Category Archives: Wine

Northern Vermont Wine

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Northern Vermont Wine

The fall season is a great time to visit Vermont, but there’s so much more to do than look at the foliage! One of my new favorite things to do is to try out new wines. Between Texas and Vermont, the difference in wines is amazing so I’d like to share with two vineyards that I had the pleasure of trying while I was in Vermont!

East Shore Vineyard

East Shore Vineyards

(Disclaimer: Please note, I did receive a free tasting at East Shore Vineyards for my review. As always, all opinions are my own.)

East Shore Vineyards is located in Grand Isle but has a tasting room conveniently located on beautiful Church Street. The tasting room is a great opportunity to try out wine without having to go out into the country, a quick stop, before or after a meal or just swing on in during the afternoon.

PicMonkey Collage1The atmosphere is comfortable and relaxing. You’ll have the opportunity to taste a few wines and review some of the local products, which they showcase. While I was visiting, they introduced me to their “Ice Wine”, which is definitely something that Texas lacks in the wine department.

Ice Wine is made on the third coldest night at the third coldest hour. The frost on the grapes is a huge component to the making of the wine. One pound of grapes literally makes only drops of the wine. The process is amazing but so isn’t the taste!

PicMonkey CollageThere is a small fee for tastings. Bottle prices ranged from $16-$25.

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Due North Winery

Due North VineyardsDue North Winery is located little farther north and situated in Franklin, Vermont. If traveling throughout Vermont’s dairy farming community, near Lake Carmi or to/from Canada suits your fancy, this is a location that you must place on your “To Do” list!

This winery has been producing wines for only the past two years and is fairly new! The delicious wine, scenic views and overall location in itself will make the trip worth the while (and the owners are incredibly nice)! There’s a great selection of wines to choose from!

274Due North provides free tastings on the weekends. Their hours are selective – please check their website or Facebook page for the latest updates.

All of the wines from both locations were fantastic. I literally enjoyed every single one! Has anyone been to either Due North or East Shore? Any favorites?

Fredericksburg – Food, Beer and Wine

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Fredericksburg is a great little town and a tourist hot spot. It shouldn’t be any surprise as there’s plenty to do in town. One of the great things is if you are into trying lots of need food and drinks… this is a pretty good place to go.

Candy shops. There seems to be a lot of them but don’t be “good” and pass them up. They literally have everything. I grabbed a couple chocolate truffles at one and it was so worth it!

Chocolate covered everything. Pickles…. I’m not so sure…

Fredericksburg is known for wine. Coming into town, you will notice a ton of vineyards. If you have a chance (or enough time really) be sure to stop by one. If not, head into town and check out a tasting room. I stopped by Grape Creek Vineyards on Main Street. Head on in and try out six different wines, learn a bit about each of them and you get to keep a very large wine glass. I’ve only done a few wine tastings but this one was great. One on one, I learned quite a bit about the wine and the best part, it was very savory!
Wine came before dinner while I was in Fredericksburg. Once I was done the wine tasting, I headed next door to the Fredericksburg Brewery. There couldn’t have been a better choice. The atmosphere was great, beer was phenomenal and the spinach artichoke pizza with grilled chicken was out of this world. I even had someone come up to me and ask me what I was eating so he could order it.
Have you had a chance to swing by Fredericksburg? What’s your favorite vineyard or place to eat in town?
Masons Mama

Texas Steak Cookoff Wine Festival 2013

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The Texas Steak Cookoff is one of my favorite events every year, but last year they began incorporating a wine tent into the event. Thus – The Texas Steak Cookoff and Wine Festival.
For the Wine Festival:
Tickets to the wine tent are $20 per person, which includes a souvenir glass. Each person is allotted 10 tickets, one ticket per tasting. This year there were 13 wineries participating, spread out among two tents, which allowed everyone to grab a pretty good selection and lots of room to move about. Each ticket also comes with a raffle submission (see the cookoff post describing the prizes for this year).
It’s not just about tasting the wines, you are also the judge. Each person receives a voting ticket for the best white and red wines.
You could also buy bottles from the wineries attending.
Participating Wineries
(Note – All Texas based Wineries)
Dionisio Winery
Bluff Dale
Flat Creek Winery
D’ Vine Wine
Texas Lagato
Sunset Winery
Red 55 Winery
Fiesta winery
Lost Oak Winery
Blue Ostrich Winery
Los Pinos Ranch Vineyards
Red Caboose Winery

My personal favorite was the Red Caboose Winery and Vineyard. I actually tried three of their wines and they were all fantastic. Coming from someone who is relatively new to the “wine world” and still trying to figure everything out – I really fell in love with their wine and even ended up buying a bottle (below).

This years winners:
White — Fiesta Winery – Happy Trails
Red — Red Caboose – Range Rider
The wine tent was definitely the way to spend the afternoon! It allowed you to get out of the sun and cool off with some ice cold wines. The tent was also filled with members of the backyard chef teams that were cooking. I think I found a new enjoyment and if you have a chance to enjoy the tent next year, give it a go!
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Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post, however I did receive free admission to the event in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are 100% my own.