Cicada Ridge Vineyard

Cicada Ridge Vineyard in Como, Texas, puts unfamiliar grape names at the center of its appeal. Grower and winemaker Erwin Cain brings more than 20 years of East Texas experience to wines built around varieties that can handle the region’s heat, humidity, and disease pressure. The draw is a chance to taste grapes that belong here rather than another Cabernet Sauvignon.

The vineyard’s roots reach back to 2002, and its direction reflects a hard lesson: Pierce’s disease, a vine-killing infection, makes growing many familiar wine grapes a losing proposition in East Texas. Cain’s answer centers on four disease-resistant varieties from the University of California, Davis: Camminare Noir, Paseante Noir, Ambulo Blanc, and Caminante Blanc. Blanc du Bois also features in the wines, with bright fragrance, while Ambulo Blanc offers a honey-butter profile.

A visit pairs the wines with a stroll through the vineyard. Cicada Ridge Vineyard opens Friday evenings from 5 to 7 and Saturdays from 1 to 7 at 2677 County Road 2324, southeast of Sulphur Springs. Other visiting times are available by calling 903-348-0413, making advance contact useful for travelers whose plans fall outside those short weekend windows.