On this tasting stop at Wedding Oak Winery, we’ve got some good (and even Gold Medal) tasting to do today!
Mike and Lynn McHenry, the passionate owners of the Wedding Oak Winery purchased 112 acres just south of San Saba in 1996. With mentor Jim Johnson of Alamosa Wine Cellars, in 2000 Mike planted their Cherokee Creek Vineyard.
Lynn & Mike McHenry, Wedding Oak Winery Owners
In 2010, Mike and Lynn started planning for a destination winery in the quaint Texas hill country town of San Saba. San Saba is where their beautiful tasting room and 10,000-case production facility now stands in an historic 1926 building. 2019 was a big year for the McHenrys having started two new tasting rooms, one near Fredericksburg on Route 290 East and the other in Burnet on the Burnet County Courthouse Square. All the while, during this growth, Wedding Oak Winery has continually upped their winemaking game and, in turn, gained a reputation for award-winning wines.
As a reflection of their winemaking acumen, Wedding Oak Winery was recently honored for excellence in winemaking at the prestigious 2024 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition with seven awards. As the largest competition of American wines with over 5,500 wines from around 1,000 wineries, this event is a hallmark for vintners across the nation.
Award Winning Wines from Wedding Oak Winery
Wedding Oak Winery’s Top Winners
Before we taste, of the seven award-winning wines from Wedding Oak Winery, here are their five top medal winners:
Tempranillo is the “National Grape of Spain”, but and increasing group of people here are referring to Tempranillo as the “National Grape of Texas”, too. I’ve given this particular Tempranillo from Wedding Oak the moniker… “Wow Wine! Read on to see why.
The pinnacle of success was reached by Wedding Oak Winery’s Tempranillo as acknowledged by its “Best of Class” award in San Francisco. With 100% Tempranillo, this wine was made with grapes grown at Good Vibe Vineyards located between San Saba and Brady in the Texas Hill Country. With a pour and a swirl, it offers luscious dark ripe cherries, toasted oak and truffle notes on the nose. The aroma is followed by a bold full-bodied Tempranillo expression on the palate with black cherry and blackberries that’s driven by a strong tannic grip (from 18 month barrel aging) and bright acidity. It’s all there and I’ve got to believe that this what the judges in the SFO competition identified justifying its Best of Class award.
Thinking about food, Wedding Oak recommends serving this Tempranillo with fatty meats such as roasted duck or Manchego cheese. One of my favorites is Albondigas (Spanish meatballs). And, to this I’ll add roasted pork.
Sangiovese has its origin dating back to the time of the Romans and was likely first cultivated by the Etruscans (pre-Romans) in Tuscany. Its name comes from ancient language and translates as “the blood of Jove” (the Roman God Jupiter). In old world Europe, it is classically known for its flavor of tart red cherries that comes with earthy aromas and notes of black tea. Depending on the Sangiovese clone and location can be made into light to medium-plus bodied wines.
This Wedding Oak 2021 Sangiovese starts from its class past with a nose of red cherry with notes of dry dusty soil. The palate accentuates tart cherry supported underneath with dark notes of plum and molasses candy, and elevated with baking spice and pepper. This wine ends bone dry with a tannic statement of strong black tea.
The grapes for this wine were grown in the Texas High Plains AVA. Once in the winery and fermented, the wine was aged in oak barrels for 18 months.
My recommendation is to serve this wine with grilled meats like chicken, pork and sausages (hot dogs and hamburgers would do well to), Chicken Scallopini with mushroom risotto served with a variety of grilled meats, shrimp and/or calamari.
Where to taste and order these wines
Order Wedding Oak Winery’s award-winning wines online or visit their three tasting room locations while the supplies last:
Love to taste, talk and tweet about Texas wines and where they are in the global scheme for wines. After all that's the only way they will reach the full potential.
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