Languid white wind turbines tower over Red River Valley wine country, a wedge of rolling hillsides tucked between the Oklahoma border and Muenster, Texas. Founded by a small group of Catholic Germans in the late 1800s, the tiny town gives travelers a taste of the old world with sizzling sausages and decadent strudels — plus three pretty vineyards for sipping wine in a slow-paced country setting.
While German hasn’t much been spoken in Muenster since World War I, many of the original settlers’ descendants still live in the area and preserve their ethnic customs. A stroll down Main Street reveals German-inspired architecture with a charming half-timbered aesthetic. Bidimensional murals evoke a hamlet somewhere along the Rhine River complete with a bierstube (beer tavern), blumenladen (flower shop), and süsswarengeschäft (candy store). The mural village also features a metzgerei (butcher’s shop), but you’ll want to go to the real thing: Fischer’s Meat Market.
This 1927 landmark is Muenster’s must-do destination for foodies, an uber-blitz of sausages in almost every variety imaginable (we stopped counting at 40). From bratwurst and knackwurst to boudin and bologna, it’s a true sausage fest. The fresh meats are cut and trimmed by hand, and everything is butchered locally. Load up on smoked meats and cheeses and peruse a dizzying array of artisan dressings, jams, jellies, preserves, and pickled everything. You might want to bring the big ice chest.
Try to visit Fischer’s at the top of the hour so you can catch the Glockenspiel action outside. The Bavarian-style clock tower over the store’s entrance puts on a show every 60 minutes with a parade of seven traditional characters, including a milkmaid and a sausage man — and they’re telling you it’s wine o’clock.
Heading north out of town you’ll reach 4R Ranch Vineyards and Winery first; the most scenic and least dusty route follows FM 373 past Turtle Hill Golf Course and loops back down on County Road 414. The winery’s “Wind Shed” tasting room has a real getaway vibe, its cantilevered deck perched amidst the oak trees with views of the valley beyond. Try four different flights of wine (dry white, dry red, dry mixed, or sweet) and nibble on cheeses — or go for the Butterfinger gelato paired with their port-style red. If you’ve brought your dog on your adventure, you can order a “bark-cuterie” board with mini hot dogs, carrots, and other tail-wagging goodies.
Located a few minutes up the road, Blue Ostrich Winery boasts a breezy hilltop setting with a vista of viognier vines under blue Texas skies. A few decades ago, thousands of ostriches nested on this land before the owners switched from raising birds to growing grapes. Like 4R, the wines here lean toward the dry side. Nosh on pesto-balsamic flatbreads and seasonal butter boards, like blueberry lemon-lavender butter sprinkled with chopped pistachios. Blue Ostrich has family connections with the third winery, Arché, and the two co-produce the dry white wine County Line. Keep an eye on Arché’s social media channels for menu specials like roast beef paninis and brisket nachos.
From Arché’s award-winning chardonnay to 4R’s citrusy albariño, this undiscovered wine region offers picturesque beauty, laid-back charm and hearty treats from the Germans. Their language may have faded in Muenster, but their sausages and sauerkraut live on.
Savor: You’ll probably end up eating at the wineries, but what about dessert? Save room for a colossal strudel from Bayer’s Kolonialwaren. The gas station bakery is nothing fancy, but its strudel could be the best you’ve ever had. There’s only one size: giant. But you have 10 flavors to choose from: blueberry, cherry, or peach? Cream-colored cheese or a crisp apple strudel? Pure pastry nirvana awaits you underneath a snowdrift of powdered sugar, which will blanket your car if you try to eat said strudel from the dashboard. To quench a hankering for German cuisine, Rohmer’s Restaurant plates up schnitzels and pork sausages with sides of red cabbage, sauerkraut, and warm potato salad.
Shop: Head to Main Street just south of Fischer’s to find most of the shops, such as Bird’s Nest — a garden and gift store that’s chockablock with colorful wind chimes and puckish gnomes. A separate room houses well-priced apparel and dainty accessories. Across the street, Girlfriend’s Boutique stocks sassy T-shirts and on-trend attire. If you’re looking for antiques or wooden Longaberger baskets, Main Street Mercantile presents an organized hunting ground with a little German flavor, including beer steins and Hummel figurines. Muenster Antique Mall is a few blocks away but also has plenty to browse, especially vintage tools and stained-glass windows.
Enjoy: Muenster shifts into high gear for Germanfest every spring and Oktoberfest in autumn, the latter of which takes place this year on October 6-8. Kick back with a cold beer and enjoy German folk dancing and happy-go-lucky oompah music at two stages, indoors and out. Test your mettle at the stein hoisting and bratwurst eating competitions, or head to the wiener dog races to cheer for short-legged pups with enough mettle to go around. The Tapping of the Keg takes place on Saturday at noon, followed by contests for the best lederhosen and dirndl (traditional German dress for men and women).
Snooze: Sleep in Muenster’s swishiest digs at The Loft at 113, a two-bedroom apartment overlooking Main Street with exposed brick walls, dark wood ceiling beams, and a svelte kitchen. You might not want to leave the freestanding tub, especially if you’ve brought a glass of wine with you. Right around the corner is Schillinghaus, a small B&B with two balconied rooms and an adorable German façade. For a bit of fairy-tale romance, book a long weekend at Elm Creek Manor five miles outside of town. With a relaxed, woodsy setting amidst rolling hills, this highly rated culinary destination offers an authentic farm-to-table experience — they raise all their own meats, eggs, vegetables, fruits, honey, and milk.
How to Get There: Drive north on Interstate 35 for about an hour until you reach Gainesville, then take Exit 498 to US-82 traveling west. Muenster is 14 miles ahead.
