What do you think of when you say “Texas”? Not wine surely, but lo and behold as we were riding around the Del Rio area today on our bikes we came to a road sign directing us to a local winery! I decided I wanted to see what a Texas winery might be like. We stopped and there within the city limits of Del Rio was a winery named Val Verde Winery, established in 1863. Their specialty is white wine but they had some reds as well. I have never paid over $18 for a bottle of wine before but I was intrigued by a red wine called Lenoir. It is a 2006 Texas Lenoir. I tasted it at the winery and loved it! It is described as “A dark, ruby red whose color pigments are present not only in the skins, but also in the pulp with its dark purple juice. It is fruity, with varietal aromas of mulberry and plums and is capped with spices such as cloves and vanilla.” I have no idea what any of the above really means, but I do know I liked the taste of it. I bought one bottle to bring home with me. Since it is a 2006 wine it should only get better with age I would think. I also purchased a bottle of their sweet red table wine and we are enjoying that even as I write.
It was so pleasant riding around the streets of old Del Rio today. We rode yesterday into the urban sprawl that has taken over so many of America’s cities. We were looking for and found a bike shop that Richard had gone to on a previous bike ride. It involved riding into city traffic during rush hour. I have a sticker on my fridge at home that states “Each day, do one thing that scares you.” I have been trying to do that and I certainly accomplished it yesterday riding in the traffic. Today was a relaxing day riding through the old neighborhoods of Del Rio. While riding the back roads of the city, we actually rode right to the border without realizing it. We stopped and took some pictures of the “fence” that separates the US from Mexico. When we first rode up on it I thought of the Berlin Wall separating East and West Berlin. It is very imposing. It seemed strange watching the birds freely flying back and forth over the wall and yet we humans have to go through inspection to cross that line. On the way back to our camp site we rode past a pasture with horses , miniature deer and another enclosure with burros, and all of this, including the winery were all in the city limits of Del Rio!
We are moving on tomorrow, heading west and north to Langtry, Texas, the home of Judge Roy Bean and his one true love, Lilly Langtry whose name the city is named after.
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