West Texas weirdness done right, grape by grape
Greater Lubbock · Lubbock · Wine Tasting Room · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 24, 2026
Wingman Metrics
You don't expect to find 100% Malvasia Bianca and sparkling Cinsaut on the High Plains of Texas, and yet here we are. Farmhouse Vineyards hands you a list of 18 labels that reads less like a tasting room menu and more like a manifesto — someone here has strong opinions about obscure Italian and Rhône grapes, and we respect it. The price points are honest, topping out at $75, which in 2024 practically qualifies as charity.
This is an all-estate, all-Texas list built almost entirely around varieties that most American wine drinkers can't spell, let alone identify in a glass — Dolcetto, Montepulciano, Counoise, Roussanne, Orange Muscat. The 2022 15th Anniversary Red Blend leans into Southern Rhône territory with Cinsaut, Counoise, Grenache, and Mourvèdre, which is genuinely unusual for a Texas producer. There's also a sparkling program that punches well above its weight for the region, with three bubbles on the list including a dry sparkling Cinsaut under the Revolution label. The one gap: no sauvignon blanc, no chardonnay, no pinot noir — if you need the familiar, this isn't your place, and that's very much the point.
The research doesn't confirm specific by-the-glass pours, which is a tasting room reality — many operate primarily on flights and bottles. Given the format, we'd expect tasting flights to be the main entry point, likely structured around the estate's lineup. If you're lucky, they'll let you mix and match.
Farmhouse Vineyards 2023 Cultivated — $35
A 50/30/20 blend of Dolcetto, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Montepulciano from Texas soil — that's a weird, ambitious combination that you'd pay significantly more to experiment with anywhere else. At $35, this is the bottle that tells you exactly who Farmhouse Vineyards is.
Farmhouse Vineyards 2021 Oh Hey, Charolais
A 100% Roussanne from Texas is genuinely rare. Roussanne is finicky and underplanted even in its native Rhône Valley — the fact that someone is growing and bottling it on the High Plains deserves attention. Most visitors will walk past it for the rosé. Don't be most visitors.
Farmhouse Vineyards Sirah|Syrah Vol. II
At $75, this is the top of the list and the one place where the pricing starts to feel ambitious relative to its regional context. Without retail comparables to validate the ask, and with so many more interesting bottles available for $30-$40 less, this one can wait for your second visit.
Farmhouse Vineyards 2024 Windy Day Rosé + Charcuterie and cheese board
A 100% Cinsaut rosé is built for exactly this moment — it's dry, it's got enough fruit to handle cured meat, and enough acidity to cut through aged cheese. In a tasting room setting where a board is likely your only food option, this is the move.
🎲 The Bottom Line
Farmhouse Vineyards is doing something genuinely uncommon in Texas wine country — leaning hard into obscure European varieties with an estate-only focus and pricing that doesn't take advantage of the novelty. If you're anywhere near Lubbock and even mildly curious about what Texas terroir can do with Counoise and Malvasia Bianca, this is worth your afternoon.
Texas Tech / University Area · Lubbock · Winery Restaurant / American Bistro
Burklee Hill at Skyviews is a Wild Card in the best sense — a genuine estate winery experience in the middle of Lubbock, pouring wines that actually reflect their place. If you're curious about Texas wine and not just tolerant of it, this list is worth your time.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Southeast Lubbock · Lubbock · Winery tasting room with light bites
If you think Texas wine is still playing catch-up, English Newsom Cellars will quietly adjust your priors. Come for the Tempranillo, stay for the view, and stop sleeping on what the High Plains can do.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
Downtown (Buddy Holly Hall / Depot-area) · Lubbock · Wine Bar & Bistro / New American
Burklee Hill is the rare winery tasting room that actually makes you believe in the place it comes from. If you're eating in Lubbock and want something worth talking about, this is where you go for wine — full stop.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Outskirts · Lubbock · Winery Tasting Room
English Newsom Cellars is a genuine Texas wine curiosity worth making the detour for — not because everything is world-class, but because where else are you tasting Sagrantino and Picardan grown on the Llano Estacado? Come thirsty, stay open-minded, and put the Flirt back on the shelf.
Surprising Depth
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
Outskirts / North Lubbock · Lubbock · Winery / Tasting Room
Pheasant Ridge is a piece of Texas wine history that's still actively making that history, and five dollars gets you in the door. If you're anywhere near Lubbock and care even a little about where American wine comes from, this stop is non-negotiable.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
South Lubbock / 98th Street · Lubbock · Wine Bar & Retail Shop
The Wine Nest is the kind of place Lubbock didn't know it needed — a genuine small-production wine shop with real range and a Texas-first identity that doesn't feel provincial. If you care about what's happening in the Texas wine scene, this is a required stop.
Surprising Depth
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Seasonal Rotation
Proper
Bend · Bend · Wine Tasting Room
Evoke is a tasting room that knows its audience — fun-first, approachable, nobody's getting intimidated here — but there's more real wine underneath the provocative branding than you'd expect. Come for the laughs, stay for the Cab Franc.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Downtown · Spokane · Wine Tasting Room
Overbluff Cellars is a genuinely charming, no-pretense urban winery that punches above its size by staying focused and staying local. If you're in Spokane and you want to drink Washington wine the way it was meant to be experienced — straight from the people who made it, in a room with soul — this is your stop.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Proper
Eastern Market · Detroit · Wine Tasting Room
Detroit Vineyards is a Wild Card in the best sense — you're not coming here for a deep Burgundy cellar, you're coming because nowhere else in Detroit will pour you a Raspberry Melomel in a converted ice cream factory with this much local character. Send your curious friends, not your wine snob uncle.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Knowledgeable & Friendly
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.