The Traveling Winers on Texas Wine Trail
The rows of grape vines gave it away. We really weren’t sure what to expect as we drove through the aluminum ranch gates onto a field, as the building was deceptive in appearance at first resembling an old shack (which it was!). Entry into the wine tasting room revealed a surprise – it wasn’t a shack at all. It was a quaint, small tasting room. Judy, the pourer, set out oyster crackers, our glasses, and offered a sampling of dry and sweet Muscadine based wines.
We ended our visit with a casual stroll through the farm vineyards.
The Traveling Winers at The Vineyard Trail
The Traveling Winers on Oklahoma Wine Trail
We arrived just before closing and yet they threw open the doors, welcomed us in and were more than happy to share their passion! No rushing, no finger-tapping on the bar, the entire staff enjoying it. As it turns out, they aren’t even employed by the vineyards! They were Whispering Vine “frequent fliers” and apparently friends of the owners, and had volunteered to man the shop while the owner and family were out of town. Don’t know the inside arrangement, but it appeared that payment may have been a glass or two of wine to pay for their labors, which they were happy to drink the minute the doors closed. Reds to the north, whites to the south, nestled between the two is a great deck, surrounded by farmland. Seems like a fun place to go on a Friday night! Bring on the band!
The Traveling Winers at The Vineyard Trail
The Traveling Winers on Oklahoma Wine Trail
Nestled in the woods is the tasting room for Redbud Ridge. The surrounding area reminded the “winers” of the many years of Oklahoma camping, pitching a tent, stoking a fire, and cookin’ the bacon and brewin’ the coffee! What wonderful memories (but too old to do that now – would kill the back and knees!) The tasting room felt a bit crowded, but could have been due to the number of folks in the room. There were 9 of us initially and then midway through the tasting 4 more arrived. Although not a large selection of wines to taste, they were all very good. The only thing missing from this VT wine tasting experience was the abundance of passionate connection between the “winers” and vineyard staff.
WE LOVE THE SOCIALNESS OF SHARING OUR PASSION, and we felt that that was missing on this particular visit. But don’t let that stop you from visiting! The wine is terrific and just may be your favorite!
The Traveling Winers at The Vineyard Trail
The Traveling Winers on Oklahoma Wine Trail
This winery is a quick little jaunt down the road from Tulsa, which made it a perfect Saturday afternoon outing for us, Tom Joe and Miki, as we were trying to think of something to do with our day before hitting the sports bar to watch the OU football game. Only about 20 minutes south of Bixby, this establishment is both a vineyard and a lavender farm, and you can’t help notice this when you walk into the tasting room and gift shop. If you love the smell of lavender, this is the place to come!
We enjoyed our visit with Carrie, the manager of the tasting room (don’t know if this is her official title, but it’s the one we gave her!). She shared with us her knowledge on the history of the winery and lavender farm, as well as information about the types of grapes grown, which wines were made with strictly their own grapes and which were made from grapes shipped in from Arkansas (a not so uncommon practice in Oklahoma, as we are finding out).
This wine tasting experience was both very relaxing and very fun. We highly recommend that you make it a stop on your next Oklahoma wine trail! Oh, and if you are simply looking for a gift for that special someone in your life, this also might be a nice place to browse. They have items for just about anyone!
The Traveling Winers at The Vineyard Trail
The Traveling Winers on Colorado Wine Trail
Leroux Creek Vineyards was our last winery visit on day #2 of our Grand Junction – Palisades, CO wine trail. Personally, I couldn’t think of better way to end my day! A Frenchman by birth (and VERY strong accent!), but a Coloradian for the past 40 years, and now a wine maker in the Colorado Valley.
Yvon started planting the vines in 2002 and has chosen to grow them organically with no pesticides. Because of this decision, he has also chosen to grow hybrid grapes as they are hardier and not as susceptible to disease. He also taught us that hybrids have much more acidity and therefore are closer to the make-up of French wines.
Also on the property, Yvon and his wife, Joanna, run a bed and breakfast, and we can say from experience, the view is inviting and relaxing! On their business card it says “A touch of Provence in Colorado” and that is exactly what it is!
We highly recommend you make this a stop on your trail!
The Traveling Winers at The Vineyard Trail
The Traveling Winers on Colorado Wine Trail
Terror Creek was a fun winery! John and Joan are the owners and have been here for years, planting first in 1989 and bottling in 1992. Joan learned the wine craft in Switzerland!
The estate is small, producing only 500-800 cases per year, all estate grown. They also told us that they are the highest estate winery in the world and stressed…..”as far as they know”! Very cute!
We asked how the Vineyard got its name and learned that in the springtime that the creek nearby can be a terror! In addition, when they were building a ditch on the hillside years back, boulders kept falling down on the workers…hence….Terror Creek.
This is a fun stop and worth the visit. Tell John and Joan that The Vineyard Trail says “hi”!
The Traveling Winers at The Vineyard Trail
The Traveling Winers on Colorado Wine Trail
Garfield Estates is a very nice boutique winery with the tasting room uniquely located upstairs, allowing you to walk past the wine barrels and bottling machine, setting your expectations for a fine wine tasting experience.
Although the wine tasting area is quite small, the new General Manager and vintner brings the wine tasting experience to life! They currently offer 12 wines to choose from for tastings, which all but one are estate grown. Their current production is about 1,500 cases per year, but they have plans to increase that, as the new owners, to 3,500 per year.
We would recommend you go visit this winery, feel the mountains close by, experience the uniqueness of the current tasting room, chat with Allison, and enjoy a few wines!
The Traveling Winers at The Vineyard Trail
The Traveling Winers on Missouri Wine Trail
Although we never stepped foot in the winery or tasting room, we enjoyed our visit with the Westphalia Vineyard staff. How can you not when you have so much in common?! Terry, the husband portion of the husband and wife owner team, is a retiree of 3M (you know, the “Post-It Notes” company), which just also happens to be Tom Joe’s current employer (the husband portion of the Finnin team). Also, they have chosen one of their passions as their retirement hobby/employment – wine and the love of the grape. Good for you, Mary and Terry! Continue enjoying your retirement. Don’t forget to enjoy AND relax!
The Traveling Winers at The Vineyard Trail
The Traveling Winers on Texas Wine Trail
Rancho Ponte Vineyards, set among the various wineries on Wine Road 290, is a newer establishment. This year the vines are only 2 years old, hence they pull grapes from all over, even California. Rachel and Roberto Ponte are the owners. Rachel is a chef (yummm!) and Roberto comes from a long family history of wine makers, being a 5th generation vintner. Their flagship wine was the Sorrelline, a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat, Riesling and Viognier. One of the hosts, Tres, made us laugh with his response to our question “How many cases per year do you produce?” He laughed and said “We make less wine than some of the larger wineries spill!” A bit of a commercial feel in the tasting room, selling many different items. Overall, it is absolutely worth a stop on your wine trail.
The Traveling Winers at The Vineyard Trail
The Traveling Winers on Texas Wine Trail
Excellent visit once again from Torre di Pietra Vineyards! Half of the 4-some had visited this winery a year or so ago, and the other half of us, got to experience it for the first time this trip. End result – no matter the visit, the experience is always “top notch”! This winery exudes love from the owners to staff to visitors. The day we visited was a bit chilly and when we walked into the large tasting room, we were immediately dethawed with all of the warm decorations and the blazing fireplace in the living room-like setting. As you can see in our picture here, there was a group of folks sitting by the fireplace basking in the heat, enjoying their time with wine and friends. It is just that kind of place.
Our tasting experience was also “top notch”! Our hostess, Elizabeth, was a riot! She kept us in stitches during the whole tasting, and educated us very nicely on the wines, the history of the winery and the local area. She is definitely an employee to treasure [and speaking with Jenise (wife and co-owner), they absolutely do!]
We were fortunate enough to have quite a few minutes of Ken’s (husband and co-owner) time. Ken gave us a tour of the back of the house and more importantly, shared with us the history of the winery, some information on the wine industry, and his families story of how they all play a part in this family business. It was quite special to have this inside look at their, in our eyes, very successful operation!
As you can see from our rating of 5-grapes all the way around, we recommend that you make this one of your first stops along the Wine Road 290 wine trail. Tell Ken and Jenise the Vineyard Trail “Winers” said “HI!”
The Traveling Winers at The Vineyard Trail