Best Texas Wines

The best Texas wines of 2015: dry rosé and Blanc du Bois

Here are the best dry rosé and Blanc du Bois of 2015.

iStock

This is the fourth and final installment of the best Texas wines of 2015, in which we’ve revealed the top bottles as determined by Texas Wine Journal. This last list looks at the best dry rosé and Blanc du Bois.

Texas Wine Journal relies on consensus, rather than the opinion of a single taster, to make objective recommendations. Wines are scored from 75-100 and rated as average, good, very good, excellent, and extraordinary. Only wines scoring 80 points or higher are published.

For our lists, we took the top three most highly rated of all the wines scored last year. We started with Viognier and Syrah, moved on to white blends and red blends, and then got to Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo.

There are more to explore that rank among the best of the year on the TWJ website.

DRY ROSE

Brennan Vineyards, Mourvedre Rosé, 2014
88 points, $20
“Too dangerous to drink alone,” writes Jim Cubberley, who likes this rosé’s fragrant aromas of strawberries and blackberries, surprising medium body, and fresh texture in the mouth. “Simply one of the tastiest Texas dry rosés I’ve had this year.”
Where to buy: Spec’s, H-E-B, Central Market

Calais Winery, La Cuvée De Gaston, 2014
87 points, $30
“A Texas nod to Provence, this rosé shows a beautiful balance of red fruit — Bing cherries and strawberry — with a vivacious underpinning of chalky minerality and acidity,” notes Margaret Shugart.
Where to buy: This one is sold out, but La Cuvée De Gaston 2015 is coming in May.

Lewis Wines, Mourvedre Rosé, 2014
87 points, $30
Mark Rashap notes “very delicate aromas of orange peel, wild berries, and roses” on this wine reminiscent of a Provence rosé. “Very pleasant wine to have with oily fish, creamy cheese, or anything carrying vinaigrette,” he adds.
Where to buy: This wine is sold out.

BLANC DU BOIS

Haak Vineyards & Winery, Blanc du Bois Madeira, 2013
91 points, $40
Oscar Montes Iga says this wine, an “iconic Madiera-styled Blanc du Bois,” has flavors of molasses-covered dried peaches and apricots, with walnut and pine nut, “to accent any cheese course.”
Where to buy: Spec’s, Kroger, Total Wine, Whole Foods, H-E-B

Lewis Wines, Swim Spot, 2014
87 points, $14
Jim Cubberley gushes, “This a must-have by the case” and a “perfect summer wine for Texans.” It has a super light body, and it’s dry but not bracingly so — a cross between an expensive vinho verde and Austrian Gruner Veltliner.
Where to buy: Winery only.

Haak Vineyards & Winery, Estate Blanc du Bois, 2015
86 points, $19
“Looking for something fresh, juicy, light, and summery? This dry Blanc du Bois really hits the mark,” says Jim Cubberley, who also calls Haak “one of the best Blanc du Bois producers in the state.”
Where to buy: Winery only.

lists bests wine

In A Pickle

Dallas-based Smoothie King chain debuts puckery new pickle smoothie

Smoothie King

Pickle flavored smoothie from Smoothie King.

The ever upwardly trending pickle flavor is surfacing in the unlikeliest of places: Smoothie King, the Dallas-based smoothie chain, is releasing a new limited-edition Pickle Smoothie — for those who love pickles so much they could drink them.

Smoothie King is partnering with Grillo's Pickles, a Boston-based pickle company, on a beverage that combines Grillo’s Pickles with bananas, kale, and coconut water for what they describe as a refreshingly tangy drink infused with electrolytes designed to support hydration.

The drink is $5.99 for a 20-ounce serving, and will be available through the summer. They'll be giving out free 4-ounce samples on May 16, while supplies last. A Today writer who ran out and tried it found that the banana and pickles both had an equally strong presence, and that it was "not bad." That's some reporting.

Grillo's Pickles was founded in 2008 by Travis Grillo, who launched the business as a small wooden pushcart in Boston Common, using his family's 100-year-old recipe. It has since grown into a nationwide brand, with their bottles topped with kelly-green lids sold in the refrigerator section of major grocery chains such as Walmart, Target, Whole Foods, Kroger, and Aldi.

Smoothie King is based in Dallas and is owned by Wan Kim, who opened the first Smoothie King franchise in Korea before eventually acquiring the national chain. He's also a major presence in Dallas' restaurant scene, opening the acclaimed Asian-themed Nuri Steakhouse in Uptown Dallas in 2024, and more recently debuting a chicken tenders concept on Dallas' Greenville Avenue called Flock & Fresh on May 2.

Pickles have emerged in recent years as one of the buzziest flavors, including Fort Worth's own craft beer brewer Martin House Brewing Co., a pickle pioneer that has released a number of pickle-flavored beers. H-E-B just joined the pickle party with a new Pickle Chamoy Sherbet, and national boutique grocery chain Trader Joe's is about to reprise its annual Pickle Season onslaught of pickle-flavored products such as Dill Pickle Mustard and Pickle-Flavored Potato Chips.

Beyond their flavor, pickles are a fermented item which can offer nutritional/probiotic benefits, although Smoothie King VP of R&D and Product Marketing Lori Primavera focuses primarily on the hydration aspect.

"At Smoothie King, every recipe starts with delicious nutrition in mind," Primavera says in a statement. "Pickles are not only delicious and having a cultural moment, they also offer real nutritional benefits, especially known for their enhanced hydration. That combination gave us an opportunity to explore them in a new format and push our innovation into new territory, reimagining how a beloved flavor can deliver both function and taste."

Grillo's Pickles Chief Commercial Officer Mark Luker calls them "functional benefits."

"We love to do unhinged collabs at Grillo's," Luker says. "With that, we don't always get to talk about the functional benefits of pickles. When we partnered with Smoothie King for a hydration smoothie, we knew this was a great opportunity to do both. Those who are willing to try will be pleasantly surprised (and hydrated)."

And if pickles are not your thing, Smoothie King is also simultaneously unveiling five watermelon smoothies including fan-favorite Watermelon Hydration, Watermelon X-Treme, Gut Health, The Activator Recovery Watermelon, and Power Meal Slim Watermelon.

trends openings