Kay:
Art and Wine Walk, Forney Arts Council
I live in a small town that is growing by leaps and bounds. The historic downtown area which is being revitalized has several recently 
opened restaurants, small shops and a museum that chronicles Forney’s history. The Arts Council put together an Art and Wine Walk which took place last Saturday. These events have become popular in areas where neighborhoods are trying to spark interest in the local businesses. Lynda was able to visit so she and I along with another friend took a stroll through downtown. There were five Texas wineries represented and we made it around to all of them. It was hot (June in Texas), but lots of fun. My favorite of all the wineries was Los Pinos Winery. Two thumbs up to their Sangiovese , best taste of the night in my opinion….well except for the Port and brownies (see my next entry).
Currently there are 270 wineries in Texas. Can you say road trip???
Wine for Dessert
If you haven’t discovered dessert wine you are missing out. Port is a great example. Here’s a basic, very basic explanation, (because port is a complicated category for wine): it is a fortified wine. It is commonly fortified with brandy, which increases the alcohol content (20%), and preserves the natural sugars of the grape by stopping the fermentation process. A very complex, fruity, flavorful, sweet wine served after dinner or with dessert.
I’ve had many experiences with Port. Lots of Texas wineries make the fortified wine. I was visiting Texas Legato Winery near Lampasas on a weekend trip I planned for myself and a friend. We ended up in their tasting room where we were two of three people present. When that happens in Texas you get the royal treatment. We went through their list, first whites, then reds and finally the dessert wine. Along with the tasting experience they offered us brownies. Yes, brownies. These were not just any brownies. They were made with their Port. They were rich and chocolaty and paired perfectly with the Port. In neighborly Texas style, the vineyard owners were more than willing to give up their recipe for the wonderful brownies. I’m sharing it with you and it couldn’t be easier.
I did not have a Texas Port on hand, so I used a nice 2004 Warre’s that worked perfectly.
Ghirardelli Chocolate Port Brownies
1 box brownie mix (the winery used Ghirardelli brand and it’s worth trying to find it)
Port Wine
Replace the water called for in the directions with port. Still using the same amount of oil and eggs, prepare the brownies batter and bake according to the box directions.
Lynda:
The weekend was a road trip for me—and, it was a fun one. The five wineries represented at the Forney Art and Wine Walk only give a glimpse into the wineries in Texas (it’s a big state, after all). There were some amazing artists at the event as well but that’s beyond the scope of this blog and I’m sure someone will report on all of that.
Here are my impressions from the tastings I had and a few gathered from Kay and our friend, Charlotte. If you’d like to know more about any of the wineries, click on the logos to head over to their web sites.
Kay thought the Los Pinos Sangiovese was her best taste of the night and I was impressed with this wine. According to the web site it’s made from 100% Texas High Plains Sangiovese grapes. It was soft and full-bodied at the same time
I also tried their Rosato—a light, crisp dry rosé—a blend of Zinfandel and Dolcetto grapes. It was refreshing.
There were some innovative offerings from Phinesse Farms Winery. Our friend, Charlotte, tried one they called Naughty & Nice. It was a sweet moscado wine blended with jalapeno. You definitely got the jalapeno in the aroma and the flavor was there but the heat level wasn’t crazy. We decided it would be nice in a marinade for chicken or pork.
I tried their Reisling. It was semi-dry and crisp and had a slight hint of spicy clove at the finish.
They also offered a Sangiovese. It was another good example of this popular Texas grape. This one was oaked and very drinkable.
This winery had some very unique names for their wines. I thought there must be stories behind them and, sure enough, when I visited the web site I found that to be the case. They had a mixture of sweet and dry wines.
The first one I tried was called Gertz. Evidently, one of the vintners could not pronounce Gewurtztreminer when on a visit to Germany and so named this wine which is made from an American Varietal Gewurtztreminer, Gertz. I guess it is easier to pronounce and it was a good representation.
Another wine called Marriages was a Malbec varietal and was dedicated to one of the vintner’s parents. Her mother had passed away from breast cancer and the winery donates $1 per bottle purchased to help someone fighting breast cancer.
The last offering we tried here was a Mora Negro, a merlot wine with blackberry flavoring. This one was a sweet wine.
People were coming back for seconds at the Red Road Vineyard and Winery for their Chocolate Lach Rua, and for good reason. This is a sweet red with chocolate aromas and flavors—not fortified, like a port, but a very nice dessert wine.
I also tried their Fion, a dry, floral pinot grigio. And, Kay had a taste of their Signature Red, a soft and mellow dry merlot blend.
The last winery we visited at the event featured small batch fruit wines. There was a Tropical Express, a combination of pear and pineapple, East Texas Blackberry, Peach, Lemon and Lime. I tried the Lime. It was sweet and tart. They recommend serving it over ice in a glass with a salted rim—think Margarita. I didn’t have the opportunity to try it like that at the tasting but I think it would be good.
That’s it for this edition. We’ll be making more trips to Texas Wineries and Kay told me about a small batch Distillery nearby that she intends to visit soon—so stay tuned.
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