West Sandy Creek Winery had an impeccable harvest in Richards this July, yielding 3.5 tons of Black Spanish Grapes, more commonly known as Lenoir. Thanks to the gentle patience of Arnulfo Perez, widely known for producing award-winning wines in Texas for the last 25 years, the winery yielded 130 cases of 2024 Texas Lenoir Blush.

The flavor and acidity was nearly perfect at harvest, even before filtering. The ultimate goal was to maintain the original integrity of the juice. Even when taste testing during fermentation, the samples from the tank were kept to a bare trickle to minimize the transfer of oxygen and ensure that the natural flavors were not disturbed.

WSCW is hosting their first Wine Walk to unveil the new wine from 11a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 19. For just $25 per person, guests can visit four tasting stations, each featuring different vintages of their award winning wines. Admission includes a souvenir wine tumbler that says, “Let’s Get Ready to Stumble!”

It’s a ripe opportunity for wine lovers to taste the subtle differences made by changes in the weather and the highly skilled winemakers they invite to work their magic each season.

The new Texas Lenoir Blush will be served at the last station, as a proverbial cherry on top, showcasing decades of experience that led to an excellent addition to their menu.

Its clarity and deep garnet color speak to its purity, and the cranberry notes make it a great compliment to a wide range of savory food, or the star pairing with dessert for any occasion.

Served chilled, it pairs well with salty and spicy fare as well as chocolate, berry, lemon, nut, and vanilla flavors, making it the go-to wine for this holiday season. It’s worth the drive to taste it, even for those who think they don’t think they like blush. It has the fruit of a Beaujolais, the legs of a light dessert wine, and is dry enough to serve with steaks and chops.

“It also goes great with chips and queso, because we are a Texas winery, and we tailor our wines to fit the flavor profiles our customers prefer. This one should be a hit for everyone, whether you are on the sweet or dry side of the aisle,” said Sandy McGinley, who operates the winery with his wife Ingrid under the direction of his father Stanley.

“We pair our white port with buttermilk pie from City Hall Cafe,” said Ingrid, the culinary artist behind their gorgeous tapas platters and special event catering.

They see the winery as a partnership with other wineries and the surrounding community. Along with Teysha Vineyards and others, WSCW is a member winery of the Texas Bluebonnet Wine Trail. Each spring, they join a dozen area wineries in downtown Huntsville for Wine Down, Shop Small, and contribute their time and resources to local charities and social service organizations.

Sandy is usually the man pouring the wine. He is the person who will come to your table and ask what you like, because he wants you to drink what suits you. Manager Adam Davis and the staff are trained to give guests time to choose and tailor tasting flights, not push sales, and they let the wine speak for itself.

Their resident viticulturist Fritz Westover, former Texas A&M Extension Agent and Advisor, has been tending the soil at the vineyard for 15 years. His careful cultivation methods and ongoing research set the stage for this near-perfect harvest by the slow introduction of more disease-resistant plants.

Napa Valley has been plagued by Pierce’s disease in recent years, and their efforts to combat it resulted in new hybrids that did not thrive on the Pacific Coast. But those plants have a high affinity for our harsh Southern climate. Napa growers were generous enough to share their knowledge, and with careful vetting by Westover, WSCW has new varietals going in the ground.

Each harvest is planned years in advance, and then changed to work with the weather. To replace what was lost in the 2021 freeze, they chose Errante Noir, new Blanc Du Bois, and Lomanto. They anticipate adding Blanc de Soleil, which was just introduced in May by Texas A&M University, in collaboration with Florida A&M University and the San Antonio Botanical Garden.

There’s more to the process than meets the eye, and the staff is happy to elaborate and educate if you are curious. The tasting room opens at noon, Thursday through Sunday, offering highly attentive customer service, live music on weekends and thoughtfully prepared light fare.

The menu has more than 30 labels, primarily from their estate grown grapes, supplemented by hand selected imports from small and large wineries across the globe. Available for purchase by the flight, glass, or bottle, they also ship to 43 states through VinoShipper.

You can turn the visit into a mini vacay, and spend the night in one of their rustic luxury cabins at www.wscwinery.com/rentals/#cabin-rental. There are also a limited number of RV spots for Harvest Host members. The ranch is home to horses, cows, goats, chickens, dogs, two zebronkeys, and a very friendly camel named Sadeeq, and all overnight guest stays include access to feeding the exotic animals.

Purchase tickets to the October 19 Wine Walk at events.humanitix.com/wscw-wine-walk-october-19. To learn more, visit www.WSCWinery.com.

(February 2020 -Richards, Texas) – West Sandy Creek Winery, located in Richards, Texas, just outside of Huntsville, recently announced a collection of wines now available from the 2020 harvest.

“Overall, our 2020 harvest yield was better than expected,” said Stan McGinley, owner of West Sandy Creek Winery. “The amount of rain and intervals between rain made the year challenging, but we worked with the resulting differences to improve our wines.”

The following 2020 wines are available now through the winery, one of the largest vineyards in the Texas Gulf Coast Region:

• Blanc du Bois:  Cleaner in taste and finish, the Blanc du Bois has tropical and pineapple notes, and hints of pear, apple, and lemon.
• Lenoir: Made from black Spanish grapes grown onsite, the Lenoir is 100% estate for the first time. In the past, the winery combined its black Spanish grapes with others purchased elsewhere, so this year, the Lenoir wines are 100% Texan. 
• Old World Reserve: This wine is made from Blanc du Bois grapes and was aged in oak barrels. Because it was left in the oak barrels for five days longer than last year’s harvest, the Old World Reserve has a much smoother finish. The five additional days of aging made a difference, flattening out the sweetness.
• 2014 Bounty Land Crossings: This blended wine was a new release in 2020. It combines 60% Lenoir and 40% Merlot with more of a sugar cane/molasses aroma that is sweet but not floral. According to McGinley, the new Bounty land Crossings diversifies the winery’s red table wines portfolio because the flavors are more prominent, and the wine is a bit heavier and drier with a higher alcohol content (15%) as compared to the 2012 blend.
• Portejas Blanc: The 2020 Portejas Blanc (white port) is seven years old now. This year, the winery worked to refine the Portejas Blanc recipe, and the result is a smooth port with less alcohol content. It has roasted almond and coconut as well as sugar cane and molasses flavors.

“We look forward to introducing our 2020 releases to our customers and invite them to join us Thursdays through Sundays at the vineyard,” said McGinley.

Just a short drive from Houston metro area, guests coming for an afternoon can also enjoy a variety of pizzas, salads, and tacos, along with their wine from Sweet Dough, a local food truck. There is also live entertainment featuring local musicians most weekends. 

Situated on 360 sprawling acres outside the bountiful Sam Houston National Forest, West Sandy Creek Winery is home to various animals, including horses, cows, goats, chickens, and zebras, donkeys, and zebronkeys, making an afternoon trip to the winery a true encounter with nature. Cabins with full kitchens, fire pits, and more are available to rent on the weekend.

To protect its staff and customers from COVID-19, the winery has implemented the following precautions:

• Tables are available by reservation only. Customers who arrive without a reservation will be accommodated if possible. Call 936-436-9050 to reserve. 
• Masks are required unless you are seated at your table.
• Staff at West Sandy Creek Winery practice social distancing and require guests to do the same.
• No rearranging tables or chairs from their location.
• All table reservations are for two hours. Time limits will be enforced to clean and disinfect for the next reservation. 
• Wine will be served is disposable plastic glasses. We sell West Sandy Creek Winery stemless wineglasses, or you may bring your own glassware if you prefer.
• Most food service items will be disposable.
• The restrooms in the tasting room are cleaned regularly and available for guest use. Please observe social distancing guidelines. 
• We’re following the established guidance for safety, but the situation is fluid, and we will continue to adjust our operations as required. 

The tasting room is open Thursday 12:00 to 5:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 12:00 to 7:00 p.m., and Sunday from 12:00 – 6:00 p.m. and reservations are required. To make a reservation, call 936-436-9050. For more information about West Sandy Creek Winery, including details on cabin rentals, visit https://www.wscwinery.com/.