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Cowtown Winery Review

Cowtown Winery Review

Address: 112 W. Exchange Ave. Fort Worth,Texas 76164.
Phone Number: 817-626-1011
Tasting Hours: Mon-Wed 11:00-7:00, Thurs-Sat 11:00-9:00, Sun 11:00-5:00

Region: Texas
Reviewer: Becky Parr
Review Date: 6/19/2014
Reviewer: Becky Parr
Rating: 4

The Review

The Fort Worth Stockyards are all about cows – barbecue, burgers, and steak, along with the live ones that get driven down the main street at 11:30 and 4:00 every afternoon. (If you’ve never been to Fort Worth, no, I’m not making this up.) It’s decidedly a beer kind of place. But just down the street is where the grape-loving tourists go for a drink and a bit of air conditioning. Look right next door to Filthy McNasty’s, where I can actually say I’ve been to drink beer and hear the band (twice), and you’ll find Cowtown Winery.

The Place: &nbspCowtown Winery is just at the edge of the Stockyards action. It’s a long, narrow space with a very long bar running the length of the room on your left as you walk in, and just enough mirrors and boot-studded décor to fit in in Fort Worth. The “gift shop” runs the length of the wall opposite the bar and provides lots of opportunity to buy wine- and Texas-themed items. I gave in and bought a hand-painted set of wine glasses, not being tempted by the boots crafted to hold wine bottles.

The People: &nbspWe were greeted by Jackie, who happily told us to “belly up” to the bar when we said we wanted to do a tasting. We asked for the spot with maximum coolness – head for the back, under the ceiling fan. Later we met Jolene, who was nice enough to phone the store manager for me, on a Sunday, when we couldn’t figure out the true price of the aforementioned wine glasses. We were the only ones in the winery when we first came in, but several other groups came in after us, and we never felt neglected at all. Jackie gave us a great recommendation of the Republic Red, a Malbec/Tempranillo blend, based on our stated tastes, and she was right.

Cowtown Winery has a bit of an unconventional method of pouring tastes. Rather than pouring one at a time, Jackie asked us which tastes we wanted (it’s three tastes for $6, very reasonable) and brought over each bottle and went ahead and poured all the tastes. Later, as other people requested the same wines, she or Jolene retrieved the bottles from in front of us and took them to the other patrons. It’s really efficient in terms of utilizing the servers’ time effectively, and you never have to wait for a taste. Lots of glasses to wash, though! Oh, and they’re really nice-sized pours.

The Wines: &nbspThere were 21 wines available to taste. My husband and I chose different wines to maximize our tasting opportunities. We pretty much ignored the right column of the menu, which consisted of sweet wines. I tried two whites, the Sauvignon Blanc and the Chardonnay; the Sauvignon Blanc was a very typical Sauvignon Blanc, and would be a good poolside wine in the summertime. The Chardonnay was also dry and crisp. I think I preferred the Sauvignon Blanc, which is unusual for me.

Then we set upon the reds, which are usually my favorite, even in the heat of summer. I wasn’t a huge fan of the Merlot; my husband described it as “bright,” and we decided it tasted like underripe cherries. The Ghost Wine, named as an homage to the Fort Worth Ghost Tour that begins at the winery, is smooth, without too many tannins, and tastes distinctively of coffee. Jackie was right about the Republic Red; it was lighter than I expected, and what I’d call a “good drinker.” I thought the real star was the Cabernet Franc, which was very smooth and well balanced. Nothing “stuck out” in terms of taste – not too sweet, not too tannic, not overly tasting of any one thing, but just right. We bought two bottles and took one to that evening’s family dinner. It went over well, even with my overly particular brother.

My husband, of course, had to try one of the Port-style wines; he chose the Texas Gold Port flavored with chocolate and raspberries as opposed to the Texas Gold Port flavored with chocolate and cherries. It was a decent port, but they really should come up with different names for their port wines!

The Experience: &nbspI had no expectations for the winery down the street from the cattle drive, but I was pleasantly surprised. The service was excellent, the gift shop items are super fun, and the wine is worth taking home and sharing. The AC isn’t bad on a hot day either!