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Big skies and big birds: A visit to Blue Ostrich Winery (Saint Jo, TX)
Eight hilltop acres, 10 Texas wines, and one lanky bird added up to a memorable Friday when we took the road north to Blue Ostrich Winery and Vineyard. This popular North Texas winery is located in Saint Jo, Texas and is part of the new-ish Texoma AVA. It’s about 90 minutes from DFW and practically…
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Texas Winery Bingo (Free downloadable game cards)
Liven up your Texas wine trip with this fun, free scavenger-hunt game! Up to six people or teams can play Texas Winery Bingo. Each card lists objects and words you’re likely to find while doing tastings at Texas wineries. To play, each player or team marks off the squares as you find them. (Complete rules…
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A taste of heaven at Eden Hill Winery (Celina, TX)
Just north of Dallas, where the tollways end and the cornfields begin, is a little slice of wine paradise. Towering vines, friendly staff, and distinctive wines make Eden Hill Winery a delightful day trip from anywhere in the Metroplex. The 10-acre property is equipped with a tasting room, wine-making facilities, and two acres planted with…
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Llano Estacado acquired, plans expansions in Lubbock and Fredericksburg
Llano Estacado Winery is staking out new territory, according to a press release from January 14, 2025. Texas’s largest premium winery was recently purchased by a group of investors with big plans. Currently, Llano Estacado has just one public location: A tasting room in Lubbock, Texas that also includes a 200-person event center. The planned…
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Don’t Napa my Fredericksburg: Can Texas wineries stay affordable?
The Californication will continue until morale improves! Yes, it’s true: Tech and finance dollars–combined with voracious agrotourism–are coming for Texas’s wine industry. The great relocation of California residents to Texas has kept up its pace, remaining the largest state-to-state migration pattern every single year since 2020. We’re all feeling anxious about it. “Don’t California My…
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Texas Tasting: Blue Lotus Winery (Seguin, TX)
Along the bottom side of the upright triangle connecting Houston, Austin, and San Antonio runs Texas Highway 10. And along this route is the small, rustic town of Seguin. And just a short drive from old downtown Seguin is Blue Lotus Winery, a cozy tasting room with Texas wine/mead and great service. I found myself…
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5 grape-y things to do in Grapevine, Texas
The Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Grapevine, Texas is becoming nationally known for its family-friendly attractions. Legoland, Great Wolf Lodge Waterpark, Sea Life Aquarium, and the Gaylord Texan Resort are all located nearby. But if you’re looking for a more adult kind of fun–the kind that involves crushing some tasty wines with friends–Grapevine has that, too.…
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Texas Tasting: Messina Hof (Grapevine)
When Paul V. and Merrill Bonarrigo planted some vines in Bryan, Texas in 1977, they might not have guessed that the single-acre, experimental vineyard would become one of the oldest and most awarded estate wineries in Texas. Messina Hof wines are familiar to Texas wine fans here and abroad. There’s a large portfolio of wines, covering…
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Wine Road Trip: Arizona’s Sonoita-Elgin region
Sippin’ in Sonoita! We were in Tucson in for the Gem & Mineral show in February 2024…what a perfect place to shake off the winter blahs. Some of the most breathtaking green hills and tumbleweed-swept deserts I’ve ever seen are here…and surprising hospitable wineries, as well. Sonoita-Elgin is a lesser-known wine region with plenty of…
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Houston Pit Stop: Golden Oak Micro Cellar
What is better than a glass of Texas wine on a perfect fall day? A glass of Texas wine with pasture views, of course! We had just such a an idyllic experience on a recent trip from the Houston metro area back home to Dallas. Those of you who travel through Texas know the drive…