“The Gem of the Hill Country” is quickly becoming a contender for destination wine tasting. Along with the growing number of B&B properties; so too, wineries are springing up in and around Mason in increasing numbers. Grape growing is rapidly becoming an agricultural cult. Whether a grape grower utilizes their own grapes for a signature wine or sells the grapes to other wineries for production; Texas wine is in a class of its own. The phenomenon has taken Texas by storm.
Destination wine tasting is a vacation must-do for oenophiles; a person who greatly enjoys wine and knows a great deal about it. Seeking out local wineries and spending time tasting, and socializing has become a popular pastime. Mason is, per capita, quickly becoming a community of tasting rooms. Additionally, events and functions fit nicely into the niche of enjoying wine with hors d oeuvres or charcuterie.
Locally, Mason is enjoying an uptick in wine tasting rooms and an especially varied offering of labels.
On any given day, visitors can mingle with local wine lovers in a variety of rooms. Sandstone Cellars Winery, a boutique winery just off the Square, is the Mason pioneer of tasting rooms. Combined with an eclectic mix of art and jewelry; and serving up select cheese trays; the friendly laid-back atmosphere and sense of fun is for those who are adventure-lovers.
Newcomer Art General Store, 1900 Winery is located just outside of Mason on highway 29 East and is in an old general store. Groups of friends and tasters will find it a place for premium wine tastings featuring their 100% Texas grown grapes.
Murphy Creek Cellars, located on the north side of the Square in Mason is a gathering place for friends and the locally famous Wine-O-Bingo night. Murphy Creek represents over 100 labels of the best wine that Texas has to offer. Serving up wine, cheese and featuring gifts; Murphy Creek Cellars has become a popular stop for friends and visitors to Mason.
Featured in Texas Wine and Trail, Fly Gap Winery is reaching a different group of wine tasters. Social media adept and sharp; this winery is quickly expanding their reach and our palates. Watch for a newly constructed tasting room to be completed just off the Square soon.
Parr Vineyards located just off the Square in Mason has been a proving ground for recreating wines from trips to France and Spain in the Texas Hill Country. Estate bottled in the Texas Hill Country, offerings of Tempranillo and Rose are only a small sampling of what they have to offer.
Robert Clay Vineyards, also located just off the Square features a unique approach to grape growing. Featuring the oldest vines in Mason County and some of the oldest in the Texas Hill Country, attention to detail and quality is a hallmark for Robert Clay Vineyards.
Wines of Dotson-Cervantes are located just outside of Mason in Voca, Texas. With award-winning wines aptly named El Sol Dorado, Dilemma! Gotas de Oro and Hailstorm, Wines of Dotson-Cervantes is a winery with a unique story to tell.
The culture of wine tasting, and enjoyment is flash forward in Mason, existing alongside old traditions of cattle and goat ranching. More tasting rooms are expected soon and more details, along with contact information of Mason’s winery tasting rooms can be found online or through the Chamber of Commerce where a current list with telephone numbers and addresses and hours of operation can be obtained.
