Tag Archive for: 3 Texans

Halfway through Harvest 2016!

watch out! it is going over!

watch out! it is going over!

Hey there, I wanted to give you a quick report of how things are going around here.  I don’t have long–if you look closely at that picture, you’ll see that malbec there is about to “boil over” and ferment right on out of that barrel!

This week I’ve got 1.5 tons of malbec fermenting from Temple, TX and .75 tons of merlot from our Salado vineyard fermenting.  We have already fermented the chardonnay, sangiovese and tempranillo.

So what’s left?  CABERNET SAUVINGNON!  Next weekend, Saturday, August 20, our friends at 3 Texans Vineyard will harvest their cab.  Follow the link and give them a holler if you would like to harvest grapes with them.  They are near Temple, Texas.

I haven’t even scheduled the harvest of our cab yet.  The weather is calling for a bit cooler temperatures, so hopefully that will help the plants ripen those grapes some more.  I will let you know soon, but probably harvest August 27 or September 3, 2016.

Well, that’s all for now, I’ve got some punching to do!

The Elves at Salado Winery

Bottling Big Bully 2014Everyone knows that the elves work all year round to get the toys ready for Christmas.  Well, we have been working hard here too to get lots of wine bottled.  Back in July 2015, I gave you an update of the vintage 2014 wines.  Now many of them are bottled and ready for you to enjoy!

In October, we bottled over 300 gallons.  That include 2014 Night Flight, 2014 Big Bully and 2014 3 Texan Cabernet Sauvignon, 2014 3 Texan Malbec and 2014 3 Texan Tempranillo. In November, we bottled another 200 gallons of 2014 Big Bully.

And now all that great wine is ready to gift to your favorite wine drinker

3 Texans Vineyard Wine Dinner

Join us for a Vineyard to Table Wine Dinner

Join us for a “Vineyard to Table” Wine Dinner

Saturday, November 14, 2015 6 pm, 3 Texans Vineyard

For several years, we have been working with our friends at 3 Texans Vineyard and we are excited to announce that their wines are ready and they will be launched at a special wine pairing dinner at their vineyard.  They have worked hard and this will certainly be a celebration of the fruits of their labor.  We also happen to think these wines are quite special and we hope you’ll join us for the dinner.

 

FOOD + WINE pairing along with ART, July 2nd

oak testing

which wine is best? come find out July 2nd, 6-9 pm

The other day I got together with Chef Brandon to get some feedback on some wines I have been working on.  I wanted his opinion on how I should oak the wines we are currently ageing.  (See here for more details on where we are with making 2014 wines).  I poured him a couple versions of our dry sangiovese rose, a couple versions of 3 Texan cabernet sauvignon, and a couple versions of 2014 Diamond Back.  He helped me to think about which oak flavors married well with which wines.  And he gave me feedback on the rose.

Brandon works for Classic Events Catering and from this wine tasting he put together a terrific wine pairing menu.  This food and wine pairing will be available for $24.95 during the Art Opening Reception for John Davis, on Thursday, July 2nd, 6-9 pm.  Tickets for the food and wine are available on eventbrite.

The menu includes a NEW debut, 2014 Salado Vineyard Sangiovese Rose which will be released at this event. This light summer rose wine has an orange citrus note and will be paired with Corn Cake sous vide pork belly, slow-poached quail egg, green tomato marmalade, and topped with American caviar

From the BARREL, 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon from 3 Texans Vineyard will be previewed. Taste this wine before it is bottled and tell us what you think. If you enjoy it, we might even offer it to you at a special pre-bottling price. It will be served with Masa Tostado ‘churrasco style’ double cooked brisket, pickled red onion, avocado kewpie mayo, & kimchi Brussel sprout. The 3 Texans Vineyard is located west of the Temple Airport.

Sweet Tweet muscato will be chilled and presented with Tart grilled peach, goat cheese-mascarpone ‘cheese whiz’, clover honey, and oregano.

For an additional $5, folks can partake in the food and wine pairing described above, and participate in a special tasting of 2014 Tempranillo and 2014 Malbec grown in the 3 Texans Vineyard at 6 pm. This tasting will lead by winemaker, June Ritterbusch and will demonstrate the differences in aging a wine in various oaks.

Finally, the gnomadic fashion truck will be on hand. What is gnomadic Fashion? An online store + Fashion Truck! Their treasures include handmade, fair trade, and socially responsible goods.

Sangiovese Harvest Saturday

premium grapesSangiovese Harvest is this Saturday, August 23rd at 7 AM in our vineyard at 21724 Hill Road, Salado, TX. Vineyard is very close to I-35, exit 279. Everyone is welcome to join us!

We recommend sunscreen, bug spray and a big hat. If you have a favorite pair of pruners then bring them, but we’ll have plenty for you. Dress for heat, but be prepared for anything. I recommend shoes and socks because sometimes there is pigweed or nettle that stings or a hidden ant mound and I prefer a little protection for my toesies, but you can wear sandals if you like. Sometimes folks like to wear light cotton gloves, that might help prevent wasp stings, but there are no thorns, so gloves not required.

Families are welcome, the work isn’t hard, just the heat can be a bit discouraging. We will pick until all grapes are harvested, usually around 11.

If you’re coming, or maybe you slept a little late and want to see if we’re still picking, text your RSVP to 254.466.5813, and I will let you know if the plan changes. Otherwise, see you there!

——->>Oh yeah! Even if you don’t come out to the vineyard, this is the best time to stop by the winery and see the wine making in action! Hear the noise of the crusher and destemmer and see the yeast do their thing.  We might even make you help punch down the cap.  3 Texans Vineyard will be bringing their cabernet sauvignon this weekend as well so lots of winemaking to do.