Threshold Vineyards (East Texas)

[00:00:06] Howdy Vine Trippers, I wanted to take just a moment to talk to you about the Texas Wine Lover website and their phone app for both iPhones as well as Google devices.

[00:00:16] You can actually download this app, put it on your phone, or just go to the website if you're not an app person.

[00:00:22] And if you ever want to go visit some of these great locations that we've been talking about in the podcast, this will give you great information about the place before you go.

[00:00:30] And you'll be able to find other wineries in the area.

[00:00:33] So if you want to make a day of it, go see several other places as well.

[00:00:37] You can search by region.

[00:00:38] You can sort the listings, find ones that are kid-friendly, family-friendly, even ones that host RVs.

[00:00:44] All kinds of different sortable listings you can find there in that app and on the website.

[00:00:49] You can find other things as well in the area like restaurants, accommodations, maybe events that are going on at the different wineries.

[00:00:56] So it's your one-stop resource that goes hand-in-hand with this podcast to be able to find those great places to go visit.

[00:01:04] So check out the Texas Wine Lover website.

[00:01:07] It's txwinelover.com.

[00:01:09] Or go to their app.

[00:01:11] You can find it on the Google Play Store or the Apple Store as well.

[00:01:14] Enjoy your trips among the vines and use that app.

[00:01:17] Welcome to Texas Under Vine, an exploratory podcast to scout out the best Texas wine country has to offer.

[00:01:47] I'm your wine guide, Scott, and I'm here to lead you on an auditory expedition to the vineyards and wineries across the great Lone Star State.

[00:01:56] Each episode will cover a different vineyard, winery, or wine-related business operating in Texas.

[00:02:01] You'll hear interviews, descriptions, and details about each location that will excite you to visit and experience them for yourself.

[00:02:09] Ready to plan a wine tour?

[00:02:10] Use these episodes to choose the most interesting spots for you and your friends to check out.

[00:02:15] Most of all, enjoy hearing about the rapidly growing wine industry in the state and what makes our wines and wineries the best.

[00:02:23] Howdy, fellow Vine Trippers.

[00:02:37] Welcome to episode 51 of Texas Under Vine.

[00:02:41] And for this episode, I'm excited to bring you another Gulf Coast region winery.

[00:02:46] And I'm going to be headed out to Navasota, Texas, which is just kind of northwest of Houston, a little bit southeast of College Station.

[00:02:57] And I'm going to visit Threshold Vineyards there in Navasota.

[00:03:01] So I look forward to telling you about this great location.

[00:03:04] It's a beautiful property and they make really tasty wines.

[00:03:07] And it's a truly family-based winery.

[00:03:10] So the vineyard itself is actually, like I said, stationed in Navasota.

[00:03:15] So it's an easy drive from the Houston area, from College Station area, and all those regions around there.

[00:03:21] It's located on a 102-acre property.

[00:03:25] It is truly, as I said, a family-based winery in that it's owned by the Jeter family.

[00:03:30] And all through the ranks, everyone is involved in some way or another, for the most part, with making this vineyard and this winery actually a success.

[00:03:41] Interestingly, you'll hear in the story that the property itself was purchased in 1989 by the patriarch of the family, Kim Brojeter, who purchased it.

[00:03:50] Actually, it was a Christmas tree farm before that.

[00:03:53] And they revived that operation and actually ran the Christmas tree farm there for about 10 years before they closed down that operation.

[00:04:03] But the family had a strong interest in agriculture.

[00:04:06] So even when they closed down the Christmas tree operation, they wanted to experiment with planting other types of crops.

[00:04:12] And they planted a lot of different things in the area until they finally, in 2010, planted their first Blanc du Bois grapevines.

[00:04:20] And from that point, the rest is history.

[00:04:24] That began their winemaking efforts.

[00:04:26] And they're bringing these amazing grapes and wines to you and me and our taste buds.

[00:04:31] So after they had planted the grapes, it was about 2012 when they started getting some of the good harvests off of these vines.

[00:04:38] And at that time, they didn't have a permit.

[00:04:40] So they were just making wine for their own personal consumption.

[00:04:44] And they liked it.

[00:04:46] They thought they had a good thing going here.

[00:04:47] So right around 2016, 2017, one of their sons, Josh Jeter, actually had an interest in fermentation processes.

[00:04:55] And he got his certificate through Texas Tech for enology and began actually crafting and creating wines that, in 2018, when they got their permit, they could actually sell to the public.

[00:05:08] And that really jump-started their option to get these wines to the public for sale.

[00:05:13] Now, they are in the Gulf Coast region.

[00:05:16] So their vineyards themselves have to be hardy to Pierce's disease, which we've already mentioned on this podcast and kind of heard in other interviews before.

[00:05:25] It's an especially troublesome problem with grapevines in more humid areas.

[00:05:29] So they've actually planted the kind of Pierce's disease-resistant vines of Blanc du Bois, Black Spanish, which is also called Lenoir.

[00:05:37] And then they're also experimenting.

[00:05:39] They planted some of the new Walker varietals to be able to see how those work out in their vineyard.

[00:05:44] And hopefully we'll see some wines from those coming up soon from them.

[00:05:47] But in addition to those varieties that they have planted, they also source grapes from other places in the High Plains.

[00:05:54] So they bring in grapes that are more commonly familiar with, like Merlot, Saint-Giovese, Viognier, things like that.

[00:06:02] So they are a Texas-based winery and they do have their own estate varietals on site.

[00:06:06] But they also do source from other places in Texas as well.

[00:06:10] Now, they kind of know what they're doing, though, when it comes to those Blanc du Bois grapes.

[00:06:14] Because their dry Blanc du Bois, and you'll hear in the interview, they actually make a dry and an off-dry version of the Blanc du Bois.

[00:06:21] But that dry Blanc du Bois actually earlier this year won a Platinum Award at the Texam Wine Competition.

[00:06:28] So got really big laurels there.

[00:06:31] And I'm really excited to announce that even after I had the interview with them,

[00:06:35] it actually won Best in Class at the inaugural Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo Wine Competition.

[00:06:41] So that Blanc du Bois is really making waves out there in the Texas wine scene.

[00:06:47] Now, in addition to these wines, they also host live events.

[00:06:50] They have music on site frequently.

[00:06:53] They even have a really cool playscape on site.

[00:06:56] So yes, they are family and pet friendly.

[00:06:58] The playscape was actually a relic from the old Christmas tree farm.

[00:07:03] And so you can come and enjoy a nice glass of wine while the kids frolic outside on the playscape.

[00:07:08] Really true, fun family afternoon.

[00:07:12] Another one of my favorite things about this winery was the drive-in.

[00:07:16] Coming off the main road to the winery itself, you come down this long kind of stretch that you're driving down.

[00:07:22] But it's beautiful because you have the trees coming up on either side of the road with their canopy arching over the road itself like so.

[00:07:30] So you're driving down this beautiful canopy covered road.

[00:07:33] It felt like something out of a painting that I was driving down.

[00:07:37] I was anticipating all this great wine.

[00:07:39] And to see this beautiful scene unfolding before my eyes as I drove up to the tasting room, it was really a sight to see.

[00:07:45] Now, as I rolled up to the tasting room, I was greeted incredibly warmly.

[00:07:50] The staff there at Threshold Vineyards have been a supporter of the Texas Undervine podcast.

[00:07:55] They've been fans for many years and were really excited to have me there for the podcast.

[00:08:01] They had a sign out front welcoming Texas Undervine.

[00:08:04] I felt so privileged to be there.

[00:08:06] And they actually got me settled in in the production facility with Josh Jeter, who is their winemaker, Kimbrough's son.

[00:08:14] And we were able to actually sit down, drink a little bit of wine, and talk about some of the amazing wines and the story there that they have behind Threshold Vineyards.

[00:08:23] So let's go ahead and go to that interview now so you can hear directly from Josh.

[00:08:34] Howdy, Vine Trippers.

[00:08:35] Welcome to Threshold Vineyards.

[00:08:38] So I'm here with Josh Jeter, who is the winemaker for this incredible operation here.

[00:08:43] So we're going to talk to him a little bit about the location and about their wines and get you excited to come get a visit here.

[00:08:48] So, Josh, tell me a little bit about yourself.

[00:08:50] What got you started in the wine industry?

[00:08:53] Sure, Scott.

[00:08:53] Well, we're happy to have you here and hosting you here.

[00:08:55] And it's a privilege to be able to chat with you for a little bit.

[00:08:59] So, yeah, my name is Josh Jeter.

[00:09:02] I grew up in Bryan College Station, so just north of here.

[00:09:07] Our family, we don't necessarily have a long history in winemaking.

[00:09:11] It didn't come in from a big Italian or Spanish winemaking generation.

[00:09:17] But we come from a history of farmers.

[00:09:20] Okay, yeah.

[00:09:20] Agricultural.

[00:09:21] Agricultural, exactly.

[00:09:22] So that is really kind of what got our toe in the door for making wine and starting this winery operation.

[00:09:30] So, yeah, both of my parents have generation-old Texas roots.

[00:09:36] Some of their original ancestors came in as farmers, as a lot of folks did back in the day.

[00:09:43] But we – so the land that we're on right now, we're on 102 acres.

[00:09:47] Okay.

[00:09:47] And we're in very south part of Grimes County.

[00:09:50] My dad had the opportunity to purchase this property.

[00:09:53] It was back in 1989.

[00:09:55] Okay.

[00:09:55] And the unique thing about this land at that time, it was a big Christmas tree farm and nursery.

[00:10:02] Oh, wow.

[00:10:03] Yeah.

[00:10:04] And so it had gone under, and there was about 25,000 Virginia pine trees growing across the 100 acres that were growing here.

[00:10:13] And they had gotten a little out of shape, but my dad, always up for a challenge, said,

[00:10:19] You know what, let's – I'd hate to just tear all these trees down and shut this thing down.

[00:10:25] Let's keep the tradition going.

[00:10:26] And so he, with the help of family and some of the folks that we have out here, started cleaning up and trimming up those Christmas trees.

[00:10:36] And we operated the Christmas tree farm for about 10 years.

[00:10:39] Really?

[00:10:39] Yeah.

[00:10:40] Yeah.

[00:10:40] And so – but always having an interest in ag and growing things over the years.

[00:10:44] We ended up closing the Christmas tree down in the early 2000s, but we just started growing things.

[00:10:50] You know, farming.

[00:10:51] We grew hay.

[00:10:52] We grew watermelons.

[00:10:54] We're situated in a really nice sandy loam soil here.

[00:10:59] So it's really a beautiful medium for growing things.

[00:11:02] Yeah.

[00:11:02] And so that was about eight or nine years.

[00:11:06] And then kind of fast forward to 2010, my parents were becoming more and more interested in drinking wine.

[00:11:13] And they got hooked up with some folks over in Cat Spring, some of the older growers in the area.

[00:11:21] And that's in Austin County, just that Belleville area.

[00:11:25] And they found out about a grape variety that would thrive and grow well here.

[00:11:29] And they said, you know, we like wine.

[00:11:31] We like growing things.

[00:11:31] They're kind of looking for a hobby.

[00:11:33] So 2010, they put in about 200 block du bois vines.

[00:11:36] Wow.

[00:11:37] I mean, they didn't just dip the toe in.

[00:11:39] They dove in it first.

[00:11:40] That's right.

[00:11:41] That's right.

[00:11:41] Yeah.

[00:11:42] And so they jumped in.

[00:11:46] So those are the oldest vines that we have on the property.

[00:11:48] Okay.

[00:11:48] Still growing today.

[00:11:49] Nice.

[00:11:49] And so, yeah, a couple years later, we started getting fruit.

[00:11:52] And we had to say, well, what are we going to do with it?

[00:11:56] We got all these grapes.

[00:11:58] Yeah.

[00:11:58] And so we started making wine.

[00:12:00] That's kind of where I entered the picture.

[00:12:01] And that was 2012.

[00:12:03] And so, again, none of us really have a long history of winemaking, commercial winemaking.

[00:12:08] But at the time, I was really interested in fermentation.

[00:12:12] I had started with my old college roommates.

[00:12:15] We bought one of those homebrew kits.

[00:12:18] And so we were making beer, you know, in our garage and had a really good time doing that.

[00:12:22] It just, there's, I mean, you've been around it.

[00:12:24] There's something really magical about that process of fermentation.

[00:12:27] And so definitely had that bug.

[00:12:29] And like I said, in 2012, I was here in College Station and we started making wine together as a family.

[00:12:35] And it started out very modest.

[00:12:37] We were five-gallon glass carboys in buckets.

[00:12:42] And we just fell in love with it.

[00:12:43] We absolutely fell in love with it.

[00:12:44] Not just the winemaking part, but farming the grapes.

[00:12:48] And there's just something really beautiful and unique about growing grapes in a certain environment,

[00:12:53] a certain place, and then transforming it into a really nice product.

[00:12:56] So, yeah, we really got in deep with Block 2 Block.

[00:13:00] So over the years, my mom and dad really pioneered it.

[00:13:03] Mom is a veterinarian.

[00:13:06] My dad was in the oil and gas business.

[00:13:08] But my mom had that science background.

[00:13:10] And so she started really as the first winemaker, you know, on the hobby level for us.

[00:13:14] She went through several certificate programs.

[00:13:17] We have three of us now that have gone through Texas Tech's oenology and viticulture program.

[00:13:23] And so, yeah, so 2016, 17 timeframe, that's when I got my certificate at Texas Tech.

[00:13:28] And we started just, you know, inching forward and started dreaming a little bit about,

[00:13:33] you know, maybe we could give this thing a shot, you know.

[00:13:35] Upgrade our carboys a little.

[00:13:37] Yeah, exactly.

[00:13:38] Into something not quite as big yet.

[00:13:40] But, yeah.

[00:13:41] And so we started out in that room that you walked through earlier.

[00:13:44] Okay.

[00:13:45] Yeah, very, very modestly.

[00:13:47] And then we ended up getting our wine permit finally in 2018.

[00:13:51] We were making just mostly Blanc du Bois.

[00:13:53] And it was really, didn't have a tasting room yet at the time.

[00:13:57] And, but yeah, we've kind of grown it to where we are at this moment today.

[00:14:01] And in 2019, we finished this production space that we're sitting in here today.

[00:14:06] And that really allowed us to kind of get our foot off the ground or get our start and get going.

[00:14:13] And you've noticed we've, we've kind of, you know, history, our history with this place is always something that we love to share and tell people about.

[00:14:20] And so all the history is kind of right here for you to see.

[00:14:22] These buildings were the same buildings that we entertained people during Christmas time when they were coming in from the cold after cutting down.

[00:14:28] To go cut down their tree.

[00:14:29] Yep.

[00:14:30] And so that's some hot chocolate.

[00:14:31] Exactly.

[00:14:32] Exactly.

[00:14:32] Yeah.

[00:14:32] So we call it the lodge.

[00:14:34] It's always been the lodge, you know.

[00:14:36] And so, yeah, now, now we're entertaining people and sharing, sharing our love for, for growing grapes and making wine.

[00:14:41] Nice.

[00:14:42] Yeah.

[00:14:43] Well, so you were kind of get bits and pieces a little bit of that start here.

[00:14:48] But you, you transitioned.

[00:14:51] When was the official opening of the tasting room for wines for people?

[00:14:55] So like I said, we, you know, we officially got our permit in 18, but yeah, we started making wine for a couple of years and just gearing up for, for opening the space.

[00:15:02] But of course that timed up almost not great with Coke.

[00:15:08] The C word, right.

[00:15:09] Yeah.

[00:15:09] The C word.

[00:15:10] So we, we, um, we had been thinking, well, we're just going to do a really modest opening while people out in our little space.

[00:15:16] It'll be, you know, just a tiny little tasting room.

[00:15:19] Well then, then yeah, 2020 happened, March happened and everything shut down for a while.

[00:15:23] So that of course pushed and delayed, but we really opened up whenever Texas started opening up restaurants and bars, um, in that fall.

[00:15:31] Yeah.

[00:15:31] So it was like fall of 2020.

[00:15:33] Yeah.

[00:15:33] And like I said, it was, and it was fine with us.

[00:15:36] It was new.

[00:15:36] It was a new business for us, a new thing.

[00:15:38] And so we were, we just slowly moved in, you know, during that time.

[00:15:42] So yeah, we just started having, we said, we put a post on, on social media said, Hey, we're open.

[00:15:48] Come get some wine.

[00:15:49] Come try some wine.

[00:15:50] We're pretty proud of it.

[00:15:51] Yeah.

[00:15:51] Yeah.

[00:15:51] And it's a very family based operation.

[00:15:54] It is.

[00:15:55] So besides your parents and you, who else do we have involved in the operation?

[00:15:59] Absolutely.

[00:15:59] So you, uh, you met my brother, Ben.

[00:16:02] So right now, Ben and I are the ones kind of really moving in to, um, to take over different pieces of the business.

[00:16:08] So Ben is, um, Ben just finishes, um, viticulture certificate at Texas tech.

[00:16:13] So big, big proponents of the Texas tech program over there in the Hill Country.

[00:16:17] Um, so he's taken over as a vineyard manager.

[00:16:19] So Ben's very heavily involved.

[00:16:20] He's, this is his full-time job.

[00:16:22] Um, like I said, I'm involved as the winemaker.

[00:16:25] Um, and then I have an older sister and she's a teacher.

[00:16:30] Oh, okay.

[00:16:30] Like, you know, I heard your story.

[00:16:32] So she, you see is when she's here, she's kind of in charge of hospitality and taking care of people.

[00:16:37] And so when she's not teaching on the weekends, she'll come down here and you'll usually know she's here when she's got, um, at least two or three of her rambunctious kiddos running around and they're already trying to, you know, move in.

[00:16:48] And if only they were 21, right.

[00:16:50] You know, right.

[00:16:51] Air 18, they might, uh, they'll probably be behind the bar serving wine one day.

[00:16:55] So till then just get them scrubbing the tanks.

[00:16:57] Yep.

[00:16:58] Yep.

[00:16:58] And then I don't want to leave out.

[00:16:59] Yeah, exactly.

[00:17:00] Perfect size.

[00:17:01] Right.

[00:17:02] Just drop them down.

[00:17:03] Yeah.

[00:17:03] Go at it.

[00:17:04] A little pulley system with some brushes.

[00:17:06] Yeah.

[00:17:06] But we'll clear it, make sure it's like, you know, combined clearing space first.

[00:17:09] Right.

[00:17:10] But, um, no, but they're, they're enthusiastic about helping.

[00:17:13] And then, um, then last but not least yet, Jordan is my youngest brother.

[00:17:16] So Jordan, as, as any winery owner will know, there's a lot of equipment around here in the vineyard and a lot, um, in the winery and, um, there's nothing scarier or more frightening than something going wrong.

[00:17:33] And the last, you know, this time is of the essence when you're harvesting fruit and making wine and there's a nothing more frightening than a, than something going wrong.

[00:17:40] And so Jordan is very mechanically minded.

[00:17:43] And so he, um, is here and, um, sometimes reluctantly, but he's here to, to come in and look at this equipment and get it back up and running for us.

[00:17:51] So from the tractors to the winery equipment, um, he's a big asset that we have.

[00:17:56] I love that.

[00:17:56] It's kind of like one of those family bands, you know, where everybody has their own role, their own thing, and it all just comes together in the beautiful harmony of the winery itself.

[00:18:05] It is.

[00:18:05] Yeah.

[00:18:05] It's, we, um, family is hugely important to, to us.

[00:18:09] And I'm sure as we get to some of these other questions, well, it's, it's reflected in, in, um, the way that we run the business, the, the folks that have volunteered their time to help and actually have come on that we've hired.

[00:18:21] And then of course, um, our customers, you know, it's, it's, um, we, we have a lot of customers that come in and the wine's great.

[00:18:31] You know, the, the scenery is great, but the, the sticking, a lot of the sticking point is we just felt like family when we came in.

[00:18:37] So that's important to us.

[00:18:39] Well, where did the name threshold vineyards come from?

[00:18:42] Good question.

[00:18:43] Right.

[00:18:43] So, um, my dad and mom grew up, um, they were born in the fifties and they grew up in the sixties and seventies.

[00:18:51] And so, uh, they were big rock and roll fans.

[00:18:54] All right.

[00:18:54] So, yep.

[00:18:55] They, um, grew up listening to a lot of the bands at the time.

[00:18:57] One that really, um, resonated with my dad as a group called the Moody Blues.

[00:19:03] Yes.

[00:19:04] And so they're, one of their albums, um, threshold of a dream and there's a song threshold of a dream.

[00:19:10] It was very inspirational, inspirational for him.

[00:19:13] Um, and, and a lot of it, um, you know, has to do with some of his philosophies about, you know, exceeding some of those thresholds, you know, perceived thresholds in your life to, um, to succeed.

[00:19:23] And, um, and, um, and so, yeah, that, that's what inspired him to name, um, our winery threshold vineyards.

[00:19:30] All right.

[00:19:31] And this is the dream.

[00:19:32] You're no longer on the threshold.

[00:19:34] You have entered into the dream.

[00:19:35] Exactly.

[00:19:36] Exactly.

[00:19:37] Yeah.

[00:19:38] Well, tell me about the location.

[00:19:40] So we are just south of College Station, just north of Houston.

[00:19:44] Yes.

[00:19:45] Navasota, Texas.

[00:19:46] Navasota, Texas.

[00:19:47] Yeah.

[00:19:47] So kind of nicely centered between if you're in the, you know, Houston area or the San Antonio Austin corridor, kind of easy to get access there from those major areas or the Brown College Station area here.

[00:19:59] Yeah, absolutely.

[00:20:00] Yeah.

[00:20:00] We, that's one of the things that, one of the many things that we're excited about is our location.

[00:20:06] We, we love it.

[00:20:06] It's, um, we grew up in Bryan College Station.

[00:20:09] Um, so from, you know, middle of College Station, you're 25, 30 minutes max, um, to get to where we are.

[00:20:16] So yeah, we're, we're south of College Station, about five or six miles south of Navasota.

[00:20:21] Um, and it's highway six.

[00:20:23] Right.

[00:20:23] And then, um, from Houston, we're, you know, from that north part of Houston, um, Tomball, Montgomery, um, we're, we're less than an hour drive as well.

[00:20:33] So it's, um, we're, we're excited about that.

[00:20:37] Houston market is obviously really, really huge.

[00:20:39] And it's, um, you know, some of the commentary you get is, this is great.

[00:20:42] I mean, it's an alternative, it's wine quality, you know, great wine quality.

[00:20:48] Um, but not the hill country drive from Houston.

[00:20:52] I imagine that's a long haul from there.

[00:20:54] Yeah.

[00:20:55] It's a, it's a good three-ish hour.

[00:20:56] So, um, so yeah, it's, it's a, it's a nice, easy drive from North Houston.

[00:21:00] Like I said, right, right off, especially now with, with 249 coming out of, um, Tomball, that Aggie Expressway, um, makes getting to our spot quite a bit easier as well.

[00:21:10] Well, and I love this area, just the driving in, um, I love this part of Texas because even here we are in mid July.

[00:21:18] And even though we've been having a hundred degree temperatures, everything's still so green, uh, trees everywhere.

[00:21:23] It's just a very beautiful part of Texas.

[00:21:26] It is a really, really unique spot because you kind of get north of us and things flatten out a little bit.

[00:21:30] You get down into Houston, things get flatter.

[00:21:33] Um, but yeah, there's some, some gentle rolling hills around here that are really, really pretty.

[00:21:37] Um, the trees are beautiful.

[00:21:39] Um, and like I said, this, this area is very well known, uh, for wildflower season, having just fields of beautiful blue bonnets and Indian paintbrushes.

[00:21:48] Um, so it's, it is, and we've been blessed this year that we've, it is still green because we've had plenty of rain this year.

[00:21:54] Yeah.

[00:21:54] A little bit wetter year.

[00:21:55] Yeah.

[00:21:56] Well, let's talk about speaking of rain.

[00:21:58] Let's talk about some of your fruit.

[00:21:59] So where do you source your fruit?

[00:22:01] I know you talked about harvesting some or, you know, having planting those vines here on site.

[00:22:05] Uh, but those, is that the only place you get your grapes or do you source fruit from other locations or tell me about your fruit?

[00:22:11] Yeah, absolutely.

[00:22:12] So, um, we do grow our own grapes and we also source fruit from other Gulf Coast vineyards.

[00:22:19] Okay.

[00:22:19] So, you know, we've got several, five or six different, you know, not ABAs, but regions in Texas.

[00:22:24] And so we consider ours what's called Gulf Coast.

[00:22:26] So it's, um, South Texas all the way up to East Texas.

[00:22:30] Yep.

[00:22:31] And so we do, we buy from four different vineyards, um, in the Gulf Coast area on top of ours.

[00:22:37] And primarily the fruit that we're sourcing in this area is Pierce's disease, tolerant, resistant, grape varieties or hybrids.

[00:22:46] You know, a lot of people put in that category.

[00:22:48] Um, you know, you, you're Blanc Dubois, you're Black Spanish, and then, um, something we can go into a little bit more later.

[00:22:55] If you'd like some of the new Andy Walker, uh, UC Davis vines that we're, we've recently planted.

[00:23:00] So, yep.

[00:23:01] So we're getting some from Grimes County, um, and we are getting some from Austin County right now.

[00:23:06] Okay.

[00:23:06] Yep.

[00:23:07] And so that's, we, you know, we, we love those grape varieties.

[00:23:12] We love Blanc, we love Black Spanish, and we love, you know, some new spins and new, um, styles that we're producing with those.

[00:23:18] So those are a lot of our bread and butter.

[00:23:20] But, um, we have also developed some relationships with some vineyards in the High Plains.

[00:23:25] Okay.

[00:23:26] Yeah.

[00:23:26] So we've been buying, um, fruit from the High Plains, uh, since 2018, uh, right when we got our wine permit.

[00:23:34] And, um, that's crucial for us because, you know, we, we do love, you know, tech, you know, vinifera grapes in Texas.

[00:23:42] And, um, we can't quite grow them super successfully.

[00:23:46] More difficult in this area.

[00:23:46] Yes.

[00:23:47] Yes.

[00:23:47] Very difficult.

[00:23:48] And so, um, so yeah, we've, over the years, we've developed some nice relationships with, um, folks in the High Plains to grow some of those more traditional.

[00:23:56] Or to, to bring in and produce wine with some of those more traditional grape varieties from Europe.

[00:24:01] So, yeah.

[00:24:01] So like I said, Gulf Coast, we're, we focus on Black Spanish, Blanc Dubois, uh, and then High Plains.

[00:24:06] We are still, um, working with a lot of different varieties and some new ones every year.

[00:24:11] But some of the ones that we go back to every year, um, we love Sangiovese.

[00:24:16] Uh, that's one of our favorites.

[00:24:18] Um, and then we, white, on white grapes, we, we love the Onier.

[00:24:22] Um, that's become a really popular one for us as well.

[00:24:25] And, um, and so those we've gotten from, you know, Ready Vineyards and then, um, up in Brownfield and then a couple other vineyards there.

[00:24:33] Then also, um, from Seminole, we started sourcing some fruit too.

[00:24:36] Oh, okay.

[00:24:36] Yeah.

[00:24:36] So a couple of different spots in the High Plains.

[00:24:39] So what do you have planted here on site?

[00:24:41] So on site, uh, we have about a three acre vineyard.

[00:24:44] Uh, again, our roots started really in Blanc Dubois.

[00:24:49] That's a lot of the Gulf Coast bread and butter with, with ability to grow successfully.

[00:24:53] And then also your wine quality.

[00:24:54] So, um, so we are primarily Blanc Dubois.

[00:24:58] I would say, um, out of the three acres, um, about two in Blanc.

[00:25:01] And then, uh, we have a smaller block of Black Spanish, um, or Linois.

[00:25:07] Yeah.

[00:25:07] And then one new block that we planted, um, in 21 is, and we planted a couple, we've planted more since then is, uh, the grapes I mentioned, um, that are the, uh, the Walker varieties.

[00:25:22] Which ones have you planted?

[00:25:22] So we, there were five that were released.

[00:25:24] We planted two of them, two of the reds.

[00:25:26] Um, so one is commonari noir.

[00:25:29] Um, and it's, you know, so it's been bred to be Pierce's disease tolerant, but its main vinifera components, um, you know, which hopefully gives us similar wine qualities is that Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Syrah.

[00:25:41] Yeah.

[00:25:42] Yep.

[00:25:42] And so then we've also planted a Passeante noir.

[00:25:45] Okay.

[00:25:46] Yep.

[00:25:46] And the Passeante's big, um, vinifera component is, is Zinfandel.

[00:25:50] Ooh, nice.

[00:25:51] Yeah.

[00:25:52] Yeah.

[00:25:52] So, um, both of those are 90, 90 plus percent, uh, if I'm not mistaken, vinifera.

[00:25:59] So that's gonna, you know, our hope.

[00:26:01] And again, we're very much on the forefront of these great varieties.

[00:26:03] Yeah.

[00:26:04] Um, so we're excited that, I mean, we love our black Spanish in certain styles and we love Blanc Dubois, but that's one thing the Gulf Coast is, as sorely missed is being able to really successively and sustainably grow.

[00:26:18] Um, what would make like a nice table red or even a boulder red.

[00:26:23] Yeah.

[00:26:23] So when you only have really two varietals that can do well, uh, those Walker varietals are a godsend.

[00:26:30] I'd be able to see how they do.

[00:26:31] When did you plant those?

[00:26:32] How old are the vine?

[00:26:33] Um, so there are, um, the oldest ones are probably in 24 would be entering their third leaf.

[00:26:37] So you're getting ready to possibly get some of your first harvests off of them.

[00:26:41] Yeah.

[00:26:41] So this year we'll get a tiny bit of fruit.

[00:26:43] Um, and then next year we should have trunks established, cordons established, and we'll be developing those, those spurs to start, um, be bringing in fruit pretty regularly.

[00:26:54] I'm excited to hear how that goes.

[00:26:55] Yeah.

[00:26:55] And, and we, um, and again, we're very much on the forefront of this.

[00:26:58] There's a lot of, a lot of pioneering going on right now in the Gulf Coast, but it's exciting.

[00:27:04] It's really exciting.

[00:27:04] I know that, um, I spoke with the Dr. Young at Bending Branch Winery and they're doing commoner noir.

[00:27:11] And, um, he spoke of a winery in California, um, white, white hall or something.

[00:27:18] I think it's white hall.

[00:27:19] I don't want to, I don't want to.

[00:27:21] Yeah.

[00:27:21] But, but yeah.

[00:27:22] But that's, that's actually pioneered that and then actually has some.

[00:27:26] I haven't tried it yet, but I'm so anxious to, to see how these go.

[00:27:30] Yeah.

[00:27:30] So in two years ago, maybe in Dripping Springs at, um, the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association

[00:27:37] puts on Grape Camp.

[00:27:38] Uh-huh.

[00:27:39] Um, they brought in some of that wine.

[00:27:41] Oh, okay.

[00:27:41] Several cases of it.

[00:27:42] And it was really beautiful.

[00:27:43] Yeah.

[00:27:44] It was really beautiful.

[00:27:45] But yeah, you know, you, you, you take the greenhouses and then the conditions in California,

[00:27:49] um, compared to us sticking, sticking them in the ground and golf shows in Texas.

[00:27:55] Whole different terroir too.

[00:27:55] It's going to be a different, different scenario.

[00:27:57] But yeah, they produce really, really beautiful wines, um, over there.

[00:28:01] And then, you know, we, last year we were able to work with a grower that's a little bit

[00:28:06] ahead of us on commoner noir.

[00:28:08] And he sold us a couple tons of commoner and it was gorgeous.

[00:28:12] Um, so we've got it in barrel right now.

[00:28:14] Um, and we're looking, hopefully get it in the bottle, uh, probably early, late 24, early

[00:28:20] 2025.

[00:28:21] All right.

[00:28:21] Something to look forward to.

[00:28:22] Absolutely.

[00:28:23] Exciting things to come.

[00:28:24] Yeah.

[00:28:24] Well, this may be kind of a silly question sitting in the confines of where we are, but

[00:28:29] do you process all of your fruit here on site?

[00:28:31] We do.

[00:28:32] Yeah.

[00:28:32] So we do, um, like a lot of wineries, I will say we, we do have, you think about the

[00:28:38] amount of fruit that we're bringing in from the high plains and the logistics of getting

[00:28:41] it here and getting it, you know, in good shape when it hits our winery.

[00:28:45] So we have worked, uh, with a couple facilities either in the high plains or in the hill country

[00:28:50] to help us press some of the fruit.

[00:28:52] Uh, primarily stuff that we want limited skin contact time.

[00:28:56] Um, but there's no, I mean, we have no shame in that.

[00:28:59] We have those partners.

[00:29:00] We want to make sure that wine or juice gets us to us in the best possible condition.

[00:29:05] So that'd primarily be for our whites or roses.

[00:29:07] Um, but, but other than that, yeah, we bring the fruit in directly here and we process

[00:29:10] everything.

[00:29:12] Um, and, uh, and we really want to, you know, put our thumbprint on it and make sure we've

[00:29:17] got a watchful eye over everything that's going on with that fruit.

[00:29:20] Yeah.

[00:29:20] Yeah.

[00:29:21] Well, Texas is unique in that, um, it's one of the only wine regions where you have a

[00:29:27] lot of times the winery and the fruit being six to eight hours away, you know, where it's

[00:29:32] grown and then processed.

[00:29:33] And so there are some of those necessities for those high plains.

[00:29:36] I mean, I'm sure your stuff here, you do everything here, but those high plains with,

[00:29:39] you don't want things to sit on the skin too long or start fermenting on the truck and all

[00:29:43] you want to control everything.

[00:29:45] Especially if you're, you're, you know, harvesting some fruit for a really kind of light, delicate,

[00:29:50] aromatic, whiter rosé.

[00:29:51] Like a Sangio or, yeah.

[00:29:52] Or even the Sangio.

[00:29:53] And, um, and you want to go ahead and get it off those skins.

[00:29:56] Yeah.

[00:29:56] But yeah, other than that, you know, we, we bring the fruit in and refrigerated trucks.

[00:29:59] Um, and so our reds, it's kind of like our cold maceration time.

[00:30:04] You know what I mean?

[00:30:04] Then so, and then again, like I said, not everything, but a lot of the fruit we're getting

[00:30:09] is, is, uh, machine harvested and de-stemmed, um, up in the high plains.

[00:30:14] But yeah.

[00:30:15] Well, as a winemaker, um, what are some of your favorite wines to work with, to, to make?

[00:30:21] What, what are the ones that you get most excited?

[00:30:23] Like, I can't wait to deal with this wine, work this wine.

[00:30:25] Well, I, I, I have a special place in my heart, of course, for Blanc du Blanc.

[00:30:31] Yeah.

[00:30:31] Uh, it's kind of, you know, like I said, where we, we, uh, you know, started really.

[00:30:35] Yeah.

[00:30:36] And so I love working with Blanc every year.

[00:30:38] Um, one in the Gulf coast, we, um, we are able to really produce, you know, pretty nice

[00:30:46] acid forward wines cause we harvest so early.

[00:30:48] Um, and so I love working with a nice bright, you know, um, acid forward Blanc du Blanc.

[00:30:55] And, um, like I said, that's become really the style that we've probably been most well

[00:30:59] known for so far and mostly awarded.

[00:31:01] Um, so yeah, love that.

[00:31:03] Um, one cool thing we're doing, um, is so we work with black Spanish and, you know, I think

[00:31:09] traditionally a lot of folks or a lot of wine makers will kind of go one or two paths with

[00:31:15] it.

[00:31:15] And a lot of it ends up in like a port style wine, which is beautiful for that style.

[00:31:19] I love it.

[00:31:19] Um, and, um, so one cool thing that we're, we like in the Gulf coast is, um, sparkling wine.

[00:31:25] And so we, um, we, we're a small scale, you know, sparkling wine production.

[00:31:31] So it's, it's usually in, it's not in method champ and wall.

[00:31:34] It's more in a modified version of that, either through, um, Petit Lant Naturel or, um, or

[00:31:40] kind of a modified style off that.

[00:31:43] Okay.

[00:31:43] Gotcha.

[00:31:43] But anyways, where that fermentation's happened in the model.

[00:31:46] Yeah.

[00:31:46] Yeah.

[00:31:46] So we're doing that with our Blanc right now and our, and our wine called Texas Bell.

[00:31:50] And then also with our black Spanish.

[00:31:53] Okay.

[00:31:53] In a, in a rosé style.

[00:31:55] Yeah.

[00:31:55] And, um, and you'll, you'll get a chance to take a look at it.

[00:31:58] I mean, it's a rosé, but it's got a lot of color.

[00:32:00] Yeah.

[00:32:01] And, and so I, those are two things I'm super excited about right now.

[00:32:04] And then, um, we, uh, again, as far as high plains fruit, I love working with San Giovese.

[00:32:09] We, we, we do a lot with it and it makes a very versatile wine.

[00:32:14] That's good with food.

[00:32:15] Um, and it's balanced to me.

[00:32:18] So I love, love San Gio.

[00:32:19] Yeah.

[00:32:20] Well, what are some of your most popular wines with customers?

[00:32:22] We're the ones that people clamor for.

[00:32:24] Sure.

[00:32:25] They keep coming back in for.

[00:32:26] Well, I think again, going not to go over and over on Blanc, but Blanc is, Blanc is our,

[00:32:32] our bread and butter.

[00:32:33] Yeah, that's your flagship.

[00:32:34] We make a dry Blanc Dubois, um, that's super, super popular.

[00:32:39] And then, um, our off dry Blanc Dubois is probably, um, our crowd favorite.

[00:32:45] Okay.

[00:32:46] And, um, we make it with just about 2% residual sugar.

[00:32:51] So it's very, very truly off dry, semi dry, semi sweet.

[00:32:54] And, um, that is super popular.

[00:32:57] I like to say Blanc Rosewell in Texas.

[00:32:59] It also drinks really well in this heat, right?

[00:33:01] So it's just, but that little bit of, uh, of sweetness, it's, um, super pleasing, not

[00:33:06] just to kind of bring in, you know, usually a lesser experienced wine drinker often gravitate

[00:33:13] to something a little bit sweeter.

[00:33:15] And this is kind of our, our bridge, right?

[00:33:17] You know, to get them into something that's, oh, that's, that's balanced.

[00:33:20] Yeah.

[00:33:20] It's sweet.

[00:33:21] It's not, you know, the acid is not so striking, but, um, but I get it, you know, it's nice.

[00:33:25] And then, um, and then even our dry drinkers happily drink a glass of semi off dry, semi

[00:33:30] sweet Blanc Dubois and it's really nice.

[00:33:32] Yeah.

[00:33:32] And that dry Blanc Dubois just won a pretty prestigious award.

[00:33:37] It did.

[00:33:37] Yeah.

[00:33:38] We were, um, so excited to get that back.

[00:33:40] Like I said, cause we love Blanc, but yeah, it won a platinum award at the Texom, um, wine

[00:33:46] competition in North Texas.

[00:33:47] And so, yeah, we were, um, I don't know the exact number.

[00:33:50] I think there are 10 to 12 platinum awards awarded to Texas wineries and we were one of

[00:33:55] them.

[00:33:56] So that was, that was very, very exciting to hear.

[00:33:59] And I got to taste that wine and I got to say, it gets, it has all of the awards that

[00:34:05] it's due.

[00:34:06] I mean, it's a, it's an amazing wine.

[00:34:08] It's made a believer of Blanc Dubois for me.

[00:34:11] Good.

[00:34:11] Um, good.

[00:34:12] You know, it's funny because in the wine world we can get very snobby and get all about these

[00:34:17] little tasting notes and I'm getting hints of this and you know, aromas of that and

[00:34:21] blah, blah, blah.

[00:34:22] But I've tried to, um, in my wine journey, try to associate just what's the first thought

[00:34:28] that comes to mind.

[00:34:28] What are the things that just reminds me of whether they fit in those categories, you

[00:34:33] know, whatever, just what is it?

[00:34:34] And when I first, when I was drinking that wine, the first thing I thought of was actually

[00:34:38] one of my wife's favorite dessert or my favorite desserts that my wife makes, which are these

[00:34:43] awesome lemon bars that she makes.

[00:34:45] And they kind of had that lemon curd, but there's almost like a honey sweetness to it.

[00:34:49] Oh yeah.

[00:34:50] And, oh, it was so good.

[00:34:51] I'm got to try that.

[00:34:53] Dry Blanc Dubois.

[00:34:55] Great, great stuff.

[00:34:56] Yes.

[00:34:56] It's a beautiful wine.

[00:34:57] Yeah.

[00:34:57] As a winemaker, are there any varietals that, um, you haven't really worked with that you

[00:35:02] would love to kind of get your hands on some, just to kind of play around with them sometimes?

[00:35:05] Sure.

[00:35:06] So, um, I think like a lot of, a lot of folks in Stillwood's a young wine region.

[00:35:11] So I think, you know, people have planted their flag on, you know, Tempranillo and then

[00:35:15] Tanad and then Morved.

[00:35:17] And, um, and so I think that's still evolving.

[00:35:20] Um, but we, um, I do really love just in my, my taste and preferences.

[00:35:26] I love drinking, um, you know, like a nice GSM blend.

[00:35:30] Yeah.

[00:35:30] And so we've worked with Grenache a little bit and it worked with Syrah.

[00:35:33] Uh, we haven't, we haven't worked with Morvedra yet.

[00:35:36] Okay.

[00:35:36] Um, and so that's, that is a style and doing a little bit more blending is, is something

[00:35:42] that I think, um, as we grow, that's something that I would certainly love to work with a little

[00:35:47] bit more.

[00:35:47] And then, um, and then again, some years the Bordeaux varietals do super nice too.

[00:35:51] And we get this absolutely beautiful Merlot out of Seminole.

[00:35:55] Um, and, and so it right now it's primarily going into a varietal, a single varietal wine,

[00:36:02] Merlot.

[00:36:02] Um, and then, but as we, we grow and we start to establish more and more relationships in

[00:36:08] the high planes, um, we'd certainly love to, to, to blend a nice, uh, Bordeaux style too.

[00:36:14] Yeah.

[00:36:14] Yeah.

[00:36:15] I'm all about the right bank.

[00:36:16] So if you want to do that Merlot dominant, I'm, I'm good with that.

[00:36:20] Um, so, okay.

[00:36:21] So we're talking a little bit about the wines.

[00:36:22] Let's talk about the location here itself for a few minutes.

[00:36:25] Um, do y'all do any kind of like events on side?

[00:36:28] You got a nice property out here, lots of nice outdoor space and things like that.

[00:36:32] Yeah, we do.

[00:36:32] So again, we're on, you know, 102 acres, a lot of nice trees, beautiful place to spread

[00:36:39] out again.

[00:36:40] Um, very family oriented, you know, so we, um, we love when folks come out and bring the

[00:36:46] family and enjoy the grounds.

[00:36:48] And, and, um, so we have a big playscape over there as I pulled in.

[00:36:52] And so the, uh, we do, we're known for that.

[00:36:54] We love, um, when families come out and, um, the old parents will order a bottle of wine

[00:36:59] and the kids will go play in the playground for an hour.

[00:37:02] And, um, that, that playground actually hails back from when we were selling Christmas trees.

[00:37:06] Oh, okay.

[00:37:06] We were entertaining, uh, families back then.

[00:37:09] And so.

[00:37:09] Got a long legacy.

[00:37:10] That's right.

[00:37:11] That's right.

[00:37:11] And so, and then, um, and then we, um, we do have a bounce house that we blow up occasionally.

[00:37:17] Um, and so that's, that's something definitely very family friendly, but as far as events,

[00:37:21] yeah, we do, we do several things.

[00:37:23] Uh, we just did our harvest, um, and we always have a good time with that.

[00:37:26] We, um, we call on our customers that come out and, um, wake up a little bit early and,

[00:37:32] and, and, but they get to get their hands on that next vintage.

[00:37:34] It's so much fun.

[00:37:35] It is.

[00:37:36] And so we did, we harvested our Blanc du Bois on the last, last Saturday in June, um,

[00:37:42] had a great group at about 80, 90 people out here.

[00:37:44] Um, which for our small vineyard, it makes things go pretty quick.

[00:37:48] Yeah.

[00:37:49] And, um, so we're not having to, they're not having to be out here.

[00:37:52] Yeah.

[00:37:53] So harvest is always, um, a great event for us.

[00:37:57] Um, we, um, we do do live music.

[00:38:00] Um, and so we, all, all these events are posted on social media and in our website.

[00:38:05] But, um, yeah, we, we, we do, we do love to have, we've, um, established some nice relationships

[00:38:10] with some of the musicians and artists in this area.

[00:38:13] So one, one or two Saturdays a month, we'll have live music.

[00:38:16] Okay.

[00:38:17] And, um, and then we do some sunset series, we call them their, um, Friday evenings once

[00:38:22] a month too.

[00:38:23] Um, and so those will either be on the lawn, um, unless it's too hot or too cold, then we'll

[00:38:29] have kind of an intimate experience in our tasting room.

[00:38:31] So like an acoustic.

[00:38:32] There you go.

[00:38:33] Yeah.

[00:38:33] I'm plugged a bit.

[00:38:34] Exactly.

[00:38:35] Exactly.

[00:38:35] Exactly.

[00:38:35] So we do those once a month too.

[00:38:37] And then, um, then yeah, we, um, we'll have some release parties occasionally, uh, when

[00:38:41] a new wine's coming out, uh, food truck, or we do have a small kitchen here that we can

[00:38:46] offer some, some small bites to.

[00:38:48] Yeah.

[00:38:48] So, uh, but yeah, we, we, and, uh, we did just launch a wine club and so we'll, you

[00:38:53] know, for our wine club members, we'll certainly be having, um, we'll be having release parties

[00:38:58] a couple of times a year.

[00:38:59] They got parties and things like that.

[00:39:00] Yeah.

[00:39:07] Yeah.

[00:39:08] Let's kind of talk a little bit about through that, what that looks like.

[00:39:11] So, uh, for a tasting, uh, do they get a set flight of wines or do the, does the customer

[00:39:17] pick their wines or how does that usually work?

[00:39:19] Yeah.

[00:39:19] So, um, typically it is a set tasting set flight, uh, and we offer two different variations

[00:39:26] on it.

[00:39:26] So we do have our traditional, what we call guided tasting.

[00:39:30] So one of our, one of our tasting room staff or, or one of the family, just depending on

[00:39:34] the day of the week, uh, would take you through, um, a set selection about five wines.

[00:39:40] Um, and like I said, they'll, they'll pour through each one, tell you the story behind

[00:39:44] all of them, you know, where was this grown?

[00:39:46] You know, some of the, the wine making notes on it.

[00:39:49] Um, and like I said, um, yeah, so it's, it's, it's a great experience.

[00:39:53] We also do offer like the more, um, flight experience too.

[00:39:57] Um, and so that's, we do a three wine flight and that's where you can really, if you, if you

[00:40:02] didn't want to do was on the set flight and you wanted to do something different, that's

[00:40:06] where you can just select any three.

[00:40:07] Customize it.

[00:40:08] Yeah.

[00:40:08] Yeah.

[00:40:08] So we do that.

[00:40:09] And then, um, with our sparkling lines, we do a little, a little bit of a special deal.

[00:40:13] So if you want to do a flight of our sparklings, um, that's a separate flight too.

[00:40:17] Yeah.

[00:40:17] And how much does a tasting typically cost?

[00:40:19] So tastings are 25.

[00:40:20] Okay.

[00:40:21] Um, and then like I said, there are, of course, are discounts on, on bottles that, you know,

[00:40:25] if you buy, buy bottles, that'll go towards your, your ticket.

[00:40:29] Um, and then, yeah, the flights are 15.

[00:40:31] Do they need reservations or can they just walk in?

[00:40:34] We say, um, reservations are not required, but appreciated.

[00:40:38] You know, it just gives us a heads up, but if you've, you know, if you're, um, flying

[00:40:43] off the cuff and you're not, you hadn't had that day planned out and you want to just stop

[00:40:47] in, we'll never turn your way.

[00:40:48] Okay.

[00:40:49] We'll find a place for you.

[00:40:50] Can they do the reservations on your website?

[00:40:51] Yes.

[00:40:52] Okay.

[00:40:52] Perfect.

[00:40:53] Yep.

[00:40:53] So you can, uh, do all the website, you can prepay on the website, um, or you can call

[00:40:57] us and we'll put you down for a reservation.

[00:40:59] Uh, but yeah, there's, there's a reservation system on our, our website.

[00:41:03] Okay.

[00:41:03] Yeah.

[00:41:03] What about your operating hours?

[00:41:05] So right now we are open.

[00:41:07] Uh, we've just expanded our hours.

[00:41:09] We're open Wednesday through Saturday, 12 to seven.

[00:41:13] So it makes it kind of easy.

[00:41:14] Same hours.

[00:41:15] And then, um, Sunday we just close a little bit earlier of 12 to five.

[00:41:18] Okay.

[00:41:19] Yeah.

[00:41:19] Perfect.

[00:41:20] And then we talked about, we know that you're kid friendly.

[00:41:23] Uh, we already talked about the playscape and the bounce house.

[00:41:25] And I'm just picturing, uh, you probably got to ask somebody at the bounce house, turning

[00:41:29] away these dads that have already had a couple of glasses of wine and want to try to get

[00:41:33] in.

[00:41:33] Right.

[00:41:33] Yeah.

[00:41:34] Sorry, sorry.

[00:41:35] Yeah.

[00:41:35] Before we, before we turn the bounce house off every night, we have to make sure no one's

[00:41:39] taking a nap inside.

[00:41:40] Stuck down at one of the sides.

[00:41:42] Yeah, exactly.

[00:41:43] But what about pets?

[00:41:44] If somebody has pets, can they bring pets?

[00:41:47] Yes.

[00:41:47] Yeah.

[00:41:47] Yeah.

[00:41:47] So we are, we're, we're pet friendly.

[00:41:49] Of course we ask that, you know, they be, be on a leash, um, and, and be well behaved,

[00:41:54] but we love animals.

[00:41:55] We have, we have three of them, three winery dogs that are, that are on site most of the

[00:41:59] time.

[00:42:00] And, um, we've got, my mom is a veterinarian, uh, retired.

[00:42:05] And so we, we do love our animals.

[00:42:06] So yes, pets are, pets are more than welcome.

[00:42:09] And then, um, I mean, you know, when you have wine, you got to have food with wine.

[00:42:13] So you've already talked to the other kitchen here.

[00:42:15] What are some of your food options that you offer?

[00:42:17] So it's, it's more of a small bite, uh, type of situation.

[00:42:20] It's, um, so we have our charcuterie warts.

[00:42:22] Yes.

[00:42:23] Um, and so that's your more traditional cheeses, crackers, cured meats, um, some, you know,

[00:42:29] jam preserve, some, some pickled items.

[00:42:32] And so that's, that's, um, you know, very traditional and it's, it's nice.

[00:42:35] Um, and then we do offer for, for our, our Aggies out there, we do offer an, what we call

[00:42:42] an Aggie special.

[00:42:43] Okay.

[00:42:44] So it's, it's even simpler.

[00:42:45] It's just our, um, our kind of butter crackers, um, summer sausage and cheddar.

[00:42:51] Okay.

[00:42:52] Do they show their ring together?

[00:42:59] Hey, all right.

[00:43:00] I'm with you right there.

[00:43:01] What about, do you have any maximum group sizes or anything like that for people come

[00:43:05] in?

[00:43:05] Um, usually, you know, when you get kind of past that eight to 10, we usually would really

[00:43:11] like a heads up, you know, if you're coming in with a larger group, just cause still, um,

[00:43:16] we have tons of outdoor space.

[00:43:18] Sometimes the indoor space can get a little bit tighter.

[00:43:20] So, um, and with the inclement weather with Texas, we just want to make sure everybody's

[00:43:23] getting a good experience.

[00:43:24] Yeah.

[00:43:25] Yeah.

[00:43:25] So that would be the, and making sure that we have staff available, especially if it's

[00:43:29] a larger group doing more of a guided tasting that can be, um, a little more, we want to

[00:43:34] make sure everybody's getting the experience.

[00:43:36] And so, um, again, no hard caps.

[00:43:38] Um, you know, we, we want to be able to accept people and groups having a good time and come

[00:43:44] on out.

[00:43:44] But, but yeah, when you get into that eight to 10 range, certainly a heads up would be,

[00:43:50] would be appreciated.

[00:43:51] Yeah.

[00:43:52] I know, although we would love to have people come in and visit year round, are there busier

[00:43:56] or slower times?

[00:43:57] What's the best time to come visit?

[00:43:58] Yeah.

[00:43:59] I think, um, I mean, we talked about the wildflowers already in the spring is a beautiful time.

[00:44:04] It's, I mean, as a lot of people know in Texas, um, that April, you know, March, April timeframe

[00:44:11] is, is really a solid time.

[00:44:13] And so, yeah, the, the vines are, you know, are breaking bud in that March, April timeframe.

[00:44:17] So you get to see, you know, finally coming out of dormancy.

[00:44:20] So you get to see the vineyard and like center vineyard is open for, um, self-guided tours.

[00:44:24] And, um, the, we, uh, so yeah, March and April is hard to beat this time of year is fun too,

[00:44:31] even though it's pretty brutally hot outside because there's a good chance you'll see us

[00:44:35] making wine back here.

[00:44:36] Okay.

[00:44:37] Um, yeah.

[00:44:37] So either whether it's our harvest, that's our Blanc harvest, which is kicks us off, um,

[00:44:43] in late June, early July, um, all the way through September, you know, when we're bringing

[00:44:49] in the high plains fruit.

[00:44:50] So it's always a, and this, and it smells beautiful because we're in this small space.

[00:44:54] And the tasting rooms right next to the production space, you can smell wine.

[00:44:58] With the aromas and everything.

[00:44:59] You can smell the fermentations and it's, it's a, it's a fun time to be around.

[00:45:04] So, and then, um, I mean, anytime's a good time, you know, it's, but, but when the weather's

[00:45:10] nicer, this place is beautiful.

[00:45:11] Obviously it's nice to be outside when you're here.

[00:45:14] So yeah.

[00:45:14] So fall is nice too.

[00:45:17] So the listeners come in, they've tasted your great wines.

[00:45:19] They're really impressed and they want to join your wine club.

[00:45:22] So tell me the details of wine club.

[00:45:23] You said that y'all have recently added that in.

[00:45:26] Something that we, um, that is kind of the foundation of a winery and it, and that we

[00:45:32] had been working, it would have been open for several years now and hadn't had it, but,

[00:45:35] uh, that we had been working with all making sure that we could launch it in the right way.

[00:45:40] And, um, so yes, recently launched, um, does not cost you to, to join.

[00:45:45] Um, we just ask, you know, that you, you stick around with us for a year and get a couple

[00:45:50] shipments, but, um, we have three different levels.

[00:45:52] We have a, um, uh, three bottle level.

[00:45:55] Okay.

[00:45:55] Um, and that includes a certain, um, set of, of perks, you know, and discounts, a six bottle

[00:46:01] and then up to a 12 bottle level.

[00:46:03] So, yeah.

[00:46:03] So each of those has different levels of levels of, um, discounts and perks and there's a,

[00:46:09] or starting a, like a Friday social for wine club members.

[00:46:12] Um, and so yeah, it doesn't cost anything to join.

[00:46:14] You can do it, um, in the tasting room or online either way.

[00:46:19] It's sad.

[00:46:20] Well, let's say that for whatever reason, some of the listeners can't get here, um, or

[00:46:25] delayed to be able to get and come visit you.

[00:46:28] Do you do any kind of distribution or do you sell on your website?

[00:46:31] Or in other words, how can people maybe taste your wines if they can't get here?

[00:46:34] Absolutely.

[00:46:35] Yeah.

[00:46:35] So, um, we do have an online shop.

[00:46:38] Um, and so we can, we can mail right now just to Texas also, but anywhere in Texas,

[00:46:44] we can, we can, um, we can send you some wine and, um, usually with UPS ground shipping.

[00:46:50] I mean, it's there the next day.

[00:46:51] Okay.

[00:46:52] So for the most part, unless you're far, far West Texas, but, um, so yeah, that can,

[00:46:56] and you can always call us or get online to place an order.

[00:46:59] Um, that's always available.

[00:47:01] Um, distribution wise, because our production is pretty limited.

[00:47:05] Um, we don't do any major, um, HEB or, um, specs type distribution yet.

[00:47:12] Um, and so pretty much everything is kind of through the tasting room.

[00:47:17] And then like I said, also available to ship.

[00:47:19] If you can't make it to us, we can certainly get it to you in Texas.

[00:47:22] Yeah.

[00:47:22] Makes sense.

[00:47:23] So, okay.

[00:47:25] You've got all this great expansion.

[00:47:26] You've got this great facility.

[00:47:28] Um, what are your plans for the future?

[00:47:30] What does that hold?

[00:47:31] Do you have plans for growth or other things that you want to do?

[00:47:33] We do.

[00:47:34] Yeah, we do.

[00:47:35] Um, so growth for us is kind of going to be in, in a couple of different avenues.

[00:47:40] One, um, we want to get our, our production up.

[00:47:43] Um, and so we have 19 was our first big expansion and first big construction on the property.

[00:47:51] And that's the room we're sitting in right now.

[00:47:52] That's got us to about where we are today.

[00:47:54] But if you, I know that your, your viewers can look around a little bit and see, and it's

[00:47:58] looking a little tight in there.

[00:48:00] So we, um.

[00:48:01] Space is always a good thing.

[00:48:03] Space is always a good thing.

[00:48:04] Yes.

[00:48:05] And so it's, um, something that I'm sure a lot of people that have, that have been in

[00:48:09] the wine business for a long time or have constructed a couple of wineries.

[00:48:13] It's like, you always need more space than you think.

[00:48:15] But, um, so anyways, we have enclosed, um, two rooms off to the West here.

[00:48:20] And then we're, we're finally, um, we've put about a 20 foot roof onto our production,

[00:48:24] our crush pad.

[00:48:26] And, um, so that's, that's the most immediate thing that we're, we're, uh, and we're doing

[00:48:30] it of course, right in the, right in the beginning and middle of harvest.

[00:48:33] So, uh, uh, timing is sometimes not always our strong suit, but we're, we're, we're, we're

[00:48:39] trucking for soldier on.

[00:48:40] Yes, exactly.

[00:48:41] And then, um, and then the next big thing will be a, a, um, improvement on our tasting room

[00:48:48] space.

[00:48:48] Okay.

[00:48:49] Um, in Texas it gets hot in the summer.

[00:48:52] And so, um, it's, it's not always, not always super enjoyable to sit out in a hundred degree

[00:48:56] heat and be drinking a big glass of, uh, of red wine.

[00:48:59] But, um, so anyways, we're, we're working on an expansion, um, to, to actually bring a

[00:49:06] larger tasting room space indoors too.

[00:49:08] So, uh, this is our most immediate, um, the production and the wine.

[00:49:12] And then, um, on top of that.

[00:49:14] So within the next year, we'll look to hopefully break ground on a, on our new tasting room

[00:49:18] space.

[00:49:19] Yeah.

[00:49:19] Well, I know you talked to earlier about the, we talked about those planning of the Walker

[00:49:23] varietals.

[00:49:23] Do you have any place to expand any of your vineyard space or to add things more there?

[00:49:28] Yes.

[00:49:29] I mean, yeah, we, we love, we love the farming aspect of it.

[00:49:33] So the vineyard is, um, and the growing is always paramount to us.

[00:49:38] You know, that's kind of where it all starts.

[00:49:39] Um, and so, yeah, we would love to, in the Gulf coast, um, everything we do is mostly by

[00:49:46] hand.

[00:49:46] And so, so you don't see a lot of a hundred acre vineyards, much less, you know, 10 in

[00:49:52] the Gulf coast.

[00:49:52] Um, cause we haven't really gotten to that level of mechanization where that's been invested

[00:49:56] in.

[00:49:57] And plus, uh, our winemaker, you know, as the winemaker, we kind of like that attention

[00:50:03] to the quality of the fruit.

[00:50:04] So we probably won't expand too, too much on the vineyard.

[00:50:07] Um, but depending on the success of the Walker varieties, that's certainly an area that we

[00:50:12] would, we would want to expand to.

[00:50:13] Uh, we have two of them growing right now.

[00:50:15] And then, um, like I said, we're kind of on the forefront.

[00:50:19] A lot of, a lot of the folks that are growing in are on the forefront of it right now.

[00:50:22] And so, um, as we experiment and learn how they, how those want those vines behave in,

[00:50:28] in the Gulf coast, um, we would love to expand them if they're successful.

[00:50:33] Yeah.

[00:50:35] So there's a lot of places out there that people could go visit to get great wine.

[00:50:39] Uh, threshold is one of them.

[00:50:40] So what really sets threshold apart from other places that people, my, my viewers and listeners

[00:50:45] would say, I really got to get there.

[00:50:46] I got to get to Navasota for this.

[00:50:48] Yeah.

[00:50:49] Yeah, absolutely.

[00:50:49] So, um, we, we got into this and really, I think the forefront of all of our minds was,

[00:50:58] you know, we can do all the tasting and the vineyard and the pomp and circumstance, but the,

[00:51:05] the, but the end of the day, the bottom line is the wine's got to be good.

[00:51:08] And, um, so the quality of the wine has always been our most important goal.

[00:51:15] So at the end of the day, making a really, really nice product.

[00:51:17] And I think we have a more limited selection than some wineries, um, and we're a little

[00:51:23] bit smaller production.

[00:51:24] We focused on a few varieties, but I think the quality, um, has been reflected in, you

[00:51:29] know, a lot of the awards that we've won and a lot of the feedback that we've gotten so

[00:51:32] far.

[00:51:32] So I'd say the, the fruit quality in the vineyard and the wine quality, um, once you get in the

[00:51:37] bottle is, is paramount to us.

[00:51:40] Um, but beyond that, I would say that one of the biggest things, one of the biggest

[00:51:45] takeaways that we offer and that, you know, we hear as, as people, um, recommend us and

[00:51:51] walk out the door is the coming into this place.

[00:51:54] It just feels like family.

[00:51:56] Yeah.

[00:51:56] And that we want to take care of people.

[00:51:58] We want, um, people to come in and a lot of folks, I mean, again, I said this earlier in

[00:52:03] the interview, but you know, they, they say, you know, they're just part of the extended

[00:52:08] family.

[00:52:08] And, um, and so that's, that's what we want to do is it's a family operation.

[00:52:13] Uh, we want to bring people into the family and, um, and really provide an atmosphere for

[00:52:18] people to, um, relax, enjoy themselves and kind of, uh, have that camaraderie around a

[00:52:24] nice glass of wine, something that's, you know, you can see the process right in front

[00:52:28] of you.

[00:52:28] So, yeah.

[00:52:29] Everybody comes in and gets to walk out as an honorary Jeter.

[00:52:32] That's right.

[00:52:33] Whether you like it or not.

[00:52:43] Whether you like it or not, when you go to threshold, you're now family and you can

[00:52:48] definitely feel the love there.

[00:52:51] Um, as you go into their tasting room and as you enjoy your wines there, the whole family

[00:52:56] is there, they're involved.

[00:52:57] They speak with the customers.

[00:52:59] It's a warm feeling that you get when you get to sit down and drink some wine, uh, with

[00:53:03] their family and you walk out an honorary Jeter when you visited and tasted wine there at

[00:53:08] threshold vineyards.

[00:53:08] Now, before you go, make sure to check out their website.

[00:53:12] It's www.thresholdvineyards.com.

[00:53:16] That's T-H-R-E-S-H-O-L-D vineyards.com.

[00:53:21] Thresholdvineyards.com.

[00:53:22] And there you're going to find all kinds of information.

[00:53:26] Again, things like more of their story and the history there behind the vineyard.

[00:53:30] You'll find things about their events, those great wines.

[00:53:34] You can shop for their wines there.

[00:53:35] You can read about their wine club and you can find out more about doing tours and tasting

[00:53:41] reservations and things like that.

[00:53:43] So it's always a good idea to check out those websites before you go to visit.

[00:53:47] And don't forget when you go, make sure you tell them you heard about them on this podcast,

[00:53:52] Texas Undervine.

[00:53:54] All right.

[00:53:54] Well, after the interview, it was time to go in and do a flight of their wines to be able

[00:53:58] to taste even more of the wines that they make there.

[00:54:01] And I fell in love with almost everything they had.

[00:54:04] Matter of fact, I walked out, I purchased almost a case of wine.

[00:54:08] I got one of almost everything that I really loved because there were so many things.

[00:54:13] I would taste one and think, I need one of those.

[00:54:15] I'd taste another.

[00:54:16] Oh, I need one of those.

[00:54:17] And so I kept adding to my order and getting more and more bottles to bring home to drink

[00:54:21] and enjoy.

[00:54:22] But I had to pick that one special bottle.

[00:54:25] That one bottle that was going to be for my wine library for this episode.

[00:54:29] And really, when it all came down to it, it became kind of an easy choice.

[00:54:34] I ended up getting that dry Blanc du Bois that we talked about earlier.

[00:54:38] This is the award-winning wine.

[00:54:40] And it does have such a lemon kind of almost a creaminess to it that reminded me so much,

[00:54:47] like I said in the interview, of my favorite dessert that my wife makes.

[00:54:50] Those lemon bars.

[00:54:52] Oh, they're so good.

[00:54:53] And this just reminded me of that.

[00:54:55] That's one of the things I love about wine.

[00:54:56] It doesn't have to be about all the hoity-toity wine terms.

[00:55:00] What does it spark for you?

[00:55:02] What memories or thoughts does a wine bring to your mind when you taste it?

[00:55:06] And that was that for me.

[00:55:08] So that was my experience wine.

[00:55:09] I had to buy a bottle of that.

[00:55:11] I could definitely tell why it won its awards there at Texom as the Platinum Medal,

[00:55:17] and then at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo with the Best in Class.

[00:55:20] It is worth a try.

[00:55:22] And so make sure that you get a bottle of that or you taste that whenever you go to see them there at Threshold Vineyards.

[00:55:28] It is worth your time.

[00:55:30] Well, as much as I enjoyed my time here at Threshold,

[00:55:33] there's many other great wine destinations out there calling to me

[00:55:37] so that I can go out and check them out and bring that information to you here in this podcast.

[00:55:41] But before I go, would you do me a favor?

[00:55:44] So this podcast is not free, unfortunately, for me to provide to you.

[00:55:48] And so I really depend upon my Patreon subscribers.

[00:55:52] They really help me out to cover the costs for a low monthly cost that they pay.

[00:55:57] And those Patreon subscribers get bonus materials for their donations

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[00:56:07] video walkthroughs, and be some of the elite that know where I'm going with the next episode before it's released.

[00:56:13] So there's all kinds of fun little perks and benefits there for being a Patreon subscriber.

[00:56:17] So if you would be willing to do that, I would love it if you could help me out with that.

[00:56:21] If you are interested, just go to my website.

[00:56:24] It's www.texasundervine.com.

[00:56:27] And go to the top.

[00:56:28] There's a button and a link that says Become a Patron.

[00:56:31] And it will take you to my Patreon site where you can take a look at all the different tiers

[00:56:35] and the different benefits and things like that.

[00:56:37] And that really does help me to not only cover my hosting costs and the production costs,

[00:56:42] the equipment that I have to buy, and even my travel costs to go all over.

[00:56:46] It's a big state that I'm traveling to.

[00:56:48] And I do it all as a labor of love out of my pocket as a teacher.

[00:56:52] So any help that you can provide would be great.

[00:56:54] And if you can't afford to do a monthly donation, even just a one-time donation would be great.

[00:56:59] You can do that there on my website as well.

[00:57:01] All of that is with love.

[00:57:03] And thank you so much to my current Patreon subscribers.

[00:57:05] You really do make this magic happen for me and for the rest of the listeners.

[00:57:10] So my heart goes out to you.

[00:57:12] Thank you.

[00:57:12] And if you're watching this on YouTube, make sure and like, follow, and subscribe to the podcast.

[00:57:17] And leave a comment down below.

[00:57:20] So tell me, if you've been to Threshold Vineyards, what's your favorite thing about it?

[00:57:24] Or if you haven't gone yet, what's the number one thing you're looking forward to experiencing when you go?

[00:57:30] And with that, my time is up.

[00:57:32] So don't forget, subscribe to the podcast and subscribe to my socials to be notified any time a new episode is released.

[00:57:39] And until then, happy trails and bottoms up, y'all.

[00:57:47] Thanks for listening to Texas Under Vine.

[00:57:49] We strive to provide you with the best information about wine businesses all over Texas.

[00:57:54] Be sure to check out our website at texasundervine.com

[00:57:57] and follow us on our socials at texasundervine to stay up on all the upcoming episodes.

[00:58:03] Please email us with any suggestions or feedback.

[00:58:06] Also, contact us if you're interested in donating, sponsoring, or advertising on the podcast

[00:58:11] just to help us cover our expenses and bring even more great info to you in future episodes.

[00:58:16] Above all, travel safely and most especially, drink responsibly.

[00:58:30] Howdy, Vine Trippers.

[00:58:31] Did you know that I now have a merchandise store for Texas Under Vine?

[00:58:35] I only have a handful of limited items, but you can go check those out and wear your Texas Under Vine swag

[00:58:40] if you'd like to tell all your friends about the great wine locations we have here in Texas

[00:58:44] and maybe get them interested in the podcast as well.

[00:58:47] So there are things like t-shirts.

[00:58:49] There's a hoodie.

[00:58:50] There's a beanie, a ball cap, things like that.

[00:58:53] But one of the most exciting things I have right now is my limited time offer t-shirt.

[00:58:57] That's my season one t-shirt.

[00:58:59] So this is your Tasting Through Texas, Texas Under Vine season one t-shirt.

[00:59:03] It's only going to be available for a little short amount of time.

[00:59:06] On the back, it has all the different locations like a band tour t-shirt.

[00:59:10] So this is a limited time item and you can go out and get it now.

[00:59:13] And one of the great things about that t-shirt is a portion of every sale

[00:59:17] goes to support the Texas Hill Country Winery Scholarship Fund.

[00:59:21] So you know that by buying that t-shirt,

[00:59:24] you're also investing in the growing and flourishing of an amazing wine industry here in Texas

[00:59:29] and all of those people that are going to come and make it even better.

[00:59:32] Check out that merchandise store.

[00:59:34] It's on my website at texasundervine.com.

[00:59:36] Just go up to the top.

[00:59:37] You'll see the link for the merchandise store.