Red Wine with Sushi? Yep! Texas Hills Vineyard Barbera
Last weekend, my wife and I had friends Jill and Mark up to our cottage in the Texas Hill Country. They were seeking a respite, relief from the Houston humidity. So, I proposed that we meet-up in Johnson City at Texas Hills Vineyard on their way to Fredericksburg. As we sought the cool of the winery, owner and winemaker, Gary Gilstrap proved to be a grand host.
When we entered the tasting room, it was a rush of excitement with two loads of wine tourists that were being shuttled around the hill country wineries by limo and mini-bus. But, as the rush subsided, Gary gave us tastes of this 2009 wines, white and red. The wines that caught my tasting room palate were the Texas Hills Vineyard Roussanne and Syrah (Rhone-originated white and red wine grapes now grown in Texas) followed by his Barbera (Italian red grape) and Tempranillo (Spanish red grape of Rioja fame, but grown in Neal Newsom’s Texas high plains vineyard).
If you get near Johnson City, Texas, I reckon that you should plan to stop by for a taste. If you’re heading toward Fredericksburg on Route 290, just hang a right at the Exxon station and you can’t miss it if you go down the road a bit.
I will get back to the Barbera story shortly…..as there’s definitely more: Tempranillo, Syrah, Roussanne, Merlot…
See: http://vintagetexas.com/blog/?p=5239
Tags: local wine, Texas hill country, Texas Hills VIneyard, Texas wine
