Visit to the Valley's first winery

23rd September 2012

Visit to the Valley’s first winery

Believe it or not, the Rio Grande Valley has its own very first winery, Jaber Estate Winery. Now all that hot weather and rich soil, which supports a variety of agricultural products, can now claim grapes, which will lead to a new industry to an area that desperately needs it.

The Mission Chamber of Commerce did a good job by providing shuttle service. The bus ride was comfortable. We actually had an air-conditioned bus. (It wasn’t working well, but you know.) And it was full.

Once we got there, they had tables set up like a nice outdoor cafe in Paris. They also served some hors d’ouvres, which waiters passed around. They had shrimp kabobs and small roast beef sandwiches. They asked which type of wine you wanted (red or white) and had an area in the gazebo set up for you to relax and talk. A man with a guitar played oldies in the background.

We also went into the room where they stored the wine. The machine was all slick and nice. There were no tours; everything was pretty self-guided.

The wine sold for $20, an introductory price; they said they plan to sell bottles for $30.

In case you’d like to visit, the winery is located way out of town at 22283 Western Road in Mission, Texas.

And FYI, October is Texas Wine Month.

Tagged: Rio Grande Valley Texas food wine tourism