Comments on: Texas Wine Report Card

By: TD Williams

TD Williams — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:01:57 +0000

Pat, I’ll definitely put Brennan on our list for a future visit.

KF, admittedly my grades are subjective. My basis for comparison is ~15+ years of tasting and pairing wines from around the world and visiting wine country destinations like Napa, Sonoma, Paso, etc. My overall grades of B for Texas includes all of the criteria described above.

Thank you both for your comments. –TD

By: KF Louis

KF Louis — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 19:42:30 +0000

TD – nicely done here. The structure of the reviews, the photography…great.

Question: You are giving the condition of Texas wine a ‘B.’ Do you mean that this is on the world or national scale? If Texas a B, then what is Oregon (Willamette/Yamhill) or Washington (Columbia)?

I am very curious.

By: Pat Brennan

Pat Brennan — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:57:50 +0000

TD,

Take a two hour drive north on Hwy 16 out of Fredericksburg and visit us at Brennan Vineyards in Comanche. Like Alamosa Wine Cellars in Bend, we are part of the Way Out Wineries of Texas Trail. As our trail indicates, we are off of the beaten path but well worth the effort. We feature good wine, personalized service and beautiful facilities. Check us out!

Thanks,

Pat

By: TD Williams

TD Williams — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:49:46 +0000

Don, I will definitely put you on our list. I look forward to it.

By: Don Pullum

Don Pullum — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:30:25 +0000

I agree with Jim’s recommendation. Please consider putting us, Sandstone Cellars Winery, in Mason, Texas in your future travels to the Hill Country. We’re making wines using grapes from Mason County only. Mason County grapes are pretty good, too.

Best,

Don

By: TD Williams

TD Williams — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:08:43 +0000

Jim, I mentioned 4 winerires near the top of the post. We didn’t have a lot of time Saturday so just went to the three that were near each other down 290 from Fredericksburg. I don’t mind busy wine tasting rooms so long as they’re run well (Becker was run very well). The overall scores were a combination between property, wines, etc. so ability to handle foot traffic wasn’t the prevailing factor. Mandola surely spent some coin, but that just gave them a high rank for the property. Their overall grade was high because we liked their wines best in comparison to others.

We definitely prefer the quieter scene and one-on-one’s with the winemakers so we’ll have to look you up next time. Thanks for the comments.

By: Jim Johnson

Jim Johnson — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:08:57 +0000

I’m curious as to how many Hill Country wineries you visited, your evaluation did not say.

I think if you get off of the 290 corridor (granted, Mandola is not in that corridor) and out in the boonies I think you’ll find things a little more relaxed and hospitable. Maybe that’s why Mandola came in first. Or maybe it’s the zillion dollar facility.

In any case, you are welcome at Alamosa any time.

Alamosawineguy