Meet Caudalie Crest Winery
It’s not every day that you can sip on a glass of malbec while a miniature goat nuzzles at your feet in hopes of a few head scratches. Then again, it’s also not every day that a couple from England finds themselves starting up a winery in Texas. Sue and Ray Verrill, however, the owners of Caudalie Crest Winery in Celina, aren’t afraid of doing things a little bit differently.
“If you come here, you are coming into our world…” Sue told the Celina Record.
The couple has been running their 10-acre winery since 2009, producing a range of white and red wines that make the perfect complement for cheese boards, barbecue dishes, and desserts. And yes, goats factor into the equation.
The couple left Great Britain when Ray took a corporate job in Chicago, which would eventually move them to Texas. Following the 9/11 attacks, the couple took stock of what was important to them and decided a career change was in order. Ray had enjoyed making beer and wine as a hobby for years and knew exactly what he wanted to do when Sue asked him, "If you could do anything with your life, what would you do?"
Cut to a few years later and Caudalie Crest Winery made its public debut with two wines and a handful of Dwarf Nigerian dairy goats that Sue had taken an interest in.
Texas Wine Made With Care
Caudalie Crest Winery isn’t a large-scale winery with a staff of hundreds and a production line churning out bottle after bottle. It’s a boutique-style winery where, other than some equipment used for crushing the grapes, the entire process is done by hand. Ray and Sue personally place the labels (designed by their nephew in England) on each bottle of wine they make.
Caudalie Crest currently offers 16 different bottles of wine ranging in price from $23 to $35. This includes numerous wines such as their award-winning Viognier and Snow on the Prairie white wines to merlots such as the Merle Rouge.
The winery’s Texas-produced goods aren’t limited to only wine either. Visitors can pick up homemade sticky toffee pudding, as well as foods from local merchants such as jalapeno jellies and relishes.
Wine, Music, and Goats
While the winery is open every day of the week, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are the most popular times to visit when Caudalie Crest Winery opens up its tasting room from 1 PM to 6 PM. No reservation is needed for the tasting room unless you’ll be visiting with a group of more than four people and all visitors must be at least 21 years of age.
On days when the winery has live music, it stays open until 10 PM so guests can enjoy a delicious glass of wine and mingle with the staff (and by “staff” we mean the 19 goats that live on the property).
“People come out and they just forget where they are,” Sue said. “You can sit here all afternoon and watch the cars go by.”
Caudalie Crest Winery is one of the many places that make Celina such a wonderful place to live. If you’re looking for the perfect home here, reach out to the Green Meadows team to learn more about our master-planned community.