Messina Hof Winery Cruise

The pretty September day with warm sun and cool clouds greeted us for tour du jour in Bryan. We meet at the usual place and welcomed a few new comers. It’s always nice to meet new folks and we look forward to seeing them again. After a few minutes of photo taking we were off for our destination that just happened to be only minutes away, Messina Hof Winery.
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I spotted the fruit vines from the country road, harvest was already over as was the stomping of the grapes.{darnit} Perhaps next time we can do what Lucy did and dip our toes in the vat and free the juice from the ripe grapes. The building is typical of other wineries I have visited in Texas, brick front, two stories tall with lovely stained glass windows. A green awning over the door led our way into the nice gift and sales shop. The entrance fee was reasonable at $10 a head, we were greeted by friendly staff and once we had a little look see around the shop we were escorted into the tasting room. We visited as we waited for our tour to begin, snapped a few photos and just enjoyed the joviality of the Old Farts.
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Before long our instructor and tour guide joined us. She was easy to get along with and answered the many questions that we asked. We were given a brief history of the Messina Hof Winery and its goals. They have earned numerous awards and recognition for their performance in the wine industry. We walked outside to see the vineyard, rows and rows of strong sturdy vines decorated the Texas landscape. Fire ants could be seen scurrying about, they aid in the protection of the grapes as a natural predator for some of the harmful insects that tend to bother the vines {who knew they were actually good for something?}
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Next we went back inside to learn the art of wine tasting and bottle opening. Yes it is an art. Always hold the glass by its stem to prevent your body heat from warming the wine. Swirl it around the glass, take note of the legs {visit the winery if ya want to know about the legs} and its clarity. Breathe in the aroma, no laughing ok maybe a little laughing. Take a cleansing taste let it roll around inside your mouth. Then there are a couple of things you do to add air to the liquid while it’s in your mouth to release more flavor, but I’m afraid I can’t do adequate justice to the description, there are pictures over here.
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We visited the bottling room and our guide explained the lettering and numbering system of the barrels. Not really a lot to tell here. {barrels stacked on a shelf} Some of us made purchases of wine or accessories. Oops I almost forgot they have a beautiful bed and breakfast if you want to head out there for the weekend and stay the night, especially if you taste too much wine.
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We left the winery and made our way towards Hearn on back roads. There was very little traffic except for the typical farm machinery you know tractors, horse trailers and the like. We meandered round about the gentle hills and curving roads. Can’t you just hear those engines roar, the hum of the tires as they glide along the asphalt and concrete? The scenery turns into a blur for a moment or two then you remember you’re not on the autobahn so you slow down a little. I said slow down! Just when we thought we were back in control the hunger monster swelled up.
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On to the restaurant, this day it was to be Mexican cuisine, Amas in Hearne. Two tables awaited our arrival as did Lisa our waitress, drink orders were taken followed shortly by the food order. It was all tasty and satisfied that monster that lies deep in all our bellies. What a great ending to a great day filled with education, wine, food, conversation and good company. For those of you who couldn’t make it because of work, having to study or whatever it was that kept you away we missed your smiles and laughter and hope to see you next time. Be sure to keep your eye on upcoming events and remember the first Sunday of the month is the official Texas Old Farts Sports Car Club day.
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See y’all