Texas Summer Wines
Who knew the Texas terroir could create such a delightful wine for a refreshing summer sipper! If you don’t know about this beautiful chardonnay, you soon will! Not a chardonnay lover? You will be once you sip on this beauty. And, it’s all coming from a special place in the Texas High Plains.
Summertime in Texas
Texas Summers can be brutal and the last thing you want to drink is a heavy mouth coating wine. I don’t know about you but I want something cool and refreshing that pairs with summer foods and Texas heat.
We stopped by lovely Sandy Road Vineyards to grab a couple of bottles of this award-winning chardonnay. What a beautiful setting on the Texas 290 Wine Trail in Johnson City. My friend Richard at the Tasting Room at Sandy Road poured us the chardonnay. As we sat and sipped wine we couldn’t help but notice the lush grapevines lining the back of the property and off in the distance a little way from the tasting veranda you could see guests enjoying a curated wine tasting in the Tree House.
During my studies for Specialist of Texas wine Level 2, Winery owner Bryan Chagoly presented this gorgeous multi-award winning Texas white wine for us to learn about and enjoy.
Why I love this for summer sipping:
Instead of a heavy, overly oaked, buttery style wine this chardonnay from Dell Valley Vineyards is crisp, with just a hint of oak. You’ll be surprised and delighted by the fresh green apple, pear and stone fruit like peaches and apricots with lemon zest and zippy minerality. Instead of a heavy mouth coating butteriness, you’ll enjoy a lighter, fresher chardonnay with just a hint of vanilla and spice from partial aging in French oak barrels and stainless steel making it a perfect for the Texas Summer heat.
Balance:
This wine strikes a perfect balance, presenting a crisp profile without the butteriness often associated with oak-aged Chardonnays. This wine spent time in steel tanks and French oak. The subtle influence of oak enriches the wine with just a hint of vanilla and spice, complementing the natural flavors without overwhelming them. On the nose, it carries fresh notes of green apples and white peaches, while the palate offers a refreshing taste of citrus and pear, layered over a delicate minerality.
Learn about Dell Valley and why it’s producing stellar award-winning wines from the grapes.
Dell Valley in the Texas High Plains:
Dell Valley Vineyards is a highly sought after vineyard in Far West Texas, located near the Guadalupe Mountains and northeast of El Paso. Known for its high-elevation vineyard sites (around 3,700-3,800 feet) and Continental climate, with dry, hot summers, cold winters, low to no humidity. This area is producing stellar grapes and wine for our Texas wine growers and makers.
Dell Valley is located in the Texas High Plains and currently is an AVA coming soon! This newly proposed AVA is only 150-acre vineyard situated in the middle of an agricultural valley. Most of the vineyards are not yet in an AVA. Dell Valley is a high elevation site and is producing high quality fruit and is creating wines reflecting the Texas terroir with a sense of place and minerality from the unique growing conditions.
Food Pairings:
This wine is ideal for al fresco dining and meals made for the summer heat and all types of food from your grill (or kitchen.) All types of seafood, cool and crisp entree salads and lemony pastas with or without meat. Fruit salads with lime and mint would be perfect for this refreshing wine.
Sandy Road 2023 Chardonnay:
Varietal: 100% Chardonnay
Vineyard: Dell Valley Vineyard
Vintage: 2023
Winemaker: Reagan Sivadon
AWARDS:
2025 Texas International Wine Competition-Grand Texas White
2024 Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo International Wine Competition – Platinum Medal, Class Champion Texas Class Champion
2025 TEXOM International Wine Competition – Gold Medal
2024 San Francisco International Wine Competition – Gold Medal
2025 Houston Rodeo International Wine Competition -Bronze Medal
