West Texas Pours in a Coca-Cola Time Capsule
Depot District / Downtown · Lubbock · Urban winery tasting room with light bites and event catering · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 24, 2026
Wingman Metrics
Walking into a converted 1930s Coca-Cola bottling plant to drink High Plains Albariño is not a sentence we expected to type, but here we are. The industrial bones — exposed brick, high ceilings, original tile — make an unexpectedly legitimate backdrop for a serious regional winery. This is not a tourist trap with a winery sticker slapped on it; McPherson means it.
The list is tight by design — this is a single-producer tasting room, full stop — so you're drinking McPherson Cellars or you're drinking water. What saves it from feeling limited is that McPherson is genuinely one of Texas's most respected producers, with over 40 years rooted in High Plains viticulture. The Explore High Plains line leans into warm-climate Spanish and Rhône varietals — Tempranillo, Albariño, Mourvèdre — that actually make sense given the elevation and heat of West Texas growing conditions. Don't come looking for Burgundy or Napa Cab; come looking for what grows here and why it works.
Eight to fifteen pours on any given visit, all McPherson, ranging from $8 to $14 — which is genuinely reasonable for a sit-down tasting experience in 2024. Flights are the smart move here: you get to map the range of the portfolio without committing to a full bottle of something unfamiliar. Rotation appears tied to vintage availability more than seasonal programming, so what's pouring today may not be pouring next month.
McPherson Cellars Albariño — $8/glass, $30/bottle
At $30 a bottle on a wine that retails for $17, you're paying a fair markup for the experience of drinking it where it's made. The glass pour at $8 is the real deal — it's one of the better expressions of Texas Albariño out there, and sipping it on the patio of the building where it was bottled adds something money can't fully account for.
McPherson Cellars Les Copains Rouge NV
Most people gravitating toward Tempranillo or single-varietal pours will skip this one, but they shouldn't. Les Copains is a blended red built for exactly this kind of casual tasting room setting — easy, food-friendly, and more expressive than its entry-level positioning suggests. At $9 a glass it's the move if you're on your second pour and the charcuterie board just landed.
McPherson Cellars Tempranillo
Not because it's bad — it isn't — but at $34 a bottle with a retail of $19, you're paying the steepest percentage markup on the list for the most expected choice. If you're going to splurge on a bottle, the Albariño or Les Copains Rouge get you more interesting territory for less money.
McPherson Cellars Les Copains Rouge NV + Cheese and charcuterie board
A blended red with soft tannins and enough acidity to cut through cured meat fat is exactly what a charcuterie board is asking for. Les Copains Rouge plays that role without overwhelming the lighter elements on the board, and at $9 a glass you can go back for a second pour without rethinking your evening.
🎲 The Bottom Line
McPherson Cellars is a wildcard in the best sense — a focused, single-producer room that makes a genuine case for West Texas wine in a setting that's more compelling than it has any right to be. If you're in Lubbock and you skip this, you've made a mistake.
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