Top North Texas Wine Tastemakers Share Their Favorite Vinos — Lonesome Dove, Trick Rider, Soy Cowboy, and More Local Expert Picks

From bold Baja blends to ultra-premium sake, wine programs across North Texas are evolving in thoughtful, exciting ways. We sat down with four local leading voices from Lonesome Dove, Trick Rider, Soy Cowboy, and From Scratch Hospitality to ask one simple question: What are you drinking right now? Their answers might inspire your next pour.

Lonesome Dove’s Grace Dieter

On most evenings at Fort Worth’s Lonesome Dove, wine director and certified sommelier Grace Dieter helps guests navigate the restaurant’s lauded wine list, which is thoughtfully curated to pair with Chef Tim Love’s bold, flavor-forward creations.

“What I love about the size of our program is that I’m able to have high-end wines but also supply small production family-focused businesses on our list,” Dieter tells PaperCity Fort Worth. “I love to be able to tell stories. We are a family-owned business. Tim Love and his family are hands-on with the business, so we like to stay true to our roots and serve wine that reflects us as a business. We work with a lot of smaller distributors who specialize in small productions.”

Her favorite wine at the moment is Adobe Guadalupe’s Jardín Secreto, out of Baja California, Mexico. 

“It’s a blend of mostly Tempranillo, with a little Nebbiolo and Grenache,” she says, adding that it is “lighter in body but bright, juicy, and a little dry. This time of year, having something that is lighter in body and brighter at the front is easier to drink in Texas. It pairs well with any bird dish at Lonesome Dove. The reaction from guests who were nervous about trying wine from a different area has been super positive.”

Trick Rider’s Swetha Narayanan

Dallas’ Omni PGA Frisco Resort & Spa draws guests worldwide for its championship golf courses, world-class amenities, and signature dining at Trick Rider. The restaurant’s general manager, Swetha Narayanan, is a certified sommelier who oversees the restaurant’s 250 selections of red, white, and sparkling wines. 

“We have a lot of conventions that happen here as well,” she says. “We want to make sure there’s something for everyone. Our wine options have a lot to do with what’s on our menu list. I want to make sure that there’s something you can pair your meal with. Steering guests to try something new gives them a reason to keep coming back for more.”

“I keep gravitating toward this pinot noir from Walker Bay in South Africa, specifically from Hamilton Russell Vineyards near Cape Town,” she says. “It’s such an expressive pinot noir. It is almost like a Burgundy, which is phenomenal. I like the fact that the spice notes hit the palate and nose first rather than fruit notes, which I think is unique. The wine is very versatile. We have this amazing pork chop with a sorghum glaze on top that pairs well with it. Another option might be our eggplant, which is roasted with chickpeas. It is a complex dish and perfect with this wine. I would drink it any time.”

Soy Cowboy’s Iain Roberts

Arlington’s Berg Hospitality concept, Soy Cowboy, is a resplendently designed pan-Asian restaurant located inside the Loews Arlington Hotel. General manager Iain Roberts says the wine menu has evolved to include a sizeable premium sake selection. 

“We lean into the Asian style of dining, which is very family-friendly and involves multiple courses and shared plates,” he says. “It’s not unusual to have 10, 15, 20 plates hit the table over the course of the evening. That creates a variety of complex flavors that make pairing wines a challenge. Partly for that reason, the staff has leaned into sake because what grows together, goes together.”

The feedback from guests over the premium sake offerings has been overwhelmingly positive, Roberts says, adding that many diners are pleasantly surprised to learn how varied and complex sake can be. Following Japanese tradition, the sake bottle is held reverently with two hands by the server, and the most senior member of the group is always served first. His top sake picks include their premium sake by IWA, Wakatake’s “Demon Slayer,” and the more entry-level premium sake “Beautiful Lily” by Saiya Shuzō, which Roberts describes as “tropical and clean.”

For wine, the GM recommends an American sparkling wine, the Schramsberg Blanc De Blancs, which he says is citrusy enough to be an aperitif but with the right notes of warm spices to keep every sip interesting.

From Scratch Hospitality’s Kellen Hamrah

As director of front-of-house operations for From Scratch Hospitality, Kellen Hamrah oversees four of Fort Worth’s most beloved restaurants: Clay Pigeon, Piattello, Provender Hall, and Walloon’s. His background in Italian restaurants — and a personal love for the country’s vinos — makes him a fan of Chiantis, Proseccos, and other selections from the peninsula. 

Clay Pigeon, he says, has a diverse selection that captures everyone from the casual drinker to the wine lover.

“We have offerings from well-known producers as well as gems from smaller producers across the globe, including Greece, South Africa, Napa, Oregon, Texas, and South Africa,” he says. “A lot of the producers have great stories behind them. At Piattello, 95 percent of the vinos are from Italy, with a focus on wines that punch above their weight.”

At the moment, Hamrah says he gravitates toward refreshing wines that suit the Texas heat. Right now, he’s favoring crisp Prosecco-style sparklers like Castello Bonomi’s CruPerdu, which offers bright orchard fruit and a dry finish — the perfect choice for grilled dishes. He’s also drawn to aromatic whites like Sturm’s Sauvignon Blanc from Friuli, a region with unique alpine and coastal influences. On the red side, a recent favorite is Chinon Rive Gauche, a lighter-bodied Cabernet Franc from France’s Loire Valley that balances earthiness with finesse.

“Friuli has such an interesting climate,” he says. “The growing region is bracketed by mountains and the Mediterranean Sea. You get this alpine air and warm brackish air hitting those grapes, so you get this wonderful rich tropical fruit expression, lacing zestiness, and acidity, which is so refreshing.”