The Texas Wine Party Continues with Fall Creek Vineyards

It is my belief that there are few things that I cannot pair with wine. Whether pairing with things of the edible variety (high-end and low-brow alike) or just life in general, wine generally pairs with all. As we just celebrated Texas Wine Month this past October, our #WinePW group has decided to keep the party going into November and feature some Texas food and wine pairings. If you’ve read this blog at all, you know that I’ve featured a great deal of Texas wine on my site. Whether from my most recent trip to Texas wine country (which also provides some background on the state’s wine history) or pairing Texas wines with Texas cuisine there’s a whole lot of Texas love around here.

This time around, I’d received some samples of Fall Creek Vineyards* wines and went to work thinking about what I would pair. With locations in Driftwood and Tow, Fall Creek is one of the oldest wineries in the state. It was back in 1975 that Fall Creek Vineyards became the first Texas Hill Country winery and also the site of some of the first vinifera grapes planted in the state. Brought to life by former (you guessed it!) lawyer Ed Auler along with wife Susan Auler after an awe-inspiring trip to France, they have played a significant role in Texas’ evolving wine industry. In fact, it was Ed Auler that made the application to the U.S. government to have the Texas Hill Country granted appellation status. I paired two of the Fall Creek wines with some of our basic meals (that are kid-friendly of course) as well as a more “involved” dinner.

2019 Fall Creek Sauvignon Blanc, Escondido Valley, TX

Home to some of Texas’ oldest vines,¹ Escondido Valley was the fifth designated AVA in Texas and is as known for rattlesnakes, plateaus, and desert as it is for wine grapes. But with vineyards planted at high altitudes that are able to take advantage of cool desert nights as well as well-drained calcium-rich, limestone, and sandy soils, grapes are able to ripen beautifully as well retain their all-important acidity. The Sauvignon Blanc saw only stainless steel which really allowed the aromatics to shine. Lush green fruits and racy acidity really made this one quite food friendly.

We paired the wine with meals on two different nights. The first night we paired with crispy lemon pepper wings. No muss, no fuss. Baked the wings in the oven, tossed with lemon pepper and salt and voila! I didn’t initially love the Sauvignon Blanc with the wings, but that was because it was too cold! Once the wine warmed up some, the pairing was more seamless. The racy acidity from the wine acted as a palate cleanser (similar to a sparkling wine) for the wings and kept us going back for more. These basic, no frills types of pairings are always my favorites.

The second night we paired the wine with a garlic pesto (love my basil plant!) halibut that was baked in the oven. Always love that I can freeze pesto and take it out when needed. #Winning! We rounded off the meal with green beans and roasted fingerling potatoes. With its clean, oak-free profile, this was a fantastic pairing for the light and flaky fish. Unlike the lemon pepper wings, this was more a pairing of similar profiles.

2019 Fall Creek Grenache Rosé, Texas Hill Country

The second wine we paired was the Fall Creek Rosé. As it’s almost Thanksgiving, I needed to start making room in my fridge and freezer for all the upcoming festivities. It was during such purging of the freezer that I came across a ham bone from some long-ago eaten smoked ham. Into the pantry I went and found dried red kidney beans, great northern beans, and black-eyed peas. My kiddos, as well as Mr. Corkscrew love black-eyed peas so I went with that. And with the amount of ham left on the bone it was a full meal in a pot. I just added some roasted carrots and it was an easy, mostly hands-off type of meal. Even Rufus, our black-lab mix enjoyed the meal as he ended up with a big old ham bone!

And the Rosé? Crafted of 100% Grenache (one of my fave varietals for Rosé) it was a nice foil to the somewhat richness of the meal. Strawberry and tropical fruit lifted by a punch of acid and cream. Once again, a simple homey, no frills meal pairs well with wine.

Be sure to check out some other delicious wine and food pairings from my fellow #WinePW friends:

• A Taste of Texas Wines by ENOFYLZ Wine Blog
• A TexMex Fiesta featuring Texas Tannat by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Cooking to the Wine: Duchman Family Winery Texas Aglianico with Instant Pot Brisket by Somm’s Table
• Don’t Mess with Texas: Two Reds from Bending Branch Winery Paired with Sliders by Wine Predator
• Duchman Family Winery – Exploring Texas Wines With Italian Grape Varieties by Syrah Queen
• Low and Slow Grilling with Texas Wines by FoodWineClick!
• Oven Roasted Sirloin Steak with Onion Sauce and Texas Wine by Cooking Chat
• Pedernales Cellars: Pairing Texas Fine Wine with Spice 3 Ways by Asian Test Kitchen
• Rooting for Emerging Wine Regions: Celebrating Texas Wine With Our Everyday Meals by the Traveling Wine Profs
• Slow Cooker Short Rib Ragù with Texas Montepulciano by Always Ravenous
• Spicewood Vineyards: A Taste of Texas for #WinePW by The Swirling Dervish
• Texas Connections, Beef Flautas, and Bending Branch’s Tannat by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• #Texasfinewine Pedernales GSM, Rose, Viognier with Dim Sum by Chinese Food and Wine Pairings
• Texas Wine Pairing with Pedernales Wines and ParmesanCrusted Chicken by Vino Travels
• The Texas Wine Party Continues with Fall Creek Vineyards by The Corkscrew Concierge
• Tuscan Farro With Texan Vermentino by Avvinare
• Uh, oh! My Texas Wine Craves Barbecue by My Full Wine Glass

*Cover Image Courtesy of Fall Creek Vineyards

1. Some of the vines are over 30 years old which is pretty old for such a young region.