Weinhof Winery Review

Address: 16678 Farm-to-Market 455 Forestburg,Texas 76329.
Phone Number: 940-964-2552
Tasting Hours:

Region: Texas
Reviewer: Becky Parr
Review Date: 11/1/2014
Reviewer: Becky Parr
Rating: 2

The Review

Weinhof Winery didn’t have its best foot forward on the day we visited them.

We arrived at about 4:00 on a Saturday afternoon, which would seem to be prime time for winery visits. But there happened to be a festival that evening involving thirteen Texas wineries, and when we came in, there was some last-minute bottling and labeling going on so the proprietors of Weinhof had enough wine to take to the event. Fortunately, we’d been to Weinhof once before, so I know what it’s like on a slower day.

The Place: &nbspWeinhof is located in Forestburg, which is not exactly a bustling metropolis. If you blink, you might miss it. The winery tasting room is a very small building with a gravel parking area. Inside, the tasting room seems even smaller, because it is absolutely crammed with stuff. “Stuff” is about the only word I can use to describe it – there are antiques, gift items, wine-themed items, and furniture, with very little room to move about. It seems like part winery, part flea market.

The People: &nbspWhen we came in, there was no one behind the bar. A young man came in from the back and greeted us and said he’d collect his mother for us – it seems to be a family business. It was Dad, rather than Mom, who came in from the back; he seemed a very happy gentleman, despite the busy-ness of the day, and asked us whether we liked sweet or dry wine.

When we said, dry – he said, “uh-oh.”

I think he only poured us one taste before the aforementioned Mom, whose name is Brenda, appeared. She had the same reaction to our declaration that we prefer dry wine. It was pretty clear from the outset that this is not a great stop for dry wine lovers.

The Wines: &nbspStill, we tried a few. I’d tried the Muenster Red on my first visit, despite its sweetness – and I even purchased a bottle to take back for my mother, who doesn’t necessarily share my preference for dry wine. On this the second visit, we stuck to the dry wines. They were unfortunately out of Zinfandel. The Muensterwein, made from the Black Spanish grape, is advertised as being oaky, and it definitely is. We tried the Simeon, described as an unoaked dry rosé, made from Sangiovese, Zinfandel, and Mourvedre. It had flavors of currant and dark cherry, but to me it tasted undeveloped. The Weinhof White, made from Chardonelle, is very acidic and has an unpleasant nose. The dry blackberry wine wasn’t good at all and went into the dump bucket. I think the family makes what they like, which must be sweet and fruit-based wines; the dry wines are unsophisticated.

The Experience: &nbspWe were definitely rushed through our tasting on that Saturday afternoon, but considering there was a deadline looming in the form of an event, I don’t blame them for that. Brenda spent much more time with us on our first visit.

We only got one $5 tasting and shared it, but when we went to pay, she told us there was a $10 minimum on credit cards, and we didn’t have any cash. We had to buy a mug in order to make it to the $10 minimum. I can understand the need to make a credit card payment worth the transaction fee, but I was disappointed that the policy wasn’t posted so we were aware in advance.

Overall, if you enjoy sweet wines or antique shopping, Weinhof would be a good stop for you. Dry wine drinkers, skip to the next winery.