Last week I spent the week in Austin and attended IACP's Annual Conference (International Association of Culinary Professionals). After the conference, my husband and I headed to the Texas Hill Country and then to San Antonio. Every day we were in Texas it was in the mid 90s to 100 degrees. Hot, hot, hot!
Around Fredericksburg, vibrant German town in the hill country, there are almost 30 wineries. We didn't have much time but we were able to visit two of them and sampled six wine at each.
Our first stop was Becker Vineyards based on the recommendation of my husband's cousin, who grew up with the owners. On the wall, they had framed several menus from the White House featuring Becker wines served by George and Laura Bush.
We tasted a pinot grigio, viognier, fume blanc, claret, malbec and sweet dessert wine made from viognier grapes. The claret and dessert wines were our favorites.
The photo hung at Singing Water Vineyards shows a sparkling creek flowing over a small drop with the water sparkling in the sun. Unfortunately the creek bed is now completely dry as Texas swelters throug a drought.
We tasted all the wines that they are producing today. My favorite was a crisp, dry Sauvignon blanc, perfect for summer sipping. Their blend of merlot, named Sweet Lupe, is medium dry and perfect for sangria.
For summer sipping, I like prosecco, vinho verde, pinot grigio and soave. To me, a crisp chilled wine is a great refresher.
