Mark Shipp's Wine Journal Entries
Avio Vineyards & Winery (written Jun 11, 2011)
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Favorite Wine: Confession, Sangiovese
Avio Winery is a nice Boutique winery in Amador County, CA. It has a small tasting room, but very helpful staff. The wines were almost without exception outstanding. They have several Zins and Zin blends which were outstanding, even for a non-red wine lover. Their Cabernet was also great. The lone while wine was a very dry Pinot Grigio, not their strong suit. Their Sangiovese and a Zin, "Confession," were my favorite. The Merlot was very, very different, but good. They had one dessert wine, a very sweet Orange Muscat, almost syrupy, good if you like your Moscato that sweet. All in all, possibly the best wines overall I tasted in Amador County.
San Antonio Winery (written Jun 10, 2011)
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Favorite Wine: Chocolate Bar Port
San Antonio Winery is the only winery within the city limits of Los Angeles. According to the tour host, it is the only winery in the Southland to survive prohibition (by making communion wines for the Catholic Church). The winery is quite old, and *huge.* If I remember correctly, they make as many as 850,000 cases of wine a year, a major wine operation by any reckoning. Their labels include San Antonio, San Simeon, Maddalena, Riboli, and others. Making such a huge volume of wines, it is my opinion, has the unintended consequence of lower quality of those wines. The wines we tasted, dry whites and reds and also sweet and dessert wines, were for the most part very average. Strangely enough, their dry whites were better than their sweet wines, except the chocolate Port, which was excellent.
Michael David Winery & Bistro (written Jun 10, 2011)
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Favorite Wine: 7 Heavenly Chards
Michael David winery is well known for its "7 Deadly Zins" and "7 Heavenly Chards." The "Deadly Zins" also include the expensive "Sloth," "Lust," etc. The best of the cheaper wines, available for tasting, was the 7 Heavenly Chards. Also, the Symphony, sweet white, was very nice.
Karmere Vineyards & Winery (written Jun 10, 2011)
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Favorite Wine: Peach Champagne, Barbera
Converted house, very nice tasting room, nice ambience. The host in the tasting room was *very* helpful. Gave us a packing box for our (by that time) large number of bottles to take back to Texas. We purchased a Primabera wine and my wife's favorite, Peach champagne. Interesting wines, good reds. They have an interesting red table wine in a jug, called Temperance Tarts Naughty Body, a tribute to Prohibition, but the wine was nondescript. The Barbera was actually better than the Primabera, The host gave us a free Primabera to take home with us, along with our purchases!
Sabone Wine (written Jun 10, 2011)
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Favorite Wine: Black Muscat
Shenandoah Vineyards is in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley, Amador County, CA. It has a very nice tasting room, with an (expensive) art gallery. The staff was helpful. The wines, for the most part, are average. The best we tried was an excellent Black Muscat.
Bray Vineyards (written Jun 10, 2011)
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Favorite Wine: Port, Barbera
Small winery, but well-known. They are known for their "Brayzen Hussy" brand of red and white, although these were not my favorite. The Barbera was the best, smoothest red. My favorite, best bang for the buck, is their Port, good price for excellent quality.
Villa Toscano (written Jun 10, 2011)
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Favorite Wine: Sangiovese, Viognier
Villa Toscano is fabulous. The tasting room and bistro are unbeatable. John in the tasting room was extremely helpful and knowledgeable. The wines were all above par. I was particularly impressed with the Viognier, although the Sangiovese and the Chardonnay were close seconds. The hand-crafted pizza in the bistro was to die for. You cannot miss at Villa Toscano!
Winery on the Gruene (written May 12, 2011)
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Winery on the Gruene is a "custom winery"; they make many types of wines, but do so with juice they receive from many states and foreign countries (like Water 2 Wine). The fermentation and processing of these juices is also fairly rapid. One should not expect at such a winery delicate bouquets and subtle hints of fruits, spices, and minerals. Having said that, given what they are, they do a respectable job. Fair warning: their sweet and fruit infused wines are *far* better than their dry wines. They offer a great wine tasting deal: 4 tastes for $2.00. The ambience is excellent. They serve you at tables, rather than standing at a bar, which is nice. The fruit infused wines are rather good (Orange Sangria was good, and a Mango Chenin Blance, I believe), but, surprisingly, the Port ("Harbor Red") was excellent.
William Chris Vineyards (written Apr 03, 2011)
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William Chris Vineyards is a new winery, only about a year old, on Hwy. 290 not far from Fredericksburg, TX. Because they are just starting out, their facilities are small, the winery is small, and they had only four wines for tasting. The tasting room is a very old, restored house, once owned by friends of LBJ as a youth. It is *very* rustic, but charming. For four tastes, the cost was rather steep, but made up for if you bought a couple of bottles of their wines (which were also not cheap). The staff at the tasting room were personable and helpful. The wines themselves were very good. I tried the "Enchanté," which is a mix of reds. It was good, but for my taste not as good as the Merlot, which was excellent, a fruit forward dry red. I was impressed with the "Cebola," a Muscato fortified with Brandy, obviously a desert wine. The "Mary Ruth," a semi-dry white, I found quite good. I had heard excellent reviews of their wines. For the most part, they lived up to their billing. Their production is quite low—I think I heard 3000 cases this past year—so, a small winery, with small output, but an excellent boutique winery, worth the visit, and with a great future!
Blissful Folly Farms (written Feb 13, 2011)
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Favorite Wine: Raspberry Mead
Rohan Meadery owners, the Rohans, hosted a tasting at Texas Vineyards and Beyond in Fredericksburg. I tasted only a couple of their meads (honey wine, 67% honey, 33% grape). As you might imagine, their meads are unusual with a heavy honey taste. I first tried the classic plain mead; rather sweet, not a strong flavor. I did not try, but was told the orange mead was very dry, and maybe I would like to try the raspberry mead, their most popular one? I tried it. It was very nice and I purchased a bottle. The Rohans are delightful advocates of mead, which beverage is uncommon these days. The flavor takes some getting used to, but is distinct and not unpleasant.
Blissful Folly Farms (written Feb 13, 2011)
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Favorite Wine: Raspberry Mead
Rohan Meadery owners, the Rohans, hosted a tasting at Texas Vineyards and Beyond in Fredericksburg. I tasted only a couple of their meads (honey wine, 67% honey, 33% grape). As you might imagine, their meads are unusual with a heavy honey taste. I first tried the classic plain mead; rather sweet, not a strong flavor. I did not try, but ewas told the orange mead was very dry, and maybe I would like to try the raspberry mead, their most popular mead? I tried it. It was very nice and I purchased a bottle. The Rohans are delightful advocates of mead, which beverage is uncommon these days. The flavor takes some getting used to, but is distinct and not unpleasant.
Los Pinos Ranch Vineyards (written Feb 13, 2011)
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Favorite Wine: Meritage
I have not been to Los Pinos Winery, but did go meet the owners at a wine tasting in Fredericksburg. They were delightful and the wines were good. I tasted the Cabernet Sauvignon (good, with plum flavors), the Chardonnay (not oaky, little aftertaste, very fruit forward), and the Meritage (spicy, fruity, dry red), probably the best of the three. While I do not have a review of the winery itself, the owners were great and thewines were very acceptable.
Wines Of Dotson Cervantes (written Jan 21, 2011)
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Favorite Wine: Gotas de Oro
WInes of Dotson Cervantes is not really a winery. It is a vineyard, from which the grapes go to Fall Creek Winery where the winemaker there produces a single wine from the Muscat Canelli grapes and makes "Gotas de Oro" (drops of gold) under the label of "Wines of Dotson Cervantes." Gotas de Oro is an expensive Moscato wine ($26.00 +), but can be found throughout Texas in liquor and some specialty stores. It is a great wine, but pricey and not included in the tasting offerings at Fall Creek.
Fall Creek Vineyards (written Jan 21, 2011)
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Favorite Wine: Ed's Smooth Red
Made a trip to Fall Creek on MLK day, as they were one of few wineries in Central Texas open that Monday. The winery, dining Hall, and tasting room are nice, with a wonderful tree-lined avenue leading up to the complex. The tasting room had a single attendant, who was friendly enough, although a little brusque. there were six wines we could taste, for the small price of $4.00, but none of them were the higher end, excellent wines (such as the Meritus). All of the wines were good; none of the wines distinguished themselves as exceptional. The Cabernet was a good red, without having a super bouquet of subtle flavors. The Merlot was possibly better than the Cab. The drier whites (Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay) were not great, but acceptable. FC has a variety of sweet wines——a sweet blush which is quite nice, a Muscat Canelli, and Ed's Smooth Red--were also nice, without being amazing. Of these, Ed's was surprisingly good, smooth, semi-sweet Red. As a white wine enthusiast, I found it very palatable. Their wines, alas, can be found often in grocery stores, along with other, medium to cheaper priced wines. I understand the Cabernet "Meritus" (30.00 + dollars) is excellent, but we were ot given an opportiunity to try it. Also, the "Gotas de Oro" of Dotson-Cervantes Wines is produced and bottled at Fall Creek. It is a Muscat Canelli wine, which I have had and it is excellent, but was not offered to us. They gave us their cheaper Canelli to try. So, the better wines, alas, we had no opportunity to taste. When I asked if we could see the winery and dining facilities, the attendant led us into the outer courtyard and said, "There is the winery, there is the dining room," but would not take us for a look, even though we were the only ones there. Very strange. I would return to FC; it is just too distant and the wines are not that superb to demand going out of the way to get there.
Dry Comal Creek Vineyards (written Dec 31, 2010)
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Favorite Wine: Black/White Spanish
My family first went to Dry Comal Creek Vineyards this past week. It is close to Canyon Lake, where we spend Christmas to New Year every year. It is a bit remote, not really close to New Braunfels or Canyon Lake, so takes some determination to get there. The winery is named for the "dry Comal Creek" bed behind the tasting room. The facilites are adequate to nice, with extremely friendly and professional staff in the tasting room. There were, as I recall, about 13 wines represented, from dry reds to sweet whites to a couple varieties of sparkling wines and Ports. All were drinkable, some more than others. The most popular, and my favorite, was the "Whilte/Black," a sort of Rose blend with a very nice fruity flavor without being too sweet. They had several wines on sale, including a "mistake wine," with "Bastardo" in the title, which for my taste was not very good. The "foot-pressed" reds were fruity (and had nothing to do with being actually "foot-pressed"). They are marketed as good wines for Sangria and mulled, spiced wines. The wine maker's favorite wine was a Petite Verdot, which I unfortunately I did not get to try. The sparkling wines (two of them, as I recall) were rather good and made there at the winery (their Rose sparkling was particularly good). I am a Port lover, but found both their white port and their Ruby Port to be a little bitter as well as expensive. Most of their wines are made, as I understand, from the Black Spanish grape varietal, which tolerates Central Texas heat, cold, draught, and flooding, as well as being resistant to several types of diseases, including Pierce's. The beauty of the Black Spanish is is hardiness, but it also limits Dry Comal Creek to certain types of wines.
Flat Creek Estate (written Dec 11, 2010)
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Favorite Wine: Moscato Blanco
Went back to Flat Creek--one of my favorite spots on earth. Charlie Kidd, the wine maker, gave me and my co-wprker a personalized tour. All their wines are outstanding. I don't really like red wines, but their Super Texan and Syrah and Tempranillo are to die for. Pleasant, professional, outstanding.
Duchman Family Winery (written Nov 14, 2010)
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Favorite Wine: Muscato
Duchman Family Winery is my favorite Texas winery (with the possible exception of Flat Creek Estate). All the wines at Duchman are outstanding and the ambience is superb. You *cannot* go wrong with a visit to Duchman. The wine-tasting room is beautiful, the grounds are superb, the staff is fun and knowledgeable. Be prepared--they do not do a small dosage for each tasting, but rather quite a bit. So pace yourselves. Duchman a double gold for their Dolcetto this year (2010) at SF International Wine COmpetition. Alas. I did not get to try the Dolcetto, but their Muscato is to die for.
Salado Winery Co. (written Nov 14, 2010)
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Favorite Wine: Chardonnay
This was our first visit to Salado Creek. They are still recovering from the disaster of losing everything in tropical storm Hermine. They changed locations--uphill!--and reopend with the generous help of other wineries and patrons in the area. We met John, the owner and winemaker, a very nice fellow. For having been there only since August, and only re-opened since Oct. 15, they do a great job. Three of their wines have already won awards (all dry reds). They only had one true white--a Chardonnay--which was quite good. The other was an apple cranberry fruit wine, extremely sweet. Their Port, which I was looking forward to trying, had sold out. Since I am not a dry red wine aficionado, dry reds have to bowl me over for me to be impressed, and I really wasn't overly impressed with Salado Creek's offerings. They are new, however, already making waves, and I don't doubt that they will get better and better.
Sandstone Cellars Winery (written Nov 10, 2010)
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Favorite Wine: Port
Went to Sandstone Cellars in Mason, Texas about a year ago, because of a cover story in the Texas Monthly magazine. Mason is really not on the way to anything, and you have to be wanting to go there to get there. The winery is owned by a couple of ex-California natives who fled the rat race to come to West Texas. The winery is *very small.* When we were there, they had only two wines: a dry red and a Port. The Port had won best dessert wine in the state of Texas the previous year. We bought a bottle--the best Port I have ever had (and that includes Ports in Lisbon, Portugal). Quite expensive ($48.00, if I remember), but worth it. Their wines are ***well worth the trip.*** They also operate a restaurant (Santos Taqueria), which has some of the best Mexican food I have ever eaten, and a bed and breakfast.
Grape Creek Vineyards (written Nov 10, 2010)
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Grape Creek has very nice facilities and adequate wine--good sweet wines. Worth a visit.
Driftwood Estate Winery & Bistro (written Nov 09, 2010)
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Favorite Wine: Viognier
Driftwood is an estate winery very close to Austin and near other outstanding wineries. I have visited Driftwood twice--both times memorable. Perhaps its most outstanding feature is the view of the Hill Country from the bluff on which the winery/tasting room sits. The staff in the tasting room is excellent and quite knowledgeable. The wines are good, but not all of them are equally memorable. I found their Chardonnay and Viognier (from grapes grown in their vineyard in Paso Robles, CA) to be the best wines they offered. As a sweet white lover, I found their sweeter wines to be less robust and weaker in flavor. All in all, the wines are good, especially their dry whites. Come prepared to make a picnic in their pleasant grounds and drink a glass overlooking the great view.
Bell Springs Winery (written Nov 09, 2010)
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Favorite Wine: Drippin' Sweet
Bell Springs has a pleasant ambience, small winery and tasting room. We were served by the owner and winemaker, a very pleasant and personable man. Bell Springs is a new winery in the Hill Country. We enjoyed most all the wines (the Peach Chardonnay, "Drippin' Sweet", was especially memorable). Bell Springs does not grow their own grapes (i.e., it is not an estate winery). We heard rumors later in the day, at another winery, that they may not actually process their own wines, but franchise it out. That was disappointing, but on the other hand, the wines were quite good.
Flat Creek Estate (written Nov 08, 2010)
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Favorite Wine: Muscato Blanco
Possibly my favorite Texas winery in every way--excelllent, world class wines, world class winery/tasting room, excellent staff, excellent ambience... you get the picture. *All* their wines are impressive. Their Super Texan (Sangiovese?) is outstanding red wine (and I do not like red wines!); their Syrah is possibly even better. Their Port is better than most Ports I had in Lisbon, Portugal. Their Muscato Blanco is *to die for,* especially taken with lemon sorbet! I met the owner (twice), very affable man, and spent an hour with the wine maker, Charlie Kidd, who took me on a personal tour of the wine making facilities. They are *justly* known as one of the very best, premium Texas wineries. *Do not* miss the opportunity to visit Flat Creek!
Fredericksburg Winery (written Nov 08, 2010)
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Favorite Wine: Any of their whites
Fredericksburg Winery is one of our favorite wineries. It is a small operation (only boutique--they do not sell outside of their store/winery). They do not, if I recall correctly, grow their own grapes, but purchase from vineyards and do their own fermenting in metal barrels in the back of the store. The process they use reduces acid to virtually nothing, leaving a very pleasant and fruity taste. The only downside of this is most of their wines are a bit sweet (which I like), but others might find too sweet and fruit forward. The people are extremely friendly and helpful. And the tasting is free!
Bella Vista Ranch, The (written Nov 08, 2010)
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Bella Vista Ranch is an Italian Style Villa winery. It is pleasant, a small vineyard is across from the tasting room. The tasting room is quite small and they have very limited wines--only five when we were there .Their reputation is that they are mainly olive oil producers, rather than mainly focussed on wines. This is underscored by their olive oil display as you walk in the tasting room, but the quite small wine tasting area at the back of the room. Still, the wines were good, but I hesitate to give them as good a review as Driftwood, Solaro, or especially Duchman, which wineries are close. It is a *very* pleasant trip, however, if one enjoys tasting specialty olive oils along with wines.
Solaro Estate Winery (written Nov 08, 2010)
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Favorite Wine: Bodorosso
This vineyard, now called Solaro Estate, is relatively new and very close to Austin. They grow virtually all their own grapes at the estate and produce world class red wines (alas, I am a white wine lover!). The staff at the tasting room, and the wine maker (whom we met and chatted with) were outstanding and knowledgeable. They only had reds--last year or two were not banner years in Texas for white varietals, apparently. For being a white wine lover, however, I was *impressed* with the high quality of their reds. They are premium wines in every way, including in price ($$). The only down side is the rustic and busy tasting room.
