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On a recent weekend excursion to Fredericksburg's Oktoberfest, we decided to sample the wines of Becker Vineyards. Our expectations of Texas winery visits were low after a fairly disappointing trip to Driftwood Vineyards earlier this year. Thankfully, Becker is crafting a large range of wines that are affordable, food-friendly, and mostly of fairly good quality.
Before getting to the wines, it's worth noting that the atmosphere at Becker was very pleasant: there's a beautiful building with a tasting room, an large patio where one can consume wine by the glass, and scents of a nearby herb garden as you enter. The tasting process lives up to the surroundings: each participant can taste six 1oz. pours for free, with additional samples a very reasonable $1 each. Even with this generous limit, it appeared during our visit that the limit wasn't enforced, and the truly curious could try as many regular wines as they liked. This is especially true when you go with friends, since you can try six each and pass them around provided you take small sips. Becker also makes a limited range of more expensive reserve wines, and these were also available at the $1/sample price.
At present, if you can think of a favorite wine varietal, Becker is probably trying to make it. This jack of all trades approach might change as the vineyard matures, but it makes for an interesting and lengthy tasting experience. We generally found the reds to be of higher quality than the whites, but there were exceptions. Our favorites of the lot were:
2005 Gewurztraminer ($10): Hard to say, but delicious. While some avoid this wine (nicknamed GUH-VURTZ if you're working phonetically) because it is sometime done in a cloying, sickly sweet style, the Becker version is light and excellently done. The lack of residual sugar and notes of apricot make this a great food wine. If you like a dry Riesling, give this a try.
2004 Merlot ($16): Enough with Sideways. Merlot is wonderful when done properly, and Becker's 2004 vintage has a lot going for it. There's some nice oak on it, and there's a fruit-forward style that's pleasant but not jammy that would pair well with steak or burgers. An enjoyable, medium-bodied red.
2004 Texas Claret ($17): The heavy lifter of our selections. This one is a Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot-Malbec blend which is quite rich and weighty. It's pretty spicy, with oak and some moderate tannins, and is a nice meritage for the price. It's not for someone who doesn't like heavy red wines; they should head back to the Merlot. But if you appreciate something hearty that could pair with duck or game, this will do nicely.
While we didn't purchase them, we also found both the 2004 Iconoclast Cabernet Sauvignon (quite affordable at $11) and the 2005 Prairie Rotie Mourvedre blend quite appealing. We were a little disappointed with both the 2005 Fume Blanc and the 2005 Viognier: both wines can be good, but seem to have turned out better for Becker in 2004 than in the current vintage.
In sum, Becker is worth a visit, especially in conjunction with a day trip to the hill country. We'd be surprised if you don't leave with at least a bottle or two.
Becker Vineyards
Stonewall, TX (65 miles from downtown Austin)
Tasting Room Hours: M-Th 10-5, Fr-Sa 10-6, Su 12-6
(830) 644-2681
Image via joni on Flickr.
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In june I went to a kick-ass wedding where they were serivng a creamy-delicious white wine which I later found out was Becker's Viognier - about $15 per bottle which, in my mind, is WAY too expensive for a wine form texas. but i keep buying that Voignier (a friend tells me that it's pronounced Vin-Yay but i don't belive him). My girlfriend at the time (sigh - miss her) said it was "spicy" but i didn't think it was spicy. i thot it was buttery. can i use buttery in describing a wine?
I like getting drunk in the hills, but Texas Wine is an oxymoron. Oregon wine, yum. Cali wine, yum. Texas beer, yum. Texas wine is for old ladies that like to order things like the Pink Flirt, can't remeber what winery that was... the juice got to me. Texas wine is about as bad as it comes, until you get to Virgina.
short-bus: It's pronounced (VEE-OWN-YAY). And yeah, typically Viognier has a spicy taste with apricot or peach kind of flavors. It's usually not buttery, but it's not out of the question.
scoop: Saying all Texas wines suck and all Cali wines are great is shortsighted. Franzia and Sutter Homw and all of that crap comes from California. Becker can't compete with the best California wine, but it's much, much better than most of what they make in CA for under $10 per bottle. But your point is taken that TX wines are not yet in the same league on the top end...
Vee-own-yay. Got it.
I'd been pronouncing it like Wagner, as in Richard Wilhelm Wagner. I knew I was likely terribly wrong, but I don't hang around anyone that gives a damn unless my ponderings were to somehow delay the uncorking of the bottle.
Thanks for the tip, Tom.