Crisholm Trail Winery August 2010 Dockline Issue

        Hey y'all! We're back this month continuing our theme to feature Texas wine and Texas winemakers. In last month's issue we featured Jeff Sneed and his Los Pinos Ranch Vineyards in Pittsburg, Texas. This month , the tip of the Texas cowboy hat goes to Paula Williamson and her Chisholm Trail Winery in Fredericksburg, Texas.
        While other Texas wineries imitated European wineries, Paula remained true to her native Texan roots from the beginning. The winery opened June 1, 2001 and is located approximately nine miles west of Fredericksburg , in the beautiful Texas Hill Country. The theme of not only the winery, but the wine labels is the Old West. Paula is the sole wine maker for Chisholm Trail and presently has ten different wines on the market ranging in style from dry white and dry reds to sweet wines and a port-style dessert wine. Her wines have won numerous awards and are distributed to at least 50 retail locations around the state. She has a passion for creating wines from the grapes that grow well in this state such as Blanc du Bois and Lenoir.
        As we all know, Texans cannot help but add their own unique style to most anything and it is the same with wine making. The two grape varieties that caught her attention and allowed her to develop a unique twist are the Blanc du Bois and the Black Spanish (also known as Lenoir or Jacques). The aroma of the Blanc du Bois is filled with citrus, it bursts with flavor on the pallet, and has no distracting aftertaste. It is wonderfully refreshing and pairs extremely well with fruit, light cheeses, and most shrimp and fish dishes. Her first vintage won recognition as Texas Champion and Champion (Gold Metal) at the Rodeo Houston International Wine Competition.The third and fourth, now on the market, both won recognition in the Lone Star International Wine Competition. All the vintages have been made from 100% Texas grapes and she calls it "Belle Starr". The Blanc du Bois can also be made into a

sweet wine that tastes much like a sweet German Riesling. To experience a perfect balance of flavor, pair it with spicy Asian dishes. This one, she calls "High Noon II" and the last release was June 1, 2010.
        The color and flavor of the Black Spanish is intense to say the least. She originally used this wine to blend with other reds such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah to add a new and different dimension of fruit flavor. Then she released a dry Lenoir named "Lone Wolf". An upcoming new release, the 2008 Lone Wolf, has already won a Gold Medal in the Lone Star International Wine Competition 2010. The flavor is so intense in this wine that it was necessary to blend a small amount of a lighter variety to prevent taste overload. What a wonderful problem for a winemaker – too much flavor! Another recent release is her port-style wine made entirely from Texas Lenoir grapes. This one, named "Almagres" in honor of the lost Spanish silver mine in Llano County . All who have tasted this wine and who are partial to ports, have declared a new love. Paula predicts that Texas will be famous for port-style wines made from this grape. Chisholm Trail's wine making style is fruit-forward wines because, like most Texans, Paula likes a little (or maybe a lot) of spice in her food and fruit-forward wines pair nicely with these foods. Paula says

that "It has been said that I must have been Italian in another life because I like my wines to be friendly, drinkable, and to taste like the grape variety. My response is well, isn't that the point? I do barrel-age my dry red wines, but I do not overdo it".
        The winery is approximately 12,000 square feet with a present capacity of 15,000 gallons and is open daily to the public from noon until 6:00 PM. As you may have guessed from the names of her wines, the tasting room at the winery, has the ambiance of an old saloon. This relaxed country setting has the view of green hills with Texas Longhorn cattle in the pasture and quarter horses roaming freely on the property. Go out and visit Paula and enjoy a step back in time and feel free to bring your picnic.
        Paula received her JD degree from St. Mary's University in December 1979. She practiced law in San Antonio and the Hill Country as the primary owner of Skeins & Williamson, P.C. until her retirement into her full-time wine business in 2005. Paula is one of the few women in Texas who not only solely own the winery but is also the sole winemaker for Chisholm Trail Winery. For more information visit www.chisholmtrailwinery.com.
        You can find Chisholm Trail Wine at The Rancher's Daughter, where we represent over 40 Texas wineries and over 100 varietals. Come in and taste Paula's outstanding wines, we carry her entire line and her sweet "Ghost Rider" is one of our best sellers, or one of the many others that we have on daily tastings.
        We hope that you enjoy this column and as always, if you have any suggestions, we welcome them. Y'all come see us at The Rancher's Daughter, Texas' Only Texas Only Wine Shop.
        Harry and Rendy Kerr, native Texans and Montgomery residents, can be reached at 202B McCown Street, Montgomery, Texas 77356 (936) 449-4100.