This Fourth of July will be most unusual without public parades, concerts, and public celebrations. At least we have several awesome Texas wines to pair with our private celebrations. Texas whites and roses’ are sipped with or without food. These wines are chilled down and can even be iced to keep your white and rose’ wines chilled in our summer heat. I suggest you can either head to a local winery with wine take-out or to your favorite grocery store (HEB or Kroger’s) or your local wine shop for your selections. Local wineries where you can pick up wines include:
• Bernhardt Winery with its Blanc du Bois, Blanco Dulce, Pinot Grigio, Bernhardt Blush, Pinnelli, and Schrock. Their Texas Zinfandel will pair great with your BBQ!
• Blue Epiphany on the north side of Conroe has two white wines for your drinking pleasure.
• Messina Hof Winery in Bryan has 95 different wine varietals and quality levels. They are known for their Rieslings, Chardonnays, Pinot Grigio and Viogniers along with some awesome rose wines. Look for their canned wines for pool-side sipping.
• West Sandy Creek Winery near Richards has several Blanc du Bois wines for your discernment at this family owner winery presided by a banker.
• Whitley Vineyards in historic downtown Montgomery invites you to try their Muscat Canelli and Blanc du Bois along with their roses made from Grenache and from Sangiovese. These roses’ will go great with your grilled burgers and hot dogs.
• Wild Stallion Vineyards just off Gosling Road on West Rayford Road in Harris County has several Blanc du Bois wines including a sparkling Blanc du Bois. They also have several roses’ and some sweet whites.
Please note that with Governor Abbott’s recent Executive Order that most wineries and their concerts are shut down, EXCEPT for wine pickups on the weekends. Please call ahead to place your order so you don’t have to wait in your car. Each of these wineries has a website and is easy to GOOGLE for winery information.
Canned wine in the summer is becoming popular, especially around the pool and around the lake. Several Texas wineries are serving their wines in cans like Llano Estacado and Messina Hof. I would check with SPEC’S for these canned wines.
Wines available at your local grocer or wine shop (but are subject to availability) include:
• Becker Vineyards with its Viognier, Chardonnay, and rose’.
• Brennan Vineyards with its luscious Viognier
• Fall Creek with its Chardonnay, Chennin Blanc, and its newest being a lo-cal wine.
• Llano Estacado with its awesome Chardonnay, Viognier, sweet wines, and roses’.
• McPherson Cellars has an awesome rose.
These are just a few of Texas wines available for your palate!
If you want a refreshing summer cooler, get one or several wines to pour into a pitcher with slices of orange, apple, and dried apricots. Chill in the freezer for ten minutes and serve with ice for a surprising adult beverage. BTW Llano Estacado has bottled Sangria if you wish.
Celebrate the Fourth with your favorite adult beverage, even paired with your BBQ. As always, please drink responsibly and have a memorable Fourth with your own patio fanfare!