I don't typically leave reviews at all, but occasionally I fall into an experience that warrants one. That was certainly the case with my experience at the Red Caboose Winery. The RCW is a business that I have passed probably dozens of times in my travels across Texas. Every time I think to stop in, it's been closed but limited hours are the standard for family owned wineries, so no big deal. However, on the trip through today my fiancée and I made the time to ensure it would be open, and indeed it was! After visiting, we really wish it wasn't. The RCW wasn't very busy when we arrived, indeed the only customers present during our visit was a pair of, presumably, locals, another woman with her children, who were very well behaved, and a man that I'm going to refer to as Umbo: The Clifton Giant, who sat at the edge of the bar and seemed to be keeping on eye on everyone present. The woman on staff, who did not introduce herself, seemed to be the only one working this afternoon. We entered and meandered around the small shop section before she haphazardly waved us over, as if visitors and customers were a confusing novelty for her to encounter. Upon taking a seat at the bar, the bartender took a while to get to us, the only customers (at that time) in the place; not mentioning Umbo: The Clifton Giant. We got a tasting of 6 wines and 5 of their distilled spirits. I'll save you the time now, but the spirits aren't worth it. However, given this is a winery, I think that's fair. Our bartender never bothered to tell us anything about their wines. I mentioned how excited we were to try out the place and I might as well have started speaking Klingon because they clearly didn't care at all. At no point were we told a damned thing about the wines, the winery, or anything. Just "here, pick 6 wines." So, we did. In order to try the wines, the wines must first be poured into a glass. Our bartender frequently took longer than 5 minutes (once 7 minutes and 45 seconds that I timed towards the end) to pour the next wine. During that time, she spent it chatting up the locals and engaging in hushed conversation with the aforementioned resident giant. Not that the wines are anything to write home about. Of course, this could be our fault as I guess we pick the wines. However, at least two of the wines had already oxidized and turned to vinegar. They were borderline undrinkable. The wines that weren't vinegar were either just okay or, as our bartender told us, several times, were the "cheap wines" that we could buy for even cheaper "at the grocery store." So, lots of confidence there. Now let's discuss the giant in the room, Umbo. I don't know his name. Maybe he's super friendly, I don't know, but I do know that his consistent presence and observation skills (mixed with his muffled laughter and hushed conversations) made it super uncomfortable to be there. He's just sitting there, sipping on a Dr. Pepper, occasionally staring at us. I have no idea what his presence was for. Husband? Brother? Boyfriend? Security? No idea. But we wanted out of there after a while. Paying was fine. I saw some other reviews complaining about the cost. I thought the $15 for a tasting of 6 wines and $10 for the 5 spirits was more than fair. We also liked the place itself. It looked nice and seemed comfy. My fiancée and I have been to many wineries over lots of places. The RCW may have taken the cake for "winery that we could not wait to leave." It was a genuinely terrible experience. Sour wine, terrible service, and Paul Bunyon's younger brother would probably sum up the experience as a whole. I am connected to a few wine groups in Houston, who I have been with for many years now, who are always looking for new places and stops. I've already let them know to go ahead and pass the RCW on by. I would recommend anyone else to do the same. Unless you're looking for vinegar. In which case, you've found the right place. read more

Be sure to say hi to "the Renaissance man" proprietor and vinter Gary McKibben. Gary is passionate about his wines, ports and spirits and as well he should be as many are gold medal winners and served in expense-account steakhouses across central and North Texas. We had a great evening enjoying the incredible tasting room vibes, comfortable space, friendly staff and incredible vino on a Saturday night. Follow the Red Caboose Facebook page for their special events / we enjoyed Adam Hull on guitar playing Christmas tunes. Lastly - don't miss the super foodie charcuterie tray and my personal favorite wine - the Jan Tempranillo read more

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Great wine, great service! We came in to use a Groupon before it expired and received wonderful service from Elaine! She was so attentive and suggested great things for our tastings, then ended up staying late because several parties showed up at closing time. Hope we get to make it out here again soon! read more

The woman who helped us was fantastic. This is my brothers go to winery from when he was stationed at fort hood. It's kinda way out there. The tasting room is nice and quaint, friendly staff. Wine was ok and not really to my liking given the price. read more

We came here during the Stagecoach Wine trail, it was a nice ride out here & good hospitality. I'm not sure I would have come out here otherwise. The wines were nice, mostly table-dry with some ports. Nice atmosphere is nice & they have cool accessories. read more

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Worst service anywhere in TX! Barely said hello to us as we walked thru the door. Very disappointing as it's such a quaint little place. There was no thank you as we walked out the door. Seemed as if there was some animosity between the coworkers. read more

A delightful oasis in small-town Texas - we ended up camping here for four hours so that the BF could use their WiFi to run some last-minute work reports (because that's how relaxing getaway weekends go, right?). Fortunately, the folks here were wildly generous and accommodating, so our time at the Red Caboose was incredibly enjoyable, in spite of the work-related drama. A wine tasting is just $10 and lets you pick any 6 wines on the list (it also come with a Red Caboose wine glass!), so we did two of them and tried almost everything. They have a whole host of wonderful, dry reds - the Syrah and Melbec were both great, and I was also particularly fond of the Tempranillo (a grape usually used for ports). The bf also had a glass of the chocolate port which was freakin' amazing. The chardonnay is quite sweet - delicious, but not really very dry at all, which is interesting. Wasn't as much of a fan of the Hobo Hooch, but those aren't aged in oak, so they don't taste quite as much like Texas. We also got the three cheese plate, which was great - I let them pick the cheeses, and we wound up with a pepper jack, smoked gouda, and a delightful and whimsical blueberry white cheddar that I've been dreaming about ever since. They've also got a selection of sandwiches, salsas, and other noshing supplies which look great. The setting is delightful - bright and expansive, with big front windows and an outside deck positively dripping in grape vines. The chairs are comfy, with a nice selection of bar stools, tables (this would be a great place to bring a group), and nice wooden rockers outside. There's also a charming gift shop where you can get a ton of adorable wine-related merch, pick up a few bottles for your personal collection, and grab some local artisan chocolate as well. read more

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Visited the Red Caboose Tasting Room Aug. 7, 2021 and had a very unexpected experience with a spectrum of very flavorful and balanced red wines that danced around your palate while delivering a wide verity of multidimensional flavors. The staff was friendly & helpful and the wine tasting room was very nicely done which added to the overall experience. Definitely, an instant replay is in order. read more

I have been to many wine tasting and this was by far on the bottom of my list. If you have time, go somewhere else. They seem to have good section but most of reds are very acidic, taste young and similar. I did like the selection of ports but at the price of $30, it is pricey. You pay $15 for 6 tastings, and it doesn't get waived if you buy. Service from people who worked behind the bar was the worse I have seen. I did not enjoy my wine tasting. read more

I passed by many times, but it was not during business hours, so I was excited to finally go for a tasting. What a great winery! The owner is very friendly and explains the basics so everyone that leaves is educated on the basic wine principals. You can tell he loves what he does, and it shows in his products. Quite a large selection, way more reds than whites. There is plenty of seating inside and even a grapevine covered patio with comfortable seating. Wine themed gifts available for purchase. Their wine club seems to be a great social option for the locals with events like grape stomps, live music/food at their Meridian location just up the road. Limited food options during select times-see their website for more info read more

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This is an amazing winery with a very homelike feel to it! They love their vines and it shows in their wines! I'm a sweet moscato drinker but I actually liked their red wines! They have a really good white wine! Go for a tasting, they also have the vines all around and allow you to go out and look at them and your allowed to pick off grapes and taste them if you find them! You can really get the taste of the wine from the grapes and the staff is so friendly! They have the cutest dog also, I think his name was buddy if I'm not mistaken.. anyways! If you're ever in the area and enjoy wine, this is definitely a stop you don't want to miss! read more

Red Caboose Winery - a glass of white wine - Wineries Near Me - Clifton, Texas

Ok, visited this winery in June very pleased with service and their knowledge of their wines. Today August 3rd, 2019 workers here were not very friendly one barely knew anything about her wines the other lady didn't speak at all . The place was super dark and really creepy feeling. I will not go back! Valley mills vineyard is the place to go! read more

We were just passing through and decided to make a stop to see what this winery was about. There was an open sign and the door was unlocked. As we walked in a lady rudely told us that she was not ready for tastings. Before asking us how we were, or what we were wanting. She could have nicely let us know how long it was going to be for her to be ready and we would have sat and waited for her. But her rude tone caused us to turn around and walk our immediately with no 2nd thought. I will pass this place up if I happen to be on HWY 6 again. read more

We were taking a road trip and saw this winery and stopped. It looked welcoming. When we walked in, we were greeted by an older white haired lady. We told her we would like to do a tasting of sweet wines. When directed us to the bar or table our choice. We chose the bar. Soon, she said they had three sweet wines. So, poured a smidge of one. We didn't like it much and waited for the next one. That was worse. So after we finished that splash she asked did we want a glass of the first we didn't care for but liked better. I said we would share (knowing we didn't want to say we didn't like it and didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings). We ended up each getting a very small pour. Mind you we belong to 4 wineries now. Then she left. There was another older gray haired woman and two younger ones. We wanted a wine list like the other people all had because maybe another white or red was interesting. We asked the second one... after flagging her down. She said yes, went off, was talking to the other one who poured the wine and never came back. No one ever came. We rung out and left. You can't fool two people who have been married over 40 years. They ignored us because of the color of one of our skins. Not a first in 40 years but a first since we moved to Texas. Shame on you both. read more

If you are traveling between Austin and Dallas and love wine, you need to stop by Red Caboose Winery. They specialize in bold dry red wines and have 2 dry white wines too. I bought their Malbac, Syrah/Merlot, and Chardonnay. I wanted to buy their Lenoir/Tempranillo too but I was already over my wine budget. This is probably the first time I have bought 3 bottles of wine from a winery on my first visit. They do have a blush for those with sweater tastes in wine but I did not taste it. Prices were reasonable. The dry reds were $25 a bottle, the Chardonnay was $14 and the tastings are $10 each. I will definitely be returning in the near future to stock up on some very tasty wines. read more

Poor service and unfriendly. The ladies were not nice at all and the tasting room was not ready when we showed up.

So fun! We went on Saturday afternoon and purchased their wine tasting. Which is only $10 for 7 wines and includes a wine glass. We sat at the bar and had a great time visiting with everyone. Our server was excellent and friendly. They have unique labels for their bottles and she explained the history behind them. She also recommended a great local Italian place (Bella Veta) for dinner. I purchased a couple bottles of my favorite wines. The owner was in as well and we visited with him - really fun place and great patio for warmer days. read more

Our first, but hopefully not our last, visit to the Red Caboose Winery today was a total success! My husband and I tasted six wines each, and agree that they were all good, but three were outstanding. We decided to stay for lunch--great decision! I had the tomato/mozzarella/basil sandwich, and he had the club sandwich with honey dijon dressing. Both were delicious, especially with a glass of wine. The tasting bar is comfy and the pourer was knowledgeable and informative about the wines. The dining area is charming--we sat at a small table with a good view of the grapevines draping the entry. We purchased six bottles of wine, all different and all five-stars on our tastings. I highly recommend anyone in the vicinity of Clifton, or just looking for a nice day trip, to visit the Red Caboose winery. read more