a hidden gem

A surprising and little known fact, we are roughly thirty minutes away from a winery. Yes, you read that right. While it may be incredibly small and tainted with views of the highway, it is still a fairly legitimate winery and at this point, I'll take what I can get.

Be that as it may, I have known of Delaney Vineyards since my bridal cake selling days approximately three years ago. A couple of my brides had weddings at their facilities, and my interest in a winery located just miles away from me has been piqued ever since.

Since Christina (my fousin extraordinairre) was coming north for my birthday party (post to come) this past weekend, I thought it was a great opportunity to explore this hidden gem located in Grapevine. We had plans to meet up for the winery's tour and tasting on Saturday afternoon before the big bash.

Unfortunately, the girls hit a bit of a snafu in terms of directions or lack thereof, so I actually took the first tour solo. Here are some shots from tour numero uno.

the vineyards

the vineyards at an angle

But not to worry, they made it there for the tasting and we were able to do a second tour together.

During the tasting, we sampled pours of six different Delaney wines. We tried their 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, 2006 Chardonnay Reserve, 2007 Cynthiana, 1995 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2007 Muscat Canelli and 2005 Texas Rose.

the tasting menu with descriptions

The pours were a bit on the heavy-handed side, so we had to exercise the utmost prudence and discretion throughout the tasting. This meant pouring out some of each "taste" which was like a knife in my heart.

ready for my first sip

our generous bartender in action

a delightful glass of cab

I loved trying the different varieties and there were actually two grapes (Cynthiana and Muscat) I had never tried or even heard of. While I can't say I loved them all, I was glad to have the opportunity to at least taste different flavors and experience different wines I wouldn't otherwise normally drink. If you're curious, I think the Cynthiana was my favorite with the Sauvignon and Cabernet a close second.

cheers to you, china

cheers...courage

a trio of cheers to wine and fousins

Upon completion of our tasting, we took the tour which taught us about the "angel's share," the history of the vineyard, the grape-growing steps, the wine-making process and so much more. Due to the less than stellar climate conditions, they actually only grow one variety of grape at this location called Cynthiana.

the angels "guarding" the wine

Christina and I doing our best peakaboo behind the vines

Elisa and I posing with the vines

It was fascinating and I'm sure we barely uncorked the bottle (pun most certainly intended) on all there is to know about making delicious wine.

a closeup shot of the vine

an integral vessel in the wine-making process

99 barrels of wine on the wall

the three of us in front of a ginormous wine barrel

It was a delightful afternoon outing and a really fun experience. For those of you looking for something different to do or have always dreamed of going to wine country, but can't exactly fork over the hefty sum of cash it takes to make the trip to Sonoma (at least not at the present time), I recommend a little trip out to Delaney Vineyards. The tour is free and the tasting will only set you back ten bucks...not too shabby I say. I'll cheers to that!

a very happy trio