Texas Hill Country, Music and Wine Tour (April '08)
Callie and I (and friends John and Cathy) just wrapped up a fun weekend that centered on the Son Volt show at Gruene Hall Friday, and turned into some wine-tasting on Saturday.
Here's a quick update of the various places and events:
Son Volt at Gruene Hall (Gruene)
When the band announced they'd be hitting Gruene on this swing, I knew we'd have to catch them here. And unlike the show we saw at the Floores country store a while back, this one didn't disappoint. Gruene Hall is just a great sounding room, which improved things immensely (Floores was harsh, and that setlist was... not as good). Guitarist Chris Masterson seems to have settled in a bit more as the lead guy, which is good. Jay Farrar was his usual brilliant self. The old keyboard guy is now gone, and replacing him is a guy who predominantly played pedal steel (and occasional keyboard) -- the pedal steel was a big improvement. The setlist was still too heavy on the last two albums and too light on some of the classics from the first three albums, but at least there wasn't much of the weird Farrar experimental solo shite (which doesn't belong in Gruene) -- and the Doug Sahm cover seemed like a good choice at Gruene. Fiddle player extraordinaire Eleanor Whitmore joined the boys for a few songs (including Windfall, which was SWEET). Definitely a nice show (although if I never again see Bobby Bare Jr, who opened, it will not be a loss).
Prince Solms Inn (New Braunfels)
We stayed in New Braunfels after the show at this charming old historic inn, which is now a bed and breakfast. The ceilings were high, the floors were old and creaky, the furniture was antique -- all perfect. We stayed in the Huntsman Room, and were warned by the innkeeper it might be "loud" because it faced the street. It was, but seemed no worse than any urban place we've stayed. We both thought we caught glimpses of a "ghost cat" out of the corner of our eyes, which was... interesting. Breakfast at the inn in the morning was hearty. A top notch experience all the way around!
Uptown Piano Bar (New Braunfels)
Located in the basement of the inn, this piano bar was a pretty nice bar, even if the piano portion of the experience was a bit cheesy. The establishment wound up undercharging us for our drinks, even AFTER we pointed out that we thought they were undercharging us for our drinks, which may not ultimately be good for the longevity of the business.
Saturday morning, we fired up our eee pc's (great travel machines!) and scouted out nearby wineries, which we proceeded to visit in the following order:
Dry Comal Creek Winery (New Braunfels)
These folks have a nice little winery close to Gruene, and offer very informative tastings. Our crew liked their whites quite a bit (I picked up several bottles that will be perfect for a BYOB Thai place we visit), and some of their reds were interesting. I would go into more detail, but my tasting notes are downstairs and I'm lazy. Besides, you should go visit the very hospitable folks at the winery and give it a try yourself! Someone else's opinion about wine is never better than your own.
Driftwood Estate Winery (Driftwood)
This out-of-the-way winery is set in beautiful country, and there are some stunning views. As far as the wines.... eh, not so stunning. The sauvignon blanc was passable, and nothing else suited my taste (I mainly tried reds). Unlike the fine folks at Dry Comal Creek, the tasting staff here did not discuss the different wines at all, but simply announced "This is X" and poured. This wasn't a very informative stop.
Mandola Estate Winery (Driftwood)
I've heard good things about the Mandola Estate winery, and our visit didn't disappoint. The grounds are pleasant and inviting. The restaurant will be a must next time (we ordered some appetizers that we enjoyed on the grounds, but weren't hungry enough for a full meal). The wine tasting was informative (although not as informative as the Dry Comal Creek tasting), and several of the wines were quite good (I left with six bottles of reds -- a big deal, because I don't like many Texas reds that I've had). The Mandolas are definitely on to something.
It was a great little music and wine excursion. If you have the chance, check out the Dry Comal Creek and Mandola wineries (and, of course, Son Volt -- heh). They were definitely worth the roadtripping!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 04/20/08 21:50 | Travel | Technorati
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Located in the basement of the inn, this piano bar was a pretty nice bar, even if the piano portion of the experience was a bit cheesy.
There is nothing wrong with starting a piano bar set with Billy Joel's Piano Man.
Posted by callie @ 21:58 on 04/20/08
Piano Man was the best thing he played. I found he played quite a few songs at a faster tempo than normal on the piano, and the songs on the electric keyboard were hurt by the cheesy drum machine.
I think the guy was not too bad, but -- more than anything -- I wish he had just stuck with the piano and dumped the synth.
I'd highly recommend Dry Comal Creek for an excellent assortment of good wines and the well-informed and helpful staff, and Mandola for the atmosphere and restaurant (and the wine was not bad, either).
Great trip!
Posted by John @ 22:45 on 04/20/08
Linda's going to be hot that she missed this. Me? I've been on 'scripted drugs so there would have been no alcohol regardless.
Ah well, we're going down the same road in a couple of weekend,s but to check out the First Annual Bison Fest!
http://texasbisonfestival.com/
Agree with Driftwood: stunning view, "eh" wines.
Mandola's is amazing, and Dry Comal Creek is one of my favorite stops in the area. Did you get to try the Sauvignon shots?
Sounds like fun was had by all.
Posted by Cory @ 10:50 on 04/21/08
Callie: I could have done with more piano, and less vocal effort (and definitely less percussion machine).
Cory: All of your blogging about Texas wines is directly responsible for my expenditures on the same this weekend. :) It worked out nicely for being planned on the fly.
The Bison Festival sounds like a hoot. I'd give that some serious consideration if not for the Greece trip. How in the world do you find all this cool Texas stuff?
Posted by Kevin @ 20:51 on 04/21/08
Sounds like it should have been billed as a Wine and Music tour instead of a Music and Wine tour.
Posted by Vernon Guy @ 20:43 on 04/22/08
For future reference, the Gruene Mansion Inn right there close by Gruene Hall is a pretty nice place to stay. I worked for quite a few years with the woman who runs it.
Posted by another precinct chair @ 16:37 on 04/24/08
Vernon Guy: Ha, well, Son Volt was the reason for the trip. Everything else was just additional fun. :)
APC: A lot of B&B's in the area require two nights' stay, which wasn't in the offing this time (gotta save those pennies for Greece -- that exchange rate is hurting about now!). Not sure if GMI is one of them...
Posted by Kevin @ 20:19 on 04/24/08
Kevin, didn't SV also play Houston? If so, can you really say that was the reason for the trip?
Posted by Vernon Guy @ 20:34 on 04/24/08
They did play Houston, at the Continental Club, which sounds like sh!t (I don't mind the Ringwalds sounding that way, but it probably reflects that I've gotten old and picky that I want to see good bands in good rooms). I was too slow to get tix for the second-to-last show there, and decided it wasn't worth the bother this last time.
Son Volt at Gruene Hall? No passing that up! I wish I had recorded it. I *heart* Gruene Hall.
The only place I've personally seen them that sounded as good was a place in Bellingham, WA. The setlist was better there, but the venue was pretty crowded.
If it weren't for the expense of staying in Gruene/New Braunfels, I'd be there a lot more often for the sound. Ah well!
Posted by Kevin @ 20:49 on 04/24/08
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