Texas Hills Vineyard November 2011 Dockline Issue

     Hey y'all! This month we are featuring Texas Hills Vineyard, but first I want to congratulate the winners of the Montgomery Wine and Music Festival Wine Tasting Competition. First place went to Sweet Dreams Winery with their Midnight in Texas, second place went to Landon Winery / Yellow Rose and in third place was Bernhardt Winery / Pinot Grigio. Good job guys and a great big Texas thanks to all who voted. We had big fun and enjoyed ourselves; the weather was perfect, the music great and that batch of Sangria was some of our best! A huge thank you to all of the folks who worked very hard as volunteers, this festival would not be possible without you. Now back to business,
Texas Hills Vineyard is located one mile east of Johnson City on Ranch Road 2766, the road to Pedernales Falls State Park. Gary & Kathy Gilstrap, and son Dale Rassett, have a dream maturing into a focal point of Texas hospitality. They invite you to come, see and taste some of their Texas wines.
The rolling hills and the soil are much like that of the Tuscan countryside in Italy. Once Kathy and Gary saw the location that makes the Texas Hills Vineyard they decided to have an Italian influence to their wines.
They even planted vines that are thought of as Italian, plus a few more: Pinot Grigio, Sangiovese, Orange Moscat, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, and Syrah. All of the grapes grown allow wines to be produced with a decidedly Italian influence.
They were the first producer of Pinot Grigio in Texas. Most of the Pinot Grigio sold in the United States comes from Italy. Their Pinot Grigio compares with some of the prize wines from Italy. Most of us have tried the light, white wine but few of us have had the pleasure of trying one of this caliber. A dry, yet fruity white wine that holds its flavor throughout the taste and it just begs to be served with your finest meal. It is a great "food wine" noted to be comfortable with the garlic and spices of Italian cuisine; their Pinot Grigio is a quality white.

Orange Moscato is one of their sweeter wines produced from the Orange Muscat grape. The aroma of this fruit and the resulting wine is such a pleasant experience for those around the winery; it's pleasant from start to finish. The fruit is crushed and fermentation started, then with the aid of their refrigeration system, they stop fermentation at about 8% alcohol and 4% residual sugar. When the fruit quality is there, the resulting wine is a joy. A natural "orange zest" flavor comes from the grape with just the right sweetness. In Italy it is used as an aperitif, to start the meal, or with desert, to finish the meal, either way it is a pleasant tasting wine that you will enjoy. A great wine for a new wine drinker yet respected by the experienced wine connoisseur.
Sangiovese, Chianti wines from Tuscany, in Italy must contain 85% or more of this fine grape. They have one of the largest acreage of Sangiovese in Texas, planted in 1996. They work hard to produce this wine in the style of Italy and believe you will agree that Sangiovese grapes like Texas and they like the fine wine that they can produce from this grape. It is light enough to enjoy by itself or perfect with almost any foods. Light tannins and a nice fruity aroma and a smooth finish. They also make a dry rosé wine from this grape called Rosato di Sangiovese.
Chardonnay can be a great grape to grow in the Hill Country. They get plenty of rain, just enough sun, and when the late frost doesn't get them, they get a grape with a lot of character. The wines produced are not"wimpy" when it comes to pairing with food. They believe in using just enough oak to finish the aging properly and to accent the flavor, and not be overpowering. The fruit flavor of the wine should show itself and their Texas Hill Country Chardonnay is a wine that you'll wish you had more of.
Texas Hills Vineyard feels fortunate to be in an area that has a perfect location to grow quality Cabernet grapes. Their Cabernet Sauvignon is truly a "class act", in fact they have started calling all of their Cabernet wines "KICK BUTT CAB" for this reason. Growing conditions in the Texas Hill

Country are perfect for this grape and they have learned to create a wine that presents that perfection. The wine has a rich full flavor with a pleasant feel in the mouth. Taste their "Kick Butt" Cabernets against the best-rated wines in the country; they believe you will appreciate this as one of the best.
They planted the Syrah (Shiraz) grape that does so well in the southern Rhone Valley in France. They produce the wine in the French style, so they have maintained the name Syrah, instead of the Australian Shiraz, and bring to your attention that when you grow Syrah in a hot environment it often gives a little "black pepper" taste on the finish. A great wine to enjoy with any foods that you put a lot of black pepper on, or just to enjoy!
Merlot, this grape makes a hardy, full-bodied, wine when grown in the hot Texas sun. For the wine drinker that enjoys a robust red wine, their Merlot is the perfect wine for you. It has the balance of tannins and flavor, aged in American Oak for that little extra "spice" flavor. This wine ages well and will improve with each month. Dale manages the vineyard and works to produce the highest quality Texas grapes with which to produce the wine. Gary takes what is produced and oversees the wine. Kathy manages the tasting room and invites you to drop by and sample their wines.
You can find Texas Hills Vineyard wine at The Rancher's Daughter, where we represent over 55 Texas wineries and over 150 varietals. Come in and taste their wines 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.