red wing dove vineyard and winery

Very Tasty wine not too sweet and not too dry. A beautiful place to sit and sip their wonderful Texas wine.

The newest winery in Hamilton County, Red Wing Dove has opened its doors and hearts to those who are willing to go just a few miles off the main highway (TX 281). They grow 5 different grapes on their prime land and make a bunch of white and red wines worthy of collection. While most Texas wines are real sweet, Red Wing Dove produces some that are dry and complex. I particularily enjoyed their Shiraz wines. The winery store is open Friday 4-7p; Saturday 1-7pm and Sun 1-4pm. Call Susan at 254-372-3202 if you have questions. But sampling wines and/or buying a bottle isn't an all-day event, so what to do the rest of the day or weekend? Just down the road from the winery is the Circle T Ranch, a complex of rodeo arenas, cowboy boots and togs stores, an good restaurant (CrossFire ), an on-site motel and a decent pub. They also have RV sites. You can take in a rodeo on many weekends and always find a good meal at the Crossfire. And if you want more action, there are 3-4 guided Trophy Deer hunts available within walking distance. The area is definitely worth a visit if you are on Hwy 281 south of Ft Worth, or TX 36 between Temple and Abilene.

After spending a couple of weeks in Tuscany and Bordeaux this summer, seven acres of grapevines on the road to a friends deer lease in the heart of Texas caught my attention. After the morning hunt the next day we dropped by for a tasting. The winery is an attractive building with a stone façade, and an nice interior with wood and tile accents. The vines drape down the hillside next to the building with a nice view of the valley below. Dressed in camo and mud, the owners thought we were lost.We tasted the 2012 White Dove, Pinot Gris, T Rose, Viognier and Shiraz. The White Dove was delicious, if you like a wine that is not dry. The Pinot Gris was right on the money, but the Viognier was the most interesting. The bouquet was like sticking your nose into a flower garden. Susan explained she had used a malolactic process and the flavor definitely had buttery undertones. It had a sharpness to the finish that was uncharacteristic for a Viognier, but I don't say that as a criticism. Different, interesting!The two stars of the lineup where the T Rose and the Shiraz. Rose is in fashion this year and I have spent the summer trying to find one I like. The Tempranillo grape is one of my favorites. The flavor of this Rose was deeper and the color darker than most I have had, but it's strong bouquet and rich flavor were a real surprise. And, it did not have the metallic or mineral finish that you find in most Rose! Definitely try this one.When I got home, I told my wife, a Texas wine sceptic, that I was opening a Tuscan wine that we brought back from Italy, and she was in full admiration of the Shiraz when I showed her the bottle. There was no denying the great first impression and we enjoyed every drop.Honestly, it's rare that I can say I enjoyed all the wines in one winemaker's production, but every bottle at the Red Wig Dove Winery had some interesting characteristics. With a price range of $18.00 to $25.00 it might be a little high if you buy your wines at Costco, but there is a lot of future potential for Texas wines on display. I am going to watch this outfit for sure, and return again when I am in the area.

Owners Ellis & Susan Vandiver have staked out a seven acre plot of vines in this part of the Texas countryside. Growing on their seven year old vineyard are Pinot Gris, Tempranillo, Shiraz, Viognier, and Pinot Blanc. Rows are oriented north/south. They opened up the winery a year ago and are now serving up their own version of some tasty Texas wines. Current wines available for tasting from their 2012 harvest include: off-dry White Dove (Pinot Gris/Blanc blend), Pinot Gris, Tempranillo, Rosé Shiraz (great chilled) and a bold tasting Shiraz. The Shiraz grapes were aged in American oak and another release (aged two years) will be coming out in the future. Like most Texas vineyards, they experienced their share of loss from the late freeze of 2013. California grapes helped supplement their 2013 release. Their newest releases this year include: a very nice Viognier with good minerality, Honeysuckle (Sweet Pinot Gris with some apple notes), Judy (Sweet Blush of 90% Pinot Gris and 10% Tempranillo), T’Rose (nice dry Tempranillo Rosé with beautiful strawberry notes), and Sweet Red Pepper (50/50 blend of Ruby Cabernet and Tempranillo). Come on out this way sometime and enjoy the company and views. It’s a relaxing setting to help compliment the good wine in your hand. The winery is gearing up to celebrate their first year anniversary of their tasting room as well, so stop in and wish them well, stay a while, and sip a spell! You'll be glad you did. Cheers!