I’ve spent most of my holiday break in Odell, Texas, at my family’s hunting lodge, which is backed up against the Red River on the border of Texas & Oklahoma.  The horizon is expansive and the land is absolutely teeming with deer, turkey, dove, and wild hogs. Our tradition each evening is to sink into one of the huge rocking chairs on the back porch, sip wine, and watch the sun set. So, when I saw a bottle of Windmill Winery Tempranillo from Roosevelt, Oklahoma (population: 248) , I figured it was worth adding to our relaxing ritual — especially for $7.

I did a little research before opening it and learned that Oklahoma boasts ~52 wineries. (Note: This is far fewer than the 200+ in Texas — yet another reason TX is superior to OK).

Sipping Windmill Tempranillo in TX

The wine poured out a slightly translucent, bricky garnet color.  The nose was dominated by cinnamon, cloves, and dark rich fruits like currants & plum. It reminded me of a Christmas candle. I got hints of leather and dust, but was expecting more based on the Texas Tempranillos I’ve tried. On the palate, I picked up a lot of sour cranberry, which later opened up into extracted berry notes, a transformation I found a little surprising given a) this is tempranillo and b) it’s a restrained 12% alcohol.  Also a little mineral and dustiness. Short finish. My expectations were low, and this wine  exceeded them. If you see Windmill on the shelves and have $7 in your pocket, it’s definitely worth trying.