John Otis recently left Umbra for new adventures out in the Pacific Northwest, leaving John Wilson with winemaking duties. So another hat that John Wilson now dons is that of winemaker. His first wine creation is a Cabernet Sauvignon blend of two vintages, plus a smidgen of Merlot for good measure. This vino shows that John picked up a thing or two over the years from Mr. Otis' winemaking prowess as it is fantastic. If you want a a good indicator of how good this wine is, my wife who is not a fan of red wines and makes a point of avoiding them, utterly loved this cab. Well done, John. Well done.

Picture wine-making materiel in this end of the room.

When Umbra opened its doors on Grapevine's busy Main Street last fall, the actual winemaking facility remained in Little Elm. Over the last week or so I caught wind of some future changes from an Umbra Instagram conversation. Even before I had a chance to ask John about the upcoming changes, he asked us to join him for a quick jaunt outside.

Picture fun wine related events in this side of the room.

John is still awaiting final approval from the city of Grapevine, but behind their Main Street location, is a building that he hopes that will not only house Umbra's wine making apparatus, but will also serve as Umbra's event center for wine club and other entertaining events.

In less than one year John and his wife Debbie have done more than settle into their Grapevine location, but have set themselves up for future success. Grapevine is North Texas' wine hub and Umbra Winery will be a big part of Grapevine's wine destination industry.

Coming Soon-- Umbra Winery Comes to Grapevine, Texas!

I had the privilege of helping serve wine at what will be another new winery opening this November in Grapevine, Texas. Umbra Winery is the Grapevine venture of CrossRoads Winery in Frisco and is down the street from the historic Wallis Hotel, the future Grapevine home of Texas wine heavyweight Messina Hof, and only a few doors down from D'Vine Winery on South Main Street in historic downtown Grapevine. The winery took advantage of the crowds at Grapevine's annual GrapeFest prior to their official opening to showcase their wine and their soon to be completed tasting room.

Umbra's location used to be a clothing boutique so remodeling has included pulling up the existing carpet and expose the original brick walls for November's grand opening. Most visitors loved the brick that winery owner John Wilson has worked very hard to expose. A good deal of the remaining walls are of the chalkboard variety which proved to be great advertising tools for GrapeFest weekend.

This chalkboard greets you as you walk in-- including social media hashtags!

The wine menu for GrapeFest tastings.

One of the remaining walls left untouched so far is a nice bright hue of lime green. It is a bold color and provides some interesting contrast with the black chalkboard walls. Though it is not part of the final design plan of the winery, one of the wine tasters found this lime-colored wall intriguing enough to come back and take a picture of it.

The bottle specials this weekend and part of that green wall.

Oh, and one cannot forget their great wine lineup. At the moment they are using wines from the CrossRoads label but Umbra will have its own label and will continue to use Texas fruit from the wine-making facilities at their Little Elm (Frisco) location. There are a couple new white wines scheduled to come out soon, including a Chardonnay that will be available after the grand opening, and a Roussanne that I'm really looking forward to taste in the spring.  
 

A wine for every taste- from sweet to bold and everything in between!

John, his wife Debbie, and winemaker John Otis (and us wine club members, too!) look forward to an early November opening with what should be a continuance of award winning wines in a new and historical location with Umbra Winery. So keep an eye out for Umbra Winery's grand opening and come visit their new tasting room and take home some wonderful wine!

Re-Revisiting Mitas Hill

Under construction

We made another visit to what has become a favorite place to hangout, Mitas Hill Vineyards. In mid-February, we were lucky to receive a special invitation to be a part of Mitas Hill Charter membership, so we swung by and chatted with their VP of Operations. We have not made our decision to join but we were beyond flattered to get this incredible opportunity.

Inside the future Ballroom

One of the things I enjoy the most of visiting the Mitas family is chatting with Mr. Mitas. He took us on quick visit to see the Event Center that is under construction. The last time we were here in late October, the foundation had been poured and the walls were starting to come up.

The shell of the place is impressive, so I can only imagine how the awesome the completed building will look like this summer. It is big enough to hold wedding receptions, their regular customers, and also their charter members, all at the same time. Mr. Mitas said that the center is bigger than even he imagined!

Peeking towards The Lodge at Mitas Hill.

I asked him a few things: when they'll start pruning the vines- they are probably getting ready to do that soon- and that his winemaker daughter had just returned from an educational trip out west with six hundred new Zinfandel vines. I should have asked how those vines will translate into actual acreage.

Overlooking Cabernet Sauvignon vines.

I did ask if he'd gone over to the TWGGA convention that was being held over in Frisco. He said that he had for a while, said hello to folks, but that he had to get back. He did mention that a lot of vendors sold items that were not necessarily geared towards the Texas Wine industry as a whole- the operations in the state are not yet big enough to warrant many things that the vendors sell. We both agreed that in several years the industry will be there. 

Patio + Mitas Hill wine = Can't wait!

Mr. Mitas feels that more Texas wineries  should build more event centers similar to his in order to make them true Texas Wine destinations that will attract more than the passing-through crowd. He thinks that the Texas Hill Country wineries near Fredericksburg would be a perfect place to start this trend.

Whether or not to join the Vineyard Club and Wine Appreciation Society has yet to be decided, but what was decided early on was that Mitas Hill Vineyard is a wonderful place to visit with great wine and the exceptional Mitas family.

Travel Texas, Travel #TXWine

One of the things I love about my home state is that there is so much to see and do all within the confines of these Texas borders. And what has come into my wheelhouse is to visit as many of the wineries and vineyards of Texas as possible. I only lament the fact that I started my Texas winery visits only at the start of my fortieth year.

With the help with Texas tourism website and Fredericksburg C of C information, we were able to make the most of our time in the Texas Hill Country last summer. And little did we know that the Texas Hill Country would make Wine Enthusiast top ten wine destinations.

I feel so proud to see the Texas wine industry flourish, yet so much work needs to get done and that is why I do my best to help spread what #TXWine and its industry can do for our great state.

Plus I love to help people find some good wine to drink. For example, check out Wine Enthusiast's buying guide for Texas wines.

Oh, and if you get a chance, visit here for a chance to win a Wine Enthusiast Texas Hill Country vacation.

Remember: travel Texas, travel #TXWine

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.

CrossRoads Winery- Up the Tollway and off a Beaten Path

It is funny how things turn out sometimes. If I had intended to write about my winery visits, I would have written detailed summaries of Becker Vineyards, Pedernales Cellars, and Sister Creek Vineyards- my first ever winery visits, instead of relegating those visits to brief flashbacks in other postings. But to write about my winery experiences did not come to mind until part of the way into the Mitas Hill visit, and even then I only intended to post a few pictures and write a brief synopsis about the visit. Nothing more. However, it did not come out so brief, and up to this point, is the most visited blog post I have ever written. My intention for any winery writing is to give our wine making neighbors shout-outs in the hopes that anyone who reads this will give their great tasting wines a try, such is case now with CrossRoads Winery from their Frisco, almost Little Elm location. 

Here is the funniest thing, we have been this way before. The last time we drove on Main Street in Frisco west of the Dallas North Tollway had to have been ten years ago when our then infant daughter was kept at a home daycare in west Frisco. There were few recognizable landmarks to guide our westward trek towards King Road, as many things have changed up this way: more subdivisions with many more homes, tons of stores when there were none before, traffic lights, you name it. As soon as we crossed FM 423, the road narrowed, Main Street turned into King Road, and the scenery reminded us what this part of Frisco looked like ten years ago. Soon we happened onto an array of warehouses where Cross Road Winery is housed.

This picture doesn't do the ambiance justice.

We walked in and were greeted by a sign that is to be the name of their soon to debut tempranillo, but what caught our eye was the tasting room just beyond. With lights draped across the room, two huge tanks on one wall and wine barrels along two other walls, this place looks a place to do some serious wine tasting and drinking. 

Fruit, meats, and cheese, if you please.

We found our table and the server at the tasting bar brought us our menus. She was very attentive even though she had several others to attend to besides us. We chose to order a tapas plate for a reasonable price to go along with our wine tasting.

Loved these little cards to tell you what you tasted.

For the life of me, I cannot remember the name of our server, but she asked what kind of wine my wife and I prefer. For my wife, sweeter whites, to go along with my dry reds. The initial round started with My Cheeky Bastard (sweet blush) for my wife and I got the CSM (Cab-Syrah-Merlot blend). Next we choose three more. The three I chose were: the 2010 Sangiovese, 2008 Reserve Cabernet and the 2009 Cabernet. My wife's picks: Detour (Chenin Blanc/muscat blend), VB White (dry Riesling) and the SpeedBump (Pinot Gris). 

Our lovely server also brought my wife a VB Red (sweet chilled red) and then each of us, their newest creation, a tempranillo. Though I liked every single red she brought me, I loved the tempranillo just ahead of their Syrah. The tempranillo is not yet for sale as they are waiting for label approval from the TABC, which I hope is soon so I can pick up a bottle the next time we swing by.

For me the best bouquet of the bunch was essentially a tie between the My Cheeky Bastard and the VB White, with the VB White being very reminiscent of Sister Creek's Muscat Canelli at least in smell.

I can't wait to taste what's inside!

I so want to kick myself because I wanted to try their White Port Pearl. Ugh...maybe next time. And the next time should be soon as my parents are slated to make a trip to north Texas in the coming weeks and this is a place that I am definitely bringing them to. Though it is too bad they will not be here for the Dallas Town and Country Wine Trail Fall Wine Trail event on October 19th and 20th, where three wine tastings, food and wine glasses with the wine trail logo will be given at several wineries for a low price.

They like to dress up their bottles with medals.

Right before we left, we met another couple who arrived for their wine tasting towards the end of ours. Like us, this was their first visit to CrossRoads but it was their one-hundred and first visit to a Texas winery. 101!!! Wow, that's what I'm talking about! We just started our winery visits and the count sits at five, but I hope we get to double digits before the year is out. 

It goes without saying that we will return to CrossRoads Winery. It is only a quick jaunt up the DNT for us and for anyone else looking for a nice place to unwind with your significant other, or to spend a girl's night out with great wine and live music on Fridays, or to just come for your Sunday-funday trip for some Texas wine. ¡Salud!

No tantrums from me unless I can't get some tempranillo.