Three Dudes Winery March 2011 Dockline Issue

      Hey y'all! Good to be back. A big ol' Texas "pre-shate-it" to all y'all who follow us through this article and come in to the shop. Last month we featured Wichita Falls Vineyards & Winery. This month, the nod goes to Three Dudes Winery.
      Three Dudes Winery gets its name from the three dudes that built it. The tasting room and production facility were designed and constructed by the Three Dudes, Terry Alford, Jeff Felderhoff, and Ron (Ropo) Pontiff. This isn't your typical winery, as suggested by the name itself. Three Dudes' appeal is its non-traditional approach to making and enjoying great tasting wine. These fine wines are produced from Texas grown grapes and juices, grapes that are carefully selected from the best vineyards to be found throughout this great State. Their signature wine is a merlot, Three Dudes and a Dog….wine with a mysterious bite. The Three Dudes concept is that even the beer connoisseur can appreciate fine wine as well. Legend has it that the Dudes (and Deuce the dog) all long time wine lovers, decided to go into the winery business at some point during the "fog of war" commonly experienced in one of their perennial "Texas 42" weekend domino marathons. The Dudes decided early on that all of their wines would be 100% Texas wines, made from 100% Texas grown grapes. Established in 2005, they currently create and bottle somewhere in between 800 to 1000 cases of Premium Texas Wine per year. The Dudes grow a few vines on the winery grounds but typically use the estate grapes for experimental purposes or as blending wines. There are plans to expand the vineyard, but the Dudes believe that you have to start out with the best grapes to make the best wines, and in their opinion, the best grapes in Texas are grown in The Texas High Plains

Appellation. "We believe that beer is for working and wine is for having fun" says Jeff, Ropo and Terry who typically throw one back just as a show of solidarity. Located on the banks of the spring-fed waters of the San Marcos River, Three Dudes Winery offers a taste of Texas that is hard to duplicate. Built on the grounds of the old ranch Dock Line Magazine, Inc. - Lake Conroe Edition March 2011 47 quarters, their decks overlook the "River of Innocence". Three Dudes Winery offers the finest in Texas wines in a casual, relaxed atmosphere. Three Dudes has several packages available to meet the needs of those looking to host an outdoor event. They can coordinate the entire event to include food, wine and local Texas musical entertainment or any combination of the three. They have celebrated weddings, bridal showers, birthday and graduation parties, fundraisers, social mixers and company events. The tasting room is open daily from noon until six p.m. The Dudes are usually out doing business related things during the week days. However, you can typically find one or more hanging around the winery grounds on week-ends working and/or having fun. The winery dog is a Brittany spaniel. His registered name is "Three Dudes Fideaux" but his friends call him "Deuce". He lives with Terry when he is not at the winery. Contrary to popular belief, he is only a mediocre domino player. "When we can, we crush, ferment, and press our own

grapes picked fresh from the vineyards of the Texas High Plains" say the Dudes, but wine making is still relatively young in Texas and quality Texas grapes are frequently in very short supply. This, coupled with the Three Dudes commitment to stay true to making only 100% Texas wines comprised of only 100% Texas grown grapes, can sometimes be very challenging. So, to insure the quality and consistency of Three Dudes wines, they occasionally choose to purchase juice, or freshly fermented bulk wines from other fine Texas wineries and vineyards, which are then blended, and/or finished, bottled, and aged onsite to create a singularly unique style of Premium Texas wine.
      Their current offering includes: Merlot, soft, dry red wine with cherry and plum aromas, Texas Red, red wine with a nose of peppers and chocolate aromas and a nice sweet/tart finish, Texas White, white wine with aromas of citrus and grapefruit, Chenin Blanc, clean and crisp wine with tart apple and mineral flavors, and White Zinfandel, beautiful peach color with aromas of strawberries and honey. You can find Three Dudes wine at The Rancher's Daughter, where we represent over 50 Texas wineries and over 100 varietals. Come in and taste The Dudes' 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.