Rock & Vine Magazine - Winter 2018-2019

Rock&Vine GOOD LIFE IN THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY

COZY COCKTAILS this winter

HILL COUNTRY CHEFS share their passion WINEMAKERS MOVE TO less-is-more approach ROCKANDVINEMAG.COM $4.95

FARMER PREPS FOR exclusive porcine provision WINTER 2019

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SINCE 1965, Fredericksburg Realty has been known as the premier real estate brokerage firm in the Texas Hill Country.

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Our 10 full-time realtors have a combined experience of 100 years in selling the Texas Hill Country. They understand the ins and outs of living in this area, from complying with historic district guidelines to wading through the water, mineral rights, ag exemption and tax issues that come with owning land. Bring us your dreams — we’ll help you find your home, your ranch and your new roots here.

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Working Cellar

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FEATURES

in every issue

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6

Natural wine movement is to do less and less to the wine

Publisher's Letter

Sherri Patillo

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16

Contributors

Winery and vineyards in miniature.

TTU uses hands-on learning to educate winemakers and growers.

96

Alexandria Randolph

22 Winter cocktails to warm the soul.

Leo Aguirre

Drinkery Maps

100 Events

Find out what's happing in your area

106 End Notes

Small cities unto themselves, bee colonies drive the industry of one Central Texas producer.

(Photo by Robert Gomez)

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ON THE COVER: A cozy winter cocktail captured by Leo Aguirre, Jr. See page 56 for more delicious drinks.

DEPARTMENTS 24

60

IN THE HILLS Four generations of beekeepers cause a buzz about their products.

Q&A A diamond in the rough.

An interview with Lisa Kennelly.

Alexandria Randolph

Lorelie Helmke

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64

DRINKERY A family of beer enthusiasts introduce introduce people to a variety of craft beer.

TASTE European-style crepes in a quiet atmosphere.

Lee Nichols

Delaney Whitworth

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67

EXPLORE A classic home renovation 21 years in the making.

TASTE Hill Country chefs share their missions for spring cooking.

Michael Barr

44 LIFE OF RILEY Priceless pork - a gastronomic delicacy.

Gus Gonzalez III

50 INDULGE Goat products from the Hill Country.

Steve Taylor

52

Kimberly Giles

76 HAUS A home build with an eye toward art.

Canan Yetmen

86 HAUS Custom-crafted and hyper-local furniture.

Canan Yetmen

STOMPIN' GROUNDS An abundance of wine at Hooper's Valley Vineyard.

Lorelie Helmke WINTER 2019

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contributors

Rock&Vine Featuring the best life has to offer in the Texas Hill Country.

A product of Fredericksburg Publishing Company.

Publisher/Editor Ken Esten Cooke Managing Editor Christine Granados Contributing Editor Sherrie Geistweidt Design Editor Andrea Chupik

An artisan’s natural high – with no filler

By KEN ESTEN COOKE Publisher

H

ere in the offices of Rock & Vine, we are locavores, but not crazy loca. While “farm to table” and “know thy farmer” have been catch phrases and trends in urban areas, in the Hill Country it’s been a way of life since 1846 when John O. Meusebach founded the town of Fredericksburg.

Contributing Writers Michael Barr, Matthew Esté, Gus Gonzalez III, Lorelei Helmke, Lee Nichols, Alexandria Randolph, Steve Taylor, Canan Yetman, Gayne C. Young

This edition reflects this sensibility. It’s all about caring what goes into the food we eat and the products we use on our bodies. It’s about chefs who want to feed the soul as well as the body and educators who want to train the next generation of winemakers and grow an industry.

Contributing Photographers/Artists Leo Aguirre Jr., Dror Baldinger, Andrea Calo, Jennifer Craig, Robbyn Dodds, Kimberly Giles, Robert G. Gomez, Tom Grant, Steve Rawls, Jason Resiner

So in this issue, we feature people who are designers, creators, producers, masters and experts. Anyone will be warmed by the love, creativity and energy they bring to their handicraft.

Advertising/Marketing Director Kimberly Giles Account Executives Ann Duecker, Kim Jung Rock&Vine Magazine 712 W. Main St. | P.O. Box 1639 Fredericksburg, Texas 78624 Phone 830 997 2155 rockandvinemag.com SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION: $20 for two years www.rockandvinemag.com

COPYRIGHT: Rock&Vine Magazine is published by the Fredericksburg Publishing Company. No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, without permission of the publisher. Editorial content does not reflect the opinions of the publisher of this magazine. Editorial and advertising does not constitute advice or endorsement, but is considered informative.

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Some keep alive or improve upon ancient arts: the farmer raising Iberico Jamon, those producing fantastic wines with minimal ingredients, the furniture maker making pure art with function and people who look at architectural space and see aesthetic, emotion and pleasure as well as simply a place to hang one’s hat.

There is lots of sharing of warmth and caring in this edition.

Please support those who support us in these pages.

–R&V– We want to know what you think about our growing publication. Please send feedback and story ideas to ken@fredericksburgstandard.com. And thanks for reading.

WRITE US

CONNECT WITH US

SUBSCRIBE

RockandVineMag@gmail.com

Visit us at RockandVineMag.com and follow/like us

$20 for two years Send to 712 W. Main St., Fredericksburg, TX 78624 or subscribe at RockandVineMag.com

Editorial submissions: christine@fredericksburgstandard.com

Gus Gonzalez III is a freelance writer who lives in Austin.

...

Letters to the editor Tom Grant teaches photography at Austin Community College in the Department of Professional Photography.

I am writing to tell the editor and staff of the Fredericksburg Standard and the citizens of

Leo Aguirre is a photographer, graphic designer, chef and musician who works in the Hill Country.

Michael Barr is a retired teacher who writes a history column. Read his bi-weekly column in the Fredericksburg Standard newspaper.

Andrea Chupik is a graphic designer / art director living in Fredericksburg. View her work at designranchcreative.com.

Robbyn Dodd is a Hill Country-based photographer, who shoots candid and organic photos. Her work can be viewed at robbyndoddphotography.com.

Matthew EstĂŠ is the Beer & Wine Manager for H-E-B in Fredericksburg.

He holds a Level 2 certification from the Wine & Spirits Education Trust.

Robert G. Gomez is an Austin-based, Texas-raised photographer with a bachelor of arts in history from the University of Texas and an associate’s degree in photography from Austin Community College. His work can be found at robertggomez.com.

Lorelei Helmke, CSW and Sommelier.

Follow her on Twitter @Winesirens or see www.thewinesiren.com.

Lee Nichols is a freelance writer based in Austin. He loves beer and two-stepping in Texas dance halls, especially with his daughter, Lucy.

Sheri Pattillo holds designations of WSET-Diploma, Certified Sommelier, and CSW. She teaches wine courses for Texas Tech University and The Texas Wine School and enjoys working at Calais Winery in Hye, TX. Alexandria Randolph is a freelance journalist, photographer and aspiring novelist living in Lampasas.

Fredricksburg how fortunate we were to receive this delightful and beautiful magazine! Anyone in the hill country, including all visitors, could use this gorgeous and classy publication to learn so much about businesses and special locations in our area. Elephants! Wineries!

Museums! Whiskey! Wow! How lucky we are! Thank you for adding such a valuable asset to our lives.

Sincerely yours, Priscilla Williams Happy citizen of Fredericksburg

...

Steve Rawls is a professional photographer living in Fredericksburg. See his work at steverawlsblog.wordpress.come or steverawlshomes.com.

ORDER BACK ISSUES Steve Taylor is a Fredericksburg freelance writer who works with Taylored Communications. More information is at anntaylorcontentmaster.com.

To order back issues of Rock & Vine Magazine email christine@fredericksburgstandard.com or call 830-997-2155

Gayne C. Young is a writer, hunter, and adventurer living in Fredericksburg. He is an editor and writer for numerous magazines.

WINTER 2019

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THIS AIN’T JUST WINE COUNTRY. HOME OF THE FIRST LEGAL BOURBON DISTILLERY IN T E X A S A ND 2-T IM E A M E R IC A N W HIS K Y OF T HE Y E A R .

Garrison Brothers Distillery in the Texas Hill Country is dedicated to true Southern hospitality. When you’re here, you’ll feel the warmth of our Texas spirit, alongside the aroma of our sweet mash and the soothing hum of our copper pot-stills making more bourbon.

Distillery tours are at 10, noon 2 and 4. You don’t have to take a tour to taste our bourbon. We serve bourbon flights Wednesday through Sunday from 10 to 5. Make a reservation by visiting W W W.GARRISONBROS.COM/ TOUR

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If you didn’t think Texas was on the world map of great whisky, it is now.

JIM MURR AY

DRINK LIKE AN ADULT ™

garrisonbros.com

©2018 Garrison Brothers Distillery

WINTER 2019

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MINIMALISTS It’s all about the wine – naturally – for these Hill Country vintners

By SHERI PATTILLO

Photos by CASSIE MATIAS and ROBBYN DODD

T

here’s a buzz in the wine industry around what’s known as natural winemaking.

Naysayers contend these wines don’t keep well and are funky in nature. Proponents acknowledge the risk, but believe the rewards outweigh the trouble. Each side can get defensive around philosophy and practice. Even the term itself is amorphous.

John Washburne, proprietor of Otto’s and La Bergerie in Fredericksburg, says, “I hardly ever use the term natural wine. I know it’s a controversial term for some. It’s not that I’m afraid to use it, but it can be a confusing term for people. Some people would say all wine is natural.”

The New York Times wine columnist Eric Asimov offers, “What is this movement? No more than a tiny collection of winemakers who, along with a motley crew of restaurants, wine bars, consumers and writers, prefer wines that are made with an absolute minimum of manipulation: grapes grown organically… then simply set forth along an unforced path of fermentation into wine, with nothing added and nothing taken away."

A little more than ninety percent of Washburne’s wines fall into this category, and he would likely disagree with the term motley crew. With a good finger on the consumer’s pulse, he says, “I’ll use terms like minimal intervention or organic – a good supermarket term - because everyone knows what organic is at this point.

“At Otto’s we try to frame things in terms of it being good wine,” he says. “We get the wines into people’s glasses. If they seem interested in the wines and ask questions, then I’ll go down that rabbit hole and talk about it with them.” continued on page 13

WINTER 2019

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Regan and Carey Meador, who relocated from Southold Farm + Cellar from the North Fork of Long Island near Fredericksburg, want their wines to speak of place and time.

Their property includes a vineyard, a winery, and a tasting room perched high on a hill with a panoramic view of the Hill Country.

Known for making natural wines, Regan says, “I don’t even use the term.

I much more consider us to be minimalists. My goal is always to do less and less to the wine. We do as little manipulation as possible.

Wine is at its pinnacle when you taste something and think ‘These flavors are of that place.’”

In the cellar, Regan talks of strictly using native yeasts for fermentation.

Many winemakers say that is risky because these yeasts have difficulty completing fermentation. Meador in his calm demeanor says, “I’ve learned patience in winemaking.”

Southold Farm + Cellar has 16 acres of rootstock planted and will graft a variety of vines onto it in the future. So far, they haven’t irrigated the –Regan vineyard.

“There is a reason why irrigation is outlawed in most European wine regions, aside from some allowing for establishment,” says Regan. “You aren’t getting a true representation of place, not to mention vines are often put into production far too early and forced into over production.”

Until his vineyard is fully established, Regan seeks out nearby vineyards, such as Robert Clay Vineyards in Mason. Quality and proximity are important to him.

“I like to be present throughout the growing season to feel the rhythm of it. You can start to see specific (vineyard) personalities come through, and you can tell if they’re growing tired or if they look like they could keep going into the season. It helps with picking decisions which in turn affects wine style.”

While natural might be a buzzword some producers use to ride a marketing wave, those like Meador who choose to make wines in earnest this way view it more as supporting their belief system. There is no clear definition or legal requirements for using the terminology.

It is subject to personal interpretation, so it is seen as a movement rather than a prescriptive way of making wine.

Its ethos supports producing wines pure in flavor, demonstrating what took place in the vineyard in that vintage.

The movement might be seen as a reaction to and an implicit challenge against overextracted, over-oaked and manipulated styles commonly touted by Meador wine critics such as Robert Parker of The Wine Advocate.

Adrienne Ballou, an up and coming winemaker in the Hill Country under her label Lightsome Wines, also leans toward a natural winemaking style. Like Reagan, she says, “I would say I’m more in line with low-intervention. I want to make wines that really are reflective of the vineyard site, of the vintage, of the fruit.”

Besides the lack of chemical treatments in the vineyard, other practices include hand-

I much more consider us to be minimalists.

My goal is always to do less and less to the wine.

We do as little manipulation as possible.

WINTER 2019 13

Dan McLaughlin plans to transition all of Robert Clay Vineyards to 100 percent organic in the future.

harvesting, native yeast fermentations, no additives, little to no use of sulfites, and not fining or filtering the wines. In a sense, it’s using a light touch throughout the process.

“Philosophically, it’s low-intervention winemaking but that’s even a difficult term,” says Ballou. “I think a lot of natural winemakers want to do little to no additions with the goal of truly capturing fruit. That’s the biggest thought behind it - capturing the fruit, capturing the site, capturing the vintage.

“It’s the idea that once you start adjusting things and manipulating, you’re losing that,” she says. “And you’re putting more of a ‘human footprint’ on it. I certainly don’t think there’s anything wrong with that – it’s just a different style.”

Ballou sourced her 2018 grapes from Robert Clay Vineyards. Owners Dan and Jeanie McLaughlin decided to move into the natural wine scene both in the vineyard and the cellar after two years of investigating the idea. They plan to gradually transition their 20-acre vineyard to organic farming.

“My number one goal is to be 100 percent organic for the entire vineyard,” says Dan McLaughlin.

So far, two blocks – or roughly one and a half acres – have been converted. In these two blocks, McLaughlin uses peppermint, clove, and garlic oils, which act as a pesticide.

And he sprays a natural clay that acts as a fungicide and insecticide, while protecting the vines from sunburn. He uses a special hoe

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instead of spraying herbicides. He also sprays compost teas that assist with fertilization and plant health.

“I’m very analytical and science driven,” says McLaughlin. “I’ve quickly realized it’s a different ballgame because of Texas’ warm climate.”

McLaughlin’s sandy soil loses water quickly when it’s hot, especially when the wind picks up. Because evaporation happens fast, he keeps a close eye on the vines and monitors the canopy’s temperature as well as the soil’s absorption to be sure the vines have enough water.

This attention to the vineyard makes his grapes desirable to winemakers. Some of his fruit goes to Southold Farm + Cellars as well as to Lightsome Wines, among other quality producers. He enjoys talking about his work and he has a contagious energy.

“I never intended to make wine,” says McLaughlin.

Now, however, the McLaughlins occupy space that they bought last year just off the square in Mason.

“I felt like I needed to see the difference – the impact in the wine and on the palate compared to conventionally made wine, so I started experimenting,” he says.

To be considered organic and bear the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s organic seal, which is his goal, a vineyard should go a minimum of three years without using artificial chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides. McLaughlin is well on his way, doing minimal intervention in the vineyard.

“This year I almost didn’t spray anything even on my other blocks. I did as very little as I could – as minimal as I could get away with,” he says.

Regan and Carey Meador take in the view from their porch at Southold Farm & Cellar.

John Washburne stocks Otto's German Bistro with 90 percent organic wines.

Part of the reason we’re able to sell natural wine and promote them is that the consumer is much bettereducated now than even five years ago.

–John Washburne

In the meantime, Regan says, “I’d much rather start learning about natural wine cellar practices beforehand, so I’m comfortable with it when the day comes that the vineyard meets the requirements for natural wines.”

Many of these practices diverge from institutional teachings about making wine.

Ballou, who earned her viticulture and enology degree from the University of California at Davis, a leading institution in the industry, says, “I’ve always leaned in that direction. It definitely started when I was at Davis. There was a big group very interested in natural wine – particularly graduate students. They did a lot of tastings and would bring out all these really cool bottles. We became really good friends and through their influence, I became really interested in that style and philosophy of winemaking. Ever since then, that’s something I have pursued in my own winemaking.

“What I always tell people when they get on these heated topics of natural wine is ‘If you’re a fan of Old World wines, like Bordeaux and Burgundy, most of those wines would fall under the loose definition of natural wine,” she says. “It’s not a crazy thing. It’s not a hip, new concept – although it has become very hip – but it’s nothing new. It’s just taking down winemaking to a simplified form.”

That simplicity is conveyed in the name – Lightsome Wines, which is fitting for both Ballou’s ideology and her winsome style.

“I’ve always wanted to make very approachable table wines – I don’t think wine should always be taken so seriously. It should be something that’s around to help facilitate great conversations and times,” Ballou says.

At La Bergerie, Washburne has showcased wines from both Lightsome Wines and Southold Farm + Cellars. He enjoys getting these kinds of wines into people’s glass.

He adds, “Part of the reason we’re able to sell natural wine and promote them is that the consumer is much better-educated now than even five years ago. And Texans are more adventurous than people will give them credit for. The real credit goes to the people who are actually buying the wines – the end user. None of us could be doing this if people weren’t willing to try the wines and spend their money.” R&V

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Extracting wine with a barrel thief from the bunghole for a tasting.

A CULTURE OF

VITICULTURE

:

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS SEE FRUITS OF THEIR LABOR

By ALEXANDRIA RANDOLPH Photos by ROBBYN DODD

Enology instructor Maureen Qualia and professor of viticulture Ed Hellman inside the TTU micro winery in Fredericksburg.

exas Tech University in Fredericksburg’s fullon micro winery allows students to experience the entire winemaking process from learning to grow grapes, to harvesting the grapes then making wine. The small-scale campus vineyard and winery gives students a real life connection to the blossoming regional wine industry and will be adding wine and culinary appreciation to the educational mix with the addition of the Texas Center for Wine and Culinary Arts.

This type of education gives students hands-on experience that translates into the workforce in the Texas Hill Country.

“A lot of graduates from our programs have gone on to start new vineyards and wineries in Texas,” says Ed Hellman, professor of viticulture in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences at TTU-Fredericksburg.

Within the TTU Department of Plant

and Soil Sciences are two programs, one an accredited undergraduate degree concentration and another a continuing education certificate.

The certificate programs deal with viticulture and enology, he says.

The vineyard In 2012, a vineyard was established on the TTU campus in Fredericksburg.

It proved to be a complementary asset to both the viticulture and enology programs.

The teaching vineyard is a one-acre plot producing three varieties “which is used for teaching purposes for the viticulture side of the program,” says Maureen Qualia, TTU instructor and fourth generation wine maker.

Qualia teaches the winemaking certification program, and Kirk Williams teaches the grape growing courses.

“What we’ve seen in Texas in the past several years is (grape producers) shifting away from varieties that are

somewhat better adapted to cooler climates than Texas, to varieties that are much better adapted to hotter climates,” Hellman says.

Roussanne and marsanne, white wines from the Rhône region of France, and aglianico, a red from southern Italy are the three varieties of grape grown on campus and used by students in wine production lab courses.

This means Texas wine connoisseurs will see more wines with grape varieties common to southern regions of Spain, Italy and France, Hellman says.

“There’s been tremendous expansion in the Texas wine industry in the past 15 years, especially the last ten years,” Hellman says. “There are lots of new people coming into the industry and many are expanding their acreage, considering other varieties and looking to match the varieties to our climate a little better. Throughout Texas there has been a shift towards planting varieties originally grown in warmer climates in Europe.”

The three varietals at the campus also grow better on three different trellis systems, which is another learning opportunity for students.

“There are three different ways grape varieties are trained and grown, so the students get to see how that affects fruit quality,” Qualia says. “They also have rotational rows, so (vines) can take anywhere from three to four years to produce a fruit crop and in each one of those years there are different WINTER 2019 17

TTU's one-acre teaching vineyard on the grounds of the Hill Country University Center in Fredericksburg.

A lot of graduates from our programs have gone on to start new vineyards and wineries in Texas.

- Ed Hellman

things that go on. We can teach the students what to do in the first, second and third year of planting. It’s a great learning experience for the students.”

The first crop of grapes inspired TTU faculty to start developing the micro-teaching winery on campus, according to Qualia.

The winery Grapes from the vineyard are used at the teaching winery for students learning the production side of the business or enology.

“What we have now is the teaching winery (where) the students can learn everything on a smaller scale. They can learn everything they need to know, but at the same scale of equipment size of even a small commercial winery,” Hellman says.

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The teaching winery is mainly used in the wine making certificate program, “which is continued education targeted towards entrepreneurs and employees of wineries,” Hellman says. “Local wineries will send some of their employees to our program for individual classes to brush up on things or to expand their knowledge in certain areas.”

Students are also exposed to experimental fermentation, “so they can see how different choices in production can affect the final style of wine,” Qualia says.

“Some students have the opportunity to see fruit they raised become a finished product.

“When you harvest the fruit and take it all the way through to a finished wine, there is definitely ownership in that,” Qualia says.

New programs After establishing the undergraduate viticulture and enology degree program in 2010, the university has recently developed another concentration option for undergraduate students.

“There’s a set of a half dozen courses or so that are more focused on a particular topic, and so we’ve got a new undergraduate degree concentration called local food and wine productions systems.

It’s kind of a companion to the viticulture and enology concentration that are focused on just grapes and wine,” Hellman says. “So, local food and wine encompasses more of the farm to table type movement that is very prevalent here in the Hill Country and Fredericksburg in particular.”

The new concentration will be available for students this fall.

Administration also hopes to expand the winery equipment in the near future.

“The eventual goal is to have a small scale commercial winery so we can actually have the size of equipment that people going into the industry would work with,” Qualia says.

“We might expand the vineyard a little bit as well, but that’s been ongoing for a number of years,” Hellman says.

Soon, an undeniable partnership with a local wine and culinary organization may provide for the addition of a larger winery in Fredericksburg.

“We’re partnering with the Texas Center for Wine and Culinary Arts, that plans to build a facility at the Hill Country University Center,” Hellman says.

The plan between TTU and TCWCA is to share space in a new Fredericksburg facility that would be devoted to wine, culinary arts, and their education.

“They’ve carved out and dedicated a space for us in their plans for offices, a classroom, a lab, and a small commercial scale teaching winery,” Hellman says. “It’s an obvious partnership; local wine and culinary arts, and we have educational programs in those areas.”

A commercial-scale winery would give students “more real world experience with the equipment and its processes,” he adds.

The construction of this new facility is in its fundraising stages and does not yet have a set completion date.

Enjoy our wines and scenic views at our Winery & Vineyard or visit our downtown Tasting Room to find respite while shopping Main Street.

WINERY & VINEYARD 6331 South Ranch Rd 1623 / Stonewall (830) 644-2144 MAIN STREET TASTING ROOM

113 East Main Street / Fredericksburg (830) 992-1404

R&V

Students learn to adjust the acidity in a wine with regular tastings.

WINTER 2019 19

302

ed

7626

302

Brick Red

French Blue

5527

5527

French Blue

Pastoral Green

Pastoral Gre

Butcher Paper Grey Flower Mark

FREIGHT S

Trend Slab O

Flower Mark

FREIGHT SANS PRO LIGHT Trend Slab One

Hours: Monday-Saturday 11 am to 7 pm | Sunday 12 pm to 7 pm 830.992.3036 | 312 E Austin Street, Fredericksburg, Texas

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een

Butcher Paper Grey

SANS PRO LIGHT

One

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Cozy Cocktails

Cranberry Moscow Mule INGREDIENTS

2 oz. cranberry juice 2 oz. vodka 1/4 c. lime juice 3 oz. ginger beer 1 handful fresh or frozen cranberries 1 lime wedge

78624 THE BAR

PREPARATION

22

Baby it’s Cold Outside Old Fashioned INGREDIENTS 1 Tbsp (or so) - cider spice 2 oz.- Bourbon (We prefer Garrison Brothers) 3 Dashes - Bitters 1/2 Tbsp - maple syrup Garnish: flamed orange peel, Anson’s brandied cherries, and a cinnamon stick PREPARATION Add the cider spice and bitters together in your mixing glass and muddle until dissolved. You can add a splash of soda water if you like to help dissolve the sugar. Pour in the maple syrup and bourbon. Top with ice and stir. Torch the charcoal side of a white oak bourbon slat and place your old fashion over the flame to smoke the glass. Add your large ice cube to the glass and strain the Old Fashion over the ice. Squeeze the orange peel over the drink and rub the rim of glass. Add the peel, cherries and cinnamon stick to the drink and enjoy Mixologist: Brandon Vinyard

Rock&Vine

Combine cranberry juice, vodka and lime in a glass filled with ice.

Top with ginger beer, whole cranberries and garnish with a lime wedge.

Mixologist: Brandon Vinyard

Old Fashioned

2.5 oz. Elk Store Whiskey Jack Rody’s Aromatic Bitters Angostura Bitters Fee Brother’s Plum bitters Whiskey soaked Luxardo Cherry Sugar cube Caramalized orange peel Mixologist: Travis Horstman

Kovacs’s Cat INGREDIENTS

2 oz. Zwack Herbal Liqueur Hungary 1/2 oz. house vanilla syrup 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice - dried lemon wheel Mixologist: Francisco Chagolla

Hauptstrasse INGREDIENTS

1.5 oz. Old Overholt Rye Whiskey 3/4 oz. Bonal 3/4 oz. Amaro Nonino 1/4 oz. Fernet Branca - Angostura bitters + orange bitters - Flamed orange peel Mixologist: Sean Lemaster

THE ELK STORE COCKTAILS

OTTO’S COCKTAILS

INGREDIENTS

Horstman Gin and Tonic INGREDIENTS

2 oz. Elk Store Old Tom Gin 3/4 oz. Jack Rody’s Tonic Syrup 5 oz. Fee Brother’s club soda Lime wheel Mixologist: Travis Horstman

WINTER 2019 23

in the hills

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in the hills

From bee

to BOTTLE FAMILY-OWNED HONEY FARM PRODUCES HONEY SPIRITS

By ALEXANDRIA RANDOLPH Photos by ROBERT G. GOMEZ

Clint Walker checks the honeybees' progress by inspecting the nucs, or hive colonies, on his Rogers farm.

WINTER 2019 25

in the hills

That’s what we’ve been for 88 years.

My grandfather, my dad, me – my son (Jonathan) is turning 30 in two weeks and he’s in the business, and he’s the head beekeeper. He calls himself the overlord of beekeeping operations. It’s fair to say we’re a four generation operation.

– Clint Walker

ith a highly energized farm-totable movement and a multimillion dollar wine industry in Texas, third generation beekeeper Clint Walker III expanded his grandfather’s honey business from a strictly honey retail operation to selling a variety of honey products. The next iteration of the Walker Honey Farm includes honey wine and mead.

Producing spirits, however, was not something Walker anticipated.

“The genesis of it, I would say, happened over coffee one morning with my wife. She said, ‘Are you sure we want to always keep the same business model that grandpa and your dad had? Do we want to expand?

Do we want to do more honey bottling, more honey products?’” he says.

Clint and Janice Walker were able to pursue this dream of an array of honey products after a bumper crop in 1995.

“It was the largest crop we’d made in 75 years of the company,” Clint Walker says. “Five years later we bought a small region-al honey packer. In 2001 we started building our bottling plant and started selling honey to H-E-B and other stores. As we grew that business, we started making other products.

Everything we do is bee-hive to bottle. We don’t surrender our honey out to a packer like my dad use to.”

For three generations since Walker’s grandfather, G.C. “Clint” Walker Sr., closed his grocery store in 1929, Walker Honey Farm in Rogers was a hive-centric

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business mod-el. Their farm-bred queen bees produce honey and pollinate crops for farmers.

“That’s what we’ve been for 88 years. My grandfather, my dad, me – my son (Jonathan) is turning 30 in two weeks and he’s in the business, and he’s the head beekeeper. He calls himself the overlord of beekeeping operations,” said owner and third generation beekeeper, Clint Walker. “It’s fair to say we’re a four generation operation.”

The honey farm now produces honey roasted nuts, honey peanut butter blend, bee balm lotions and honey infused soaps among other products, and even sells pure honey comb and by the gallon jug.

“We were astounded. People just kept asking us for more and more products,” Walker says. “The bottom line is; we listened to our customers.”

In 2011, the family company began making honey mead.

“Bee to bottle became our tagline. We meant everything from the beehive to the finished product,” Walker says. “We said, ‘Well, there’s another way to put honey in a bottle. Ferment it, and put it in a bottle.’”

With that idea, the Dancing Bee Winery was born.

The winery is located just next to the Walker Honey Farm retail location off U.S. 190 in the rural expanses of eastern Bell County.

“It’s the same wine process – you’re feeding the yeast the sugars and the grape and the by product is the alcohol,” he says. “What you feed the yeast affects the flavor profile. We’re just feeding the yeast honey.

We can play with the different honey varietals to put flavors in the mead. From the craft standpoint, it’s winemaking.”

in the hills

WALKER HONEY FARM AND DANCING BEE WINERY 8060 E. U.S. Highway 190 254.983.2899

Rogers, TX 76569

walkerhoneyfarm.com

Top: Third-generation bee-keeper Clint walker III sells a variety of honey products at the Walker Honey Farm Store in Rogers.

Below left: The smoker used on the hives when collecting honey in front of a nine-frame nuc Below right: A frame being filled with capped honey.

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in the hills The Dancing Bee Winery produces traditional meads as well as portomels, which are dessert meads, methoglins, which are spice meads and melomels, which are lighter, fruit-based meads.

The source of nectar on which the Walker honey-bees feed is what affects the flavor of the honey, and in turn affects the mead.

“The plant that the bees visit – every plant has a different flavor profile in the nectar, a different moisture content, a different color, a different consistency. So there’s a wide variety. Think cheeses,” Walker says.

Walker Honey Farms own thousands of hives spread across about five counties in Central Texas, on both sides of Interstate 35.

Moving the bees to different areas can affect the honey varietal, Walker says. Part of the science of beekeeping is knowing when each species of plant blooms, so hives can consume that specific nectar and the varietal can be isolated.

“We have this black land strip that runs from Dallas to Austin to San Antonio. That’s where the cotton, the corn, the winter wheat and things like that are grown. Just east of that is the Post Oak Savannah with lots of Post Oak and Black Jack Oak,” Walker says.

“We have three landforms within a 70 mile swath of our headquarters. In the winter, we can move just 70 miles and we get them 70 miles closer to the water, but we cut the elevation in half, which means they [the hives] will have a lot warmer winter and do better.”

Many honey varietals available to taste at their retail location.

“Twenty years ago, nobody knew about honey varietals. That’s one thing that the beekeepers in this country have done a good job of doing in the last 20 or 30 years is educating the public,” Walker says.

Walker hopes that one day people will recognize different honey varietals as they would distinguish a gouda from a sharp cheddar.

While Walker agrees that he can’t compete in price with honey produced out of state or internationally, he prefers to compete on matter of quality.

“We’re like the grass-fed beef people. We know we can’t compete on price, but we’re going to compete on quality, and we think that some people, and thank-fully a lot of people in the [younger] generation, are thinking about the quality of their food,” he says.

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Bee to bottle became our tagline.

We meant everything from the beehive to the finished product.

- Clint Walker, III

608 East Creek Street

Fredericksburg, Texas

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drinkery

Pub-licity

Brew pub’s main attraction is the beer

By LEE NICHOLS Photos by STEVE RAWLS

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drinkery

A

s far as business strategies go, having a celebrity name attached to an enterprise can be a good one – think Earl Campbell Sausage or Vince Young Steak House. It draws attention. It’s almost like free advertising.

But if that business is going to succeed, the real stars must emerge. The folks producing what’s being sold – the engineer, the chef or, in the case of Family Business Brewing Company, the brewer.

Family Business is one of the newest entries in the Hill Country’s exploding brewing scene, having opened north of Dripping Springs on Hamilton Pool Road in January 2018.

When co-owner Jensen Ackles comes sauntering into the room, he does so with the swagger of someone accustomed to having people gawk at him. That’s because they do. For 13 years now, Ackles, 40, has played Dean Winchester as the star of “Supernatural,” a hit series on the CW network.

He exudes confidence, but back amongst the mash tuns, kettles, fermentation tanks and other brewing equipment, he knows this isn’t his stage. He knows that ultimately, the product here isn’t his stardom – it’s the beautiful tasting room, the picnic tables sprawled out under beautiful picnic tables, and the outstanding, delicious beer.

“I’ve been talking about my show for 13 years,” Ackles says, “but if people ask about the brewery, I tell them they better sit down because I’ll talk your ear off.”

So he points the spotlight to the real stars: Nate Seale, the head brewer, and Gino Graul, his business partner and brother-in-law.

Graul is the man with the plan. Seale is the man with the recipes and experience.

“Gino, he and I started backyard brewing about six years ago,” Ackles says, explaining the genesis of Family Business.

“Just for fun, like home brewing is for most people, and it was on the cusp of the craft beer boom.”

At the time, Jensen, his wife Daneel (an accomplished actor herself, and also a FBBC partner) and Gino were all living in California.

“The idea of opening a brewery was something we fell in love with, a passion project, and an idea we never thought would get to the surface. But Gino took the ball and ran with it. He went up to University of California at Davis and took a craft beer course. Then he went to the Siebel Institute [a Chicago college focused on brewing sciences] and got certified, and that’s when it all started to come together.”

And that’s when it became a family business.

The name is both a play on a line from the show, as well as a nod to what’s happening at the brewery.

“Supernatural’s” fantasy-horror stories revolve around the fictional Winchester brothers, who roam around the central United States hunting demons, ghosts and other scary creatures, just as their father did years before them.

“Saving people … hunting things. The family business,” says Ackles’ character on the show.

Likewise, this brewery is a family affair, pulling in not only Jensen, Daneel and Gino, but also their parents Ed and Debby Graul.

Family helped them find a location, as well. The Texasborn Ackles wanted to return to his home state to raise his kids, and the Louisiana-born Graul had an uncle who owned a ranch in the Hill Country. After they considered sites in Austin, the uncle pointed them to a former horse ranch adjacent to his own, and that’s where FBBC set up shop.

The next step was to find a talented brewer. Ackles and Graul knew that, no matter how much their friends complimented their home-brew, they weren’t ready for prime time.

“They thought it was great,” Graul grins, “but I knew better.”

At that time, Nate Seale was also contemplating his own return to Texas. Seale wandered into professional brewing around 2008, when Austin’s successful 512 Brewing was expanding. Seale rose to head brewer there, responsible for many of its recipes, before taking his talents to the very competitive beer scene of Portland, Oregon around 2014.

It was “a good woodshedding opportunity” Seale says, and sharpened his brewing chops, but “I got to missing the Texas beer scene and wanted to move back.”

An ad in probrewer.com landed FBBC the talent it needed and Seale came on board.

“Nate can shake his head at me and say, ‘I’ve been doing this long before you knew what craft beer was,’” Ackles says.

“Which is why we grabbed him and won’t let him go.”

And what will Seale give you to quaff under those beautiful live oaks? Probably anything you want, as long as you don’t expect it to taste like run-of-the-mill macrobrewery products.

“If somebody wants a Budweiser, we usually just give them water,” Seale laughs.

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drinkery

Family Business Brewing Company familybusinessbeerco.com 512.829.4202 info@fbbeer.com 19510 Hamilton Pool Rd. Dripping Springs, TX 78620 Hours: Mon & Tue closed Wed-Fri 3pm-10pm Sat 11am-10pm Sun 11am-9pm

What you will get are choices. At the time of this interview, there were seven different year-round beers on tap, three more “rotating” taps, and three more seasonal beers.

Seale seemed reluctant to identify one as FBBC’s flag-ship beer, but conceded that, “We sell more of the Hamilton Pale than any-thing else. But everything we make has its big fans. The Cosmic Cowboy IPA and Haulin’ Oats Brown Ale tend to trade places for number two. We do a lot of the Grackle Imperial Stout, too.”

The Grackle will eventually have an additional Hill Country kick – Seale plans a batch that will be aged in used whiskey barrels from nearby Garrison Brothers Distillery.

The resistance to the idea of a flagship is in keeping with their brewing philosophy.

“Our business model is variety,” Graul says. “We want to do a lot of different takes, and don’t want to get pigeonholed into, ‘This is our flagship beer and we must meet demand.’ I’d rather have less demand and more variety and introduce people to craft beer.”

“We don’t want to dumb down our beer,” Seale says. “We want to lift people up and help them learn about good beer. It never gets old watching that light come on in people’s eyes when they realize they like craft beers.”

No dumbing down, and no coasting off of their celebrity owner’s name - Family Business takes its craft seriously.

Still, the celebrity factor is there.

“We’ve stopped counting how many times a day we get asked about Jensen,” Seale says. “It never hurts that we get attention for it, but I hope eventually we get attention because we’re a great brewery. We’re starting to.

“If it brings people in, then we’re in a unique position with a lot of responsibility. We have a greater likelihood than any other brewery of getting people in who don’t know craft brewing. We see that as a responsibility to do things well. We want to make great beer and represent the whole scene.”

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Mon. - Thurs. 10-5:15 Fri. & Sat. 10-7:15 Sun. 12-5:15 Check website for Holidays Phone: (830) 990-8747 email: wine@fbgwinery.com

www.fbgwinery.com

247 W. Main (in town - one block west of the Courthouse) Large parking area in front RV parking in back.

Fredericksburg, TX 78624 WINTER 2019 35

explore

THE

Gholson House BUILT BETWEEN DRINKS

By MICHAEL BARR Photos by ROBERT G. GOMEZ

The Gholson home was taken apart rock by rock and each stone was numbered as it was removed and reassembled like a puzzle.

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explore

Bennie McCreary and David Hoffman's vision and spiritual connection to the Gholson house got them through the twenty-one years it took to restore their Hill Country home.

rank and Adeline Gholson built their dream house in northern Lampasas County in 1874. It was a fortress with 22-inch rock walls built on a rise with a commanding view in all directions in order to spot marauding Comanches.

No man was better prepared by nature, training and ancestry to take on the perils of the Texas frontier than Benjamin Franklin Gholson. His grandfather, Samuel Gholson, was a colonel under Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans.

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David Hoffman closed on the Gholson house property in 1977 and finished the restoration in 2008.

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explore BIRTHRIGHT Frank’s father, Albert Gholson, left Kentucky for San Felipe, Texas, in 1832 just as the Texas Revolution was beginning to boil.

In Texas, Albert threw in with Stephen Austin, Sam Houston and the rebels. He fought in the Battle of Gonzales and the Battle of Concepcion, and he was 40 feet away when a sniper killed Ben Milam in San Antonio in 1835.

For his service to Texas during the Revolution, Albert received a land grant in what would become Falls County. His son Frank was born there on November 17, 1842.

With a spirit of high adventure as his inheritance, Frank Gholson grew up to be a frontier legend. He served three hitches with the Texas Rangers, the first at the age of 15.

In 1860 Frank’s Ranger company, under the command of Captain Sul Ross, helped recapture Cynthia Ann Parker. During the Civil War Frank served in Col. George W. Baylor’s Second Texas Cavalry.

In 1862 Frank married Jane Adeline Langford, the daughter of Central Texas pioneer Asa Langford. After the war, Frank and Adeline built their remarkable rock house in a valley just south of a cut in the hills that came to be called Gholson’s Gap. Today U.S. Highway 281 runs through Gholson’s Gap, two miles south of Evant.

HOMESTEAD The thick exterior walls of the Gholson House are made of limestone.

Frank Gholson and a rock mason named Joseph Drake quarried the rock; then squared it, hauled it and laid it. The work was hard and dirty, but frequent pauses for “medicine” made it tolerable. Joseph Drake’s grandson claimed his grandfather and Frank Gholson built the house “between drinks.”

The Gholson House, designed to withstand a cavalry charge, was formidable on the outside but warm and cozy on the inside. Travelers knew the place for its amazing hospitality.

“Light and come in,” Frank Gholson would say to anyone who rode up with friendly intentions. Many a wandering cowboy ate a hot meal in the dining room and warmed his backside by the fireplace.

Frank and Adeline raised nine children in that house. It was their home for almost 60 years.

Then Frank died in 1932, and Adeline moved to town. The forces of mother-nature moved into the Gholson home. With no one around to keep up the place, the heat, wind and rain began to slowly bring it down.

The wood rotted, and the walls crumbled. The house and its historical significance were practically forgotten.

RENEWAL The old place had been vacant for 40 years when David Hoffman, a restoration architect from Austin, and his soon-to-be wife Binnie McCreary, an architectural historian, first saw the magnificent stone ruins off in the distance while driving down US Highway 281.

“The place was a mess,” David recalls. “Nobody had lived there in a long time. There was a big hole in the roof. The mortar had lost its strength, and the walls were unstable. Goat manure covered the floor. But there was something about the place that drew us to it. As soon as we walked on the property, we both had the feeling we were supposed to be here.”

Given their backgrounds in architecture, David and Binnie had an intellectual curiosity about the place, and after learning about the house and its history, the Hoffmans felt a spiritual connection with Frank and Adeline’s frontier home.

“We wanted to buy the house and restore it,” David says, “but when we tried to buy it we got no encouragement. Other people had tried to buy it, but the owner wouldn’t sell. Everyone told us we were wasting our time.

But we had to try.

I TOLD HIM WE WANTED TO RESTORE THE HOUSE AS CLOSELY AS POSSIBLE TO ITS ORIGINAL APPEARANCE. HE MUST HAVE LIKED WHAT HE READ BECAUSE HE WROTE US BACK AND ASKED US HOW MANY ACRES WE WANTED WITH THE HOUSE. – David Hoffman

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explore

Artifacts, blueprints and before photos of the Gholson home renovation.

“So I wrote the owner a two-page letter telling him our vision for the place,” David says. “I told him we wanted to restore the house as closely as possible to its original appearance. He must have liked what he read because he wrote us back and asked us how many acres we wanted with the house.”

Turns out the owner had a similar dream of restoring the place but his job took him to Minnesota.

Knowing he would never be able to bring the Gholson House back to life, he entrusted his dream to David and Binnie. They closed on the property in 1977.

RESTORATION Just as Frank Gholson had the temperament and training to thrive on the frontier, David and Binnie Hoffman were uniquely qualified by education and experience to restore his house. The project became their passion and their life’s work.

Binnie did the initial research on the structure and determined the alternatives for restoration as a part of her studies at The University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture.

“It was like solving a mystery,” she says.

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Then in 2004, David and a crew of stone masons’ began rebuilding the Gholson House rock by rock.

David numbered each stone as he removed it; then reassembled the walls like a puzzle.

The Hoffmans finished the Gholson House in 2008.

The Evant Elks football team helped move them in that August between two-a-days.

The years of hard work produced a Texas frontier masterpiece that Frank and Adeline Gholson would recognize as their own, although they might have a few questions about the oversized water trough out back that serves as a swimming pool and a rustic outbuilding that houses a theater and a recording studio.

David used many of the same processes Frank Gholson used in the original construction, including a time-honored method to cope with heat and fatigue.

“Frank Gholson built this house between drinks,” David explains. “We took similar pauses during restoration.” & RV

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WINTER 2019 41

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Visit www.hs.ttu.edu/texaswine/wset.php for details.

WINTER 2019 43

life of riley

Manuel Murga amid the oak trees that feed the Iberian pigs he and his partner Sergio Marsal brought from Spain.

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life of riley

SPANISH LUXURY SWINE AS PRICELESS AS TRUFFLES

By GUS GONZALES III Photos by ROBERT G. GOMEZ lack-footed Iberian pigs have been raised for centuries in southern and central Spain on oak tree-laden pastures known as dehesas, where the stout, sturdy pigs range freely to feed on acorns during the montanera, the season just before slaughter.

The demand for the Spanish delicacy, inconsistent acorn yields, recent droughts, and high real-estate costs has caused a surge in jamón ibérico prices that some are calling a bubble – a full jamón can cost upwards of $1,000.

Out of this uncertainty, two Spanish entrepreneurs, Manuel Murga and Sergio Marsal have taken the bold step of moving production out of Spain to a new home that promises a more certain and sustainable future.

The new home is a 300-acre farm in Flatonia, Texas, under a new venture, Acornseekers.

“The climate and terrain is quite similar, but more humid and rainy which is really good for the pastures and for the pigs, because they have access to herbs all year long,” Marsal says.

“The pigs have adapted very well since day one (four years ago). These amazing animals are very rustic and smart with a high adaptability capacity. They have a natural instinct to do so.”

The melt in the mouth, sweet, sumptuous nutty umami flavored pork is a luxury good on par with truffles and caviar. It’s been available in the United States since 2007 and ranges in price from hundreds to thousands of dollars.

Adding to the already-high demand in Europe and the United States, desire for this delicacy amongst China’s luxury class has spiked, raising prices (and demand) considerably in Spain and elsewhere, according to the South China Morning Post.

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life of riley

“

The chefs really love it. The first thing that they say when they try our meat is that it looks very beefy because the high content of tocopherol, alfa and gamma from the pastured grass add a beautiful and bright red color to it and plenty of flavor as well.

– Sergio Marsal

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Black-footed Iberian pigs, imported from Spain in 2014 graze on Live Oak acorns all year long.

BREEDING In Spain, the black-footed Iberian pigs range freely on Holm Oak acorns native to southern and central Spain and double in weight during this period. The pigs acquire a rich oleic acid content from their steady acorn diet.

“The Live Oaks in Texas are mostly Quercus Virginiana and some Quercus Ilex, really pretty close to the ones in Spain,” Marsal says. “We have some documentation that shows that in Texas we have ten times more oaks than in Spain.”

This guarantees a lasting and abundant supply of acorns for the gastronomic delicacy.

REGULATIONS Jamón ibérico de bellota is the highest of the four grades of jamón ibérico, with the grades strictly regulated by the Spanish government.

The pork is cured for at least thirty-six months, this ham features a deep ruby-colored flesh and rich layers of creamy fat that glisten at room temperature.

Acornseekers will have its first Jamon Ibericus production in the fall of 2020.

life of riley

The Spanish delicacy can cost consumers upwards of $1,000.

“We are really very satisfied with the quality of our meat,” Marsal says. “The analytics says that the content of oleic acid is higher than the imported one. In terms of tasting, the grass that our animals pasture all year long helps a lot to make a very tasty meat, a very special one.”

Chefs in Texas already have their eyes on Marsal’s pork.

“The chefs really love it,” he says. “The first thing that they say when they try our meat is that it looks very beefy because the high content of tocopherol, alfa and gamma from the pastured grass add a beautiful ad bright red color to it and plenty of flavor as well.”

EDUCATION People who are new to jamón ibérico might be unfamiliar with terms such as pluma, presa, lagarto, secreto, la montera and jamonero, for example and Marsal and Murga want to help Americans enjoy what their countrymen have delighted in for centuries.

“We want to educate the American consumer about the Ibericus products and culture,” Marsal says. “Keep in consideration that we have been working on that since the first day that our pigs touched American soil in JFK, August 2, 2014.”

Acornseekers plans to continue its marketing efforts.

“Our goal is the incorporate the Ibericus production to the American proud production like Angus one,” he says. “Our hope is to create a new category product in the American meat industry. For that reason we have to be very confident with the quality of our production, we have a lot of passion and patience.” R&V

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question & answer

WINTER 2019 49

indulge

kid you not

GOAT MILK SOAPS AND MORE (YOGA!) IN CENTER POINT

By Steve Taylor Photos by Kimberly Giles

fter Jonna and Trey Davis’ two children were born, the parents discovered both had sensitiveskin issues requiring lotions made from goat’s milk.

“So both our kids were kind of doomed,” said Jonna, who can’t drink cow’s milk.

The solution? They acquired several other “kids” – young goats, – and built a working dairy with more than 200 Nubian, Lamancha and Alpine goats. Each one is hand-milked, every morning and evening.

After the family and baby goats get “first dibs,” the remaining milk is used in a growing variety of increasingly popular products – soaps, lotions, body butter, moisturizer and chappies – handmade on the Davis’ Center Point ranch, with help from several employees. Thus was born Nuluv Goat Milk Products.

HERD QUEEN Products are sold at a nearby Nuluv store along Highway 27, various weekend Hill Country artisan markets, several shops, and online.

The 231 goats (as of mid-December – all female except for four “very happy” males, Trey noted) are considered pets. The Davises (including sons Cavan, 10, and Pace, 9, have named them all.

Cosmo, Raisin and Wynona are three of them.

Snowflake is considered the “herd queen,” Trey said.

Top: Jonna and Trey Davis milk one of their 200 goats; center, goat milk products line the wall of the Nuluv Goat Milk Products Store; Two kids wander the grounds of the Davis's Center Point ranch.

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indulge

The view of the Davis Center Point farm from Nuluv goat farm.

NULUV GOAT MILK PRODUCTS 6601 Highway 27 Center Point, Texas 512-659-5389 nuluvgoatmilkproducts.com

GOAT YOGA When young goats become four to 12 weeks old, they are star attractions at the combination store/yoga studio along Highway 27, about five miles west of Comfort.

There is one goat for every three yoga participants, so there usually are 4-5 in each class, Jonna said.

This year, Nuluv’s yoga classes will include birthday parties for all ages (from grade school on up) and bridal shower groups.

“We even had a boy’s birthday party in 2018,” Jonna said.

“Girl Scouts, too.”

Indeed, 45 San Antonio Girl Scouts earned goat yoga merit badges last December by practicing breathing techniques, exercise and meditation in the company of cute, four-legged friends.

In 2019, five classes will be offered between 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on one Saturday each month. Cost is $20 per person; reservations are required.

Goat yoga participants must be careful.

She recommends anyone with longish hair tie it up because the little goats often try to eat it.

“They might try to eat your yoga mat, too,” Jonna warned.

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stomping grounds

SUSTAINABLE FARMING YIELDS EXCEEDINGLY ABUNDANT VINES Lorelei Helmke enjoys a glass of wine in Hopper's Valley Vineyard in Burnet.

By LORELIE HELMKE Photos by LORELIE HELMKE

The Greek word perissos translates to exceedingly abundant. That’s an appropriate name for this boutique vineyard and winery located in Hooper’s Valley near Burnet.

In 2005 Seth and Laura Martin set out to produce world-class wines with a farming first mentality.

With the belief that wine is made in the vineyard, their sustainable farming and sheer tenacity have paid off. Today, Perissos produces a many wines that are available to taste in their exceedingly charming tasting room with abundant breathtaking views.

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stomping grounds

2016 ESTATE VIOGNIER

2015 ESTATE TEMPRANILLO

½

½

Aromas of honeysuckle and Meyer lemon rise from the glass and white flowers and peaches mingle in. On the palate, tropical flavors shine through. A viscous white with a little higher alcohol than others pairs with Thai chicken wings. Six hundred cases of this Texas Hill Country wine were produced.

This red earned Double Gold at San Francisco Chronicle Competition. An intense ruby color entices while aromas of baked cherry crisp and leather leap from the glass. Hints of clove and cinnamon blend with tastes of figs, pepper and a touch of roasted tomato. Full of finesse, this stunning red finishes with beautiful balance.

Perfect to serve with paella.

Six hundred and ninety-seven cases produced from Texas Hill Country grapes.

2016 RESERVE ROUSANNE

 This is quite powerful for a white wine. Scents of ginger, honeycomb and apricot swirl around the nose. There is a beautiful hint of vanilla derived from the time this wine spent in oak. A rich buttery finish makes this a great wine to pair with holiday turkey. Two hundred and twenty-nine cases were produced from grapes out of One Way Vineyard in the Texas High Plains.

2017 ITALIAN ROSE

Four Italian varietals from the Texas High Plains combine to create a delightfully easy yet somewhat complex rose wine.

Lychee and rose petals blend with watermelon on the nose.

Essence of plum swirls on the palate and it finishes clean. Pair this with great conversation and bruschetta. One hundred and seventy-four cases were produced.

2015 TAMARA

 A one hundred percent tempranillo sourced from Mason, Texas is robust with medium tannins and acidity that adds spirit to the palate. Up front dark berries and plums intertwine with tobacco, clove, anise and lavender. The balanced, long finish will pair well with roasted leg of lamb. Three hundred and eighty-four were cases produced.

2015 ITALIAN STALLION

½ Equal parts of aglianico, dolcetto, montepulciano and sangiovese combine to create a bold masculine red.

STALLION



three cases of this Texas Hill Country black grape wine were produced.

2015 ESTATE AGLIANICO

This wine, which exhibits a garnet/brick color, begins with smoke, strawberry jam and blueberries.

White pepper and baking spices add to the complexity. It finishes bold and long. Seven hundred and ninetyfive cases were produced.

 Stunning shades of garnet/ruby alert the senses. It opens with aromas of bright ripe cherries, cigar box spice, blackberry and blue flowers close in behind.

A touch of rough leather adds backbone. This wine is subtle and lays softly on the palate for an impressive feminine finish. Great to serve with osso buco. Six hundred and sixty-

PERISSOS VINEYARD AND WINERY perissosvineyards.com 7214 Park Road 4 W Burnet, Texas 78611 512.820.2950 Lorelei Helmke, CSW and Sommelier, follow her @thewinesiren.com www.winesiren.com

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INSPIRING YOUR CULINARY ADVENTURE IN THE HILL COUNTRY

Visit Das Peach Haus the home of

Fischer & Wieser Specialty Foods

Wine Tasting Cooking School

Bring in this coupon to Das Peach Haus or Fischer & Wieser on Main in Fredericksburg, Texas and recieve 1 of any 10 oz Fischer & Wieser jellies

FREE

PRODUCT CAN NOT BE RETURNED FOR CASH OR CREDIT REFUND. ONE PRODUCT PER CUSTOMER Rock & Vine coupon expires 4/30/19

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FOR MORE INFORMATION VIST US AT

WWW.JELLY.COM FREDERICKSBURG, TEXAS

830-997-8969

1406 S US Highway 87, Fredericksburg, Texas

On the square in Mason Texas

(325) 347-1234

LEA LOU 21 CLUB (Full liquor bar) Live music Thurs/Friday

LEA LOU CO-OP

LEA LOU PIZZA & DELI BAR Open Wednesday-Saturday

Oct 27 - Lee Roy Parnell Dec 29 - Gary P Nunn

EVENT BARN Ask about reserving our event barn (indoor/ outdoor space) for weddings, reunions & corporate functions

G Fine Texas Wines & Gifts on Mason’s Historical Square

U HOURS: Mon-Thurs: 11 am to 7 pm; Fri & Sat: 10 am to 9 pm 120 Ft. McKavett Mason, TX 76856 (325) 347-1010

MurphyCreekCellars.com

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830.998.1556 • BLACKCHALKHOME.COM • FOLLOW US @BLACKCHALKHOME

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221 EAST MAIN STREET

4

FREDERICKSBURG, TX

HABERDASHERY_BOUTIQUE IG

4

930.990.2462

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HABERDASHERYBOUTIQUE.COM

HABERDASHERY BOUTIQUE FB

WINTER 2019 57

WILLKOMMEN

Welcome to THE site for Fredericksburg, Texas real Estate and properties for sale.

Nestled in the beautiful Texas Hill Country, Fredericksburg’s Small-town atmosphere, relaxed lifestyle, and the quality of life draw families and retirees from all over.

Whether you are buying or selling, or just considering the perfect place for your retirement years, I would love to serve youEVERY STEP OF THE WAY.

Enjoy a Sommelier Guided, small bite food and wine pairing experience today.

Tasting Room Hours: Thurs-Sat: 11-6 pm Sun-Mon: 12-5 pm Appointments are Requested At Kuhlman Cellars, it is All About the Wine.

Kuhlman Cellars

18421 E. U.S. Hwy. 290, Stonewall, Texas 512.920.2675 • www.kuhlmancellars.com

Enjoy a Sommelier Guided, small bite food and wine pairing experience today.

TASTING ROOM HOURS: Thurs-Sat: 11-6pm Sun-Mon 12-5pm Appointments are Requested

CAROLE REED

CAROLE@CAROLEREED.COM

830-992-9446

Broker J.R. Russel Lic# 601430 58

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At Kuhlman Cellars, it is All About the Wine.

Kuhlman Cellars 18421 E US HWY 290 • STONEWALL, TEXAS

512.920.2675 • kuhlmancellars.com

WHERE THE LOCALS EAT! Outdoor Seating • Wifi Beer • Wine • Mimosas Catering • Parties & Private Events Rehearsal Dinners - Your Place or Ours (830) 997-2246 305 S. Lincoln Street • Fredericksburg, TX Mon - Sat 9 am - 3 pm • WoernerWarehouse.com

Hosting special occasions since 1999.

Vintage barn with full service catering.

Join us for Second Saturday Dinners featuring a 4 course set menu with local live music.

1213 Kott Rd, Fredericksburg, TX • 830.990.9515 • kairosbarn.com WINTER 2019 59

question & answer

Q&

A

DIAMOND VINEYARDS COMING HOME TO ROOST AIR FORCE MAKES A GREAT TRAINING GROUND FOR GRAPE GROWERS

By MATTHEW ESTÉ

DIAMOND VINEYARDS 400 Ranger Trail Fredeicksburg, Texas 830.392.0446

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first met Lisa Kennelly in December several years ago when she was buying wine after a long day of clearing cedar from the land she told me was going to be a vineyard. Over the years I’ve gotten to know Lisa and always had a curiosity about the vineyard she is developing. I recently drove out to Diamond in the Rough Ranch off FM 1376 in Fredericksburg to visit the Diamond Vineyards.

Lisa has had many jobs in the wine industry.

Her husband Kevin is an F-16 pilot in the Air Force.

Each of Kevin’s deployments has given Lisa the opportunity to experience wine all over the world, but now when asked what her job is, Lisa will proudly let you know she is a rancher.

question & answer

Rock & Vine: What is your background leading up to Diamond Vineyards?

Lisa Kennelly: I’ve been in the wine business for over thirty years now. I went to the University of Texas for my degree and worked at the Four Seasons to pay my way through college. The Sommelier there at the time noticed I had an aptitude for wine – he offered to mentor me. So, I picked up a lot while I was there.

After graduation, I moved to Colorado Springs, where I worked at the Broadmoor, taking all the knowledge I had from The Four Seasons to The Broadmoor. I was teaching wine classes and doing service presentations. We moved to Lubbock where Kevin was in pilot training. I went to grad school at Texas Tech where my MBA thesis was on exporting wines into foreign markets. While I was there I got to work with Llano Estacado, Pheasant Ridge, and Cap Rock.

Kevin was my senior prom date. We stayed in touch through college and we got married when he was finishing his senior year at the Air Force Academy. Once he got his commission, we started moving. Right now, we’ve moved 16 times in a 27-year marriage. He’ll be making one final move, ultimately coming home here.

R&V: What experiences did you gain from moving so much?

LK: The good part about moving so much was that if you didn’t like something you were doing in the last place, you don’t that in the next place. So, when I decided that I wasn’t a wild fan for table service, I didn’t have to anymore. As we had kids and Kevin got deployed, I was able to teach at the university, write blogs, and develop wine lists. I’ve tested all the way to the advanced level in the Court of Master Sommeliers – I don’t foresee becoming a Master simply because one has to work under a Master Sommelier for five years before being considered. I have enjoyed different things like owning a wine store, restaurants, and catering.

Traveling overseas allowed us to span out in many wine regions. We were able to see how people did things differently – I think that really enables our problemsolving skills. Plus, imagine every two years having to redevelop your entire network, your entire career and paint yourself in a new light that makes your marketable in a new place. Raising a family while someone is deployed has developed skills that are hard to define on paper.

R&V: What are these skills and how do they help you on the ranch?

LK: In ranching, I use them all. I have to find friends. I have to reach out to people. I have to promote this place, but I also have to figure out how do I fix my skid steer when it stops. How many problems can it be? I didn’t use to be mechanical, but I am pretty good with it now.

I run all the equipment out here, from bulldozers to chainsaws.

R&V: When we first met, you had been clearing cedar all day; you were covered in resin and you were buying wines for a dinner party.

LK: I had dinner parties or cocktails to maintain those contacts and so we could have friends. This really is home.

R&V: What is your history with the ranch?

LK: The first half of the ranch we bought in 2003. The second half we bought was in 2013, where the clarity vineyard is. It is a little over 100 acres, and ultimately, we plan to have 22 to 27 under vine. In 2003 this place was choked with cedar – you couldn’t stand upright.

We noticed right away that the land would be perfect as a vineyard because of the what we had seen in Spain, because I’d been to Los Rocas. When people would tell me, “You’ve got rocks,” I’d tell them “Nope!”

R&V: Look at parts of the Rhone Valley, where they have nothing but rock.

LK: People would say, “This is too steep.” First of all, it’s not steep, and have you been to Germany? Those guys are going up cliffs and carrying grapes down. I just knew the terroir up here would be great. There were still trees here when I started inviting my winemaking friends out. They were feeling the air and digging in the dirt.

They told me this was going to be great.

R&V: What would your advice be to someone who was wanting to start a vineyard.

LK: The first thing is look at the soil and water options.

Irrigation is huge, especially the first several years. I drilled a well and had it permitted. The thing that people need to realize is that this is not an easy job. This isn’t a retirement thing where you just lay out a garden and watch it grow.

R&V: Is this a dream?

LK: Dreams aren’t always realistic. When people say, “It must be cool to see your dream come true.” Nope! This is a business plan, this is a goal. There were life goals that we would plan way back when we were 23, we go through and revisit them every few years and evaluate them.

R&V: What will Diamond Vineyards say about you?

LK: I’ve been a lot of places in the world and had the opportunity to explore wine. What I would love Diamond Vineyards to be and what I look forward to Diamond Vineyards to be – because it’s a goal, not a dream – that it will have its own character and grapes that are in demand and valuable; grapes that will represent the terroir and the Hill Country. I feel respected by my friends here in the industry, and I feel trusted by them that I will produce a valuable product. R&V

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A new level of taste.

260 E. Main St., Fredericksburg, TX 78624 www.rathskellerrestaurant.net rathskellerrestaurant@gmail.com 830-990-5858

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660 W 290 Hwy B Dripping Springs, TX 512.524.3198 crepecrazy.com

COZY & QUIET: HILL COUNTRY PATRONS LOVE EUROPEAN-STYLE CREPES

By DELANEY WHITWORTH

Crepe Crazy in Dripping Springs.

n a brightly colored cabin tucked just off of U.S. Highway 290 West, one family is paving new roads for crepe lovers in Central Texas by dishing out thin pancakes of all shapes and flavors.

Vladimir and Inna Giterman planted their Crepe Crazy roots in Dripping Springs in May of 2014.

The family opened up a second location in the South Lamar area of Austin in December of 2015. There, they were able to serve more people with their mouth-watering cuisine.

“We chose the Austin area mainly because (my parents are deaf),” says Michelle Giterman, daughter of the Crepe Crazy owners. “(My parents) moved to Austin for education opportunities for us and waited until they felt ready to open a food business in a foodie’s city.”

The family of four works together to run the business and attributes the success to the diversity of expertise within the restaurant.

While Inna creates, Vladimir runs the food truck, Michelle is the chief operating officer and Sergei, their oldest child, manages staffs, composed entirely of hearing impaired individuals.

Inna is the chef. She is the one who creates the menu, weekly soups and the monthly crepe specials, Michelle says, The restaurant functions on a “point-and-ye-shall-receive” basis, meaning customers point to their cravings on the counter menu and employees ring up the ticket.

“ Food is the universal language, because it unites all.

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- the Gitermans

”

SERVING BREAKFAST ALL-DAY One thing diners will notice might be the quiet kitchen.

“Ironically, I think it is much easier to communicate with employees across the room by signing without shouting or disturbing our customers,” Michelle says. “Often, people comment that this is the quietest kitchen ever. Yet, we get our mouth-watering food delivered just right without loud noises.”

Savannah, who has been employed at Crepe Crazy since March of 2017 says, “I like working here because I have never had the opportunity to work with deaf co-workers before. It is easy to communicate with them since we speak the same language.”

Being employed at Crepe Crazy has made communication easier.

“I am able to communicate better and be more social,” Savannah says. “I used to not be a social person, but now I can be.”

Savannah said that the employees love when customers break down communicative barriers by trying to learn pieces of American Sign Language.

“We always try to teach customers how to sign ‘thank you’, ‘welcome’, and ‘water’,” says Michelle. “Those basic signs can get you a long way.”

Not only does the staff hope you leave with a great meal and a plan to come back, they hope you experienced something educational.

“We love to showcase that the deaf can do anything except hear,” Michelle says. “We also love teaching hearing people to sign, so they can go around and be a bit more knowledgeable about the deaf.”

The couple got their start when they cooked for the public at a festival in 2006.

With layers of diverse flavors jumping off of the plate, the family focuses on their Ukrainian and Russian origins (Vladimir is from Russia and Inna is from Ukraine) to create crowd-pleasing crepes.

“Crepes are a big thing in Europe,” Michelle says. “Every time we cook Vladimir’s mother’s crepe recipe, everyone compliments it.

Crepes of all shapes and flavors are served at both locations. Breakfast crepes celebrate local cuisine, like the Fiesta Breakfast Crepe, stuffed with chorizo, scrambled eggs, black beans and salsa. Savory Crepes are served with a salad, drizzled with house-made lemon-garlic vinaigrette.

Dessert crepes are topped with whipped cream and powdered sugar, and filled to the brim with flavors such as Dulce De Leche Turtle, Brown Sugar and Cinnamon, and Caramelized Apple and Vanilla Cream.

The Gitermans have referred to food as the universal language, because it unites all.

When it comes down to it, Michelle says, “Everyone loves our food. The hearing level behind it does not really matter.

It has been proven too many times.”

R&V

l!

oca l t i g n pi

Kee

BEER • WINE • MIMOSAS BLOODY MARYS & MARGARITAS BEST BREAKFAST IN TOWN!

902 South Adams Fredericksburg, Texas 830.997.5904

Open Daily 7am-3pm Sunday Brunch 8am-2pm Closed Wednesday

sunsetgrillfbgtx.com WINTER 2019 65

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Brunch | Lunch | Dinner | Late Night 66

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www.downtownernb.com

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WHAT’S ON YOUR

PLATE for

2019

By KIMBERLY GILES

A Taste of Life in our Texas Hill Country

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ROSS BURTWELL

Executive Chef & Owner, Cabernet Grill

WHAT FOOD TRENDS ARE YOU INSPIRED BY LOOKING FORWARD IN 2019?

I am not as interested in following new trends as much as I am on the look out for building relationships with local food artisans, producers, growers and wine makers for more interesting and diverse product that we can source locally in support of our friends and neighbors.

ANY PLANS TO INCORPORATE SOMETHING NEW ON YOUR PLATE FOR 2019?

I am working to find more and more ways that I can incorporate the precise cooking method sous vide into my menu to provide a consistently incredible product for our patrons. We will lead off 2019 with a precision cooked steak that will knock your socks off!

We are already testing it out with great success. This will supplement our other sous vide items such as our succulent Berkshire Kurobuta Pork Shank or our Braggin Rights sous vide Fried Chicken Thighs as well as our 72 hour Niman Ranch Beef Short Rib. TOP 3 INGREDIENTS YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT?

Simple, the three Bs - bacon, butter and bourbon. If the first two don't elevate your cooking, pour plenty of the third and no one will notice.

WHAT COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION ARE YOU INSPIRED BY OR PLAN TO BE INVOLVED IN FOR 2019?

We have made both a financial and time resource commitment to working with Fredericksburg High School and their new hospitality program. Students in the culinary portion of the program will train side by side with myself and my staff in our kitchen at the Cabernet Grill Restaurant learning the various elements of the culinary arts. I feel it is important to give back to the community through educational involvement in student programs while offering opportunities for the next generation of Fredericksburg's workforce.

2805 S State Hwy 16 Fredericksburg, TX 830.990.5734 cabernetgrill.com 68

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CHAD NILAND

Executive Chef, Downtowner Bar & Kitchen

WHAT FOOD TRENDS ARE YOU INSPIRED BY LOOKING FORWARD IN 2019?

I’m really excited about the fine-casual dining experience. I’m continually finding it easier to have a nice, carefully prepared meal and a craft cocktail without having to break the bank or break out the suit jacket.

ANY PLANS TO INCORPORATE SOMETHING NEW ON YOUR PLATE FOR 2019?

208 S Castell Ave New Braunfels 830.627.9080 downtownernb.com

I want to continue embracing anything new in 2019, especially our fusion dishes. Our Southern-inspired menu isn’t going anywhere but we really want to experiment with flavors from around the world. We’ll be bringing in new spices, herbs and veggies to play with and see what happens.

TOP 3 INGREDIENTS YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT?

That's easy - salt, pepper and garlic. Straight forward and simple, pretty much describes me.

WHAT COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION ARE YOU INSPIRED BY OR PLAN TO BE INVOLVED IN FOR 2019?

I’m a big supporter of the New Braunfels Conservation Society right now. New Braunfels is growing so fast I feel it’s important to make sure we preserve where we came from. History is important.

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WHAT FOOD TRENDS ARE YOU INSPIRED BY LOOKING FORWARD IN 2019?

Peggy’s is based on what my mother served, the freshest, local ingredients available. I love seeing more of that on restaurant menus, and healthier options overall. My wife and daughter eat gluten-free, so that’s a trend we appreciate and there seems to be more options than ever. I also appreciate that you can enjoy more tasting paired dinners. Having a chef match the flavor profile of a meal to the flavors of a winery or distillery truly brings out the best in both food and drink.

We’re looking forward to continuing our wine series this year.

ANY PLANS TO INCORPORATE SOMETHING NEW ON YOUR PLATE FOR 2019?

MARK BOHANAN Executive Chef & Owner, Peggy’s on the Green & Bohanan's

With two years under our belt in Boerne, we’re looking forward to continuing to grow and serve the Hill Country community. Tradition, hospitality and simple foods made exquisite are the hallmarks of Peggy’s. We update our menu seasonally, but want to expand and update our from-scratch meals made with the freshest local bounty.

Don’t worry: your favorites aren’t going anywhere. We also want to expand our catering. We’ve worked with a number of private events, hosting dinners both at Peggy’s and in Kendall Hall here at our home in Ye Kendall Inn. And we want to host more people on our patio. Drinks and dinner along the banks of the Cibolo Creek is something everyone should enjoy.

TOP 3 INGREDIENTS YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT?

I can’t imagine being in the kitchen without having olive oil, heavy cream or mesquite for beef. Those three items form the base flavors for so many dishes. You really can build almost anything from those three simple ingredients. And in Texas, you absolutely can’t do beef without mesquite. I think that might need to be a state law.

WHAT COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION ARE YOU INSPIRED BY OR PLAN TO BE INVOLVED IN FOR 2019?

Supporting the community and being active in local efforts is part of who we are. We believe in giving back to help our community thrive. It goes back to my smalltown roots: you help neighbors. It’s part of what spurred me to found the San Antonio Cocktail Conference and Houston Street Charities, the nonprofit that produces the conference each year. All of the funds raised benefit children’s charities. In Boerne, we’ve become an active partner with the Boerne Education Foundation, donating funds to provide opportunities for excellence in education, promote innovation in teaching and partner with the community to enhance the quality of education. Through Peggy’s Pie in the Sky campaign, during special holidays, we pick a pie to support the foundation. For every slice or whole pie purchased, we donate half of the proceeds to the foundation. My mother was a teacher, so the importance of education is another lesson I learned from her.

128 W Blanco Rd Boerne, TX 830.572.5000 peggysonthegreen.com

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Photos by: JASON RISNER

taste

ROB McMAHON

Executive Chef, Camp Lucy

WHAT FOOD TRENDS ARE YOU INSPIRED BY LOOKING FORWARD IN 2019?

We have always, and will continue to make the guest experience the most important thing at our events.

With that in mind we are excited to incorporate more interactive guest stations in the upcoming year. This gives the guests an opportunity to really get involved with their meal and create a memorable (and tasty) experience.

ANY PLANS TO INCORPORATE SOMETHING NEW ON YOUR PLATE FOR 2019?

Yes, we will be focusing on expanding our off-site operations and working on new and innovative physical presentation infrastructure to update our current programming.

TOP 3 INGREDIENTS YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT?

Kosher salt, butter and onion.

WHAT COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION ARE YOU INSPIRED BY OR PLAN TO BE INVOLVED IN FOR 2019?

Being a supportive member of our industry and community is a top priority for our company as generosity is one of our core values. We like the empty bowls project locally here in Dripping Springs and Austin, but donate regularly to local shelters and food banks when we are able. We also host monthly dinners for members of Marbridge, a non-profit residential community that offers transitional and lifetime care to adults with a wide range of cognitive abilities.

3509 Creek Rd, Dripping Springs, TX 78620 512.894.4400 camplucy.com

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Indulgences in Artful Living

201 East San Antonio - One Block off Main 72

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Sunrises. Serenity. Style.

The elegant escape: Chula Vista Ranch, spectacular lots on storied land, just 10 minutes from the shopping, dining and fine wineries of Fredericksburg.

CHU L AVISTAT X .CO M

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HAUS We invite you into our HAUS section, where we will explore our area architects, home styles, and elegant dĂŠcor.

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THE ARTISTS’ WAY

ThisRock&Vine San Marcos home expansion gave its artist residents a place to shine and reflect 76

haus

By Canan Yetmen Photos by Dror Baldinger

he small button pinned to the wall front door says, “Art is a Family Value.” A gift from the architect, it sums up the experience that is the Laman residence. When two artists join forces for life, the everyday becomes art, curated but not controlled, joyful, inquisitive, both living and livable. Like all good family values, art is a touchstone and beacon.

At Texas State University, where Jene taught interior design and Jean taught a storied textiles course (among others), the Lamans have earned the lifelong affection of their students and coworkers. Their long-time home on a brushy lot on the edge of San Marcos was home to their diverse collection of their own work and that of friends, mixed in with cherished finds and acquisitions. An eclectic mix of contemporary and antique — sometimes in the same piece — in the deft hands of these two creatives makes for a visual feast for which the architecture becomes an enveloping vessel. Less container and more organism, the spaces flow and seem to expand and contract, inhale and exhale as one journeys through, pausing to catch moments of delight one wouldn’t think possible in everyday life.

But more studio, display and living space was needed, and moving was not an option, so an addition to the ranch house was in order. Their research into materials – via work, travel and discussions with other artists – informed their vision for a design.

“In our artwork, we often push a material to its limits. We are always looking for new materials to investigate,” Jene said. This sprit imbues the entire space and provided the impetus of the architects’ work. The Lamans knew architect Andrew Nance AIA – one half of the A.GRUPPO partnership – from his time teaching Interior Design at Texas State. Together with his partner Thad Reeves AIA, he embarked on a two-year process of collaboration and discovery with the Lamans, who had not worked with an architect before but were eager for the experience. “We were aware of the talents an architect can offer: a knowledge of sources, a talent of working with craftsmen, a knowledge of structural systems and engineering, a willingness to take risks and trying something new or different, a good listener, working within a budget, patience and deadline restraints,” Jene said. “Of course, architects can do more, but these traits were important to us.”

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“

We embraced the courtyard idea by shifting the addition away from the existing home creating a small courtyard spaces between them. We also purposefully framed views of trees and the exterior with openings wherever possible. – Andrew Nance

78 Rock&Vine The Lamans relax in the courtyard of their home, which is unlike any other in the San Marcos area.

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The Lamans, naturally, came prepared.

“We handed them a pile of pages we had torn from magazines over the years of things we liked,” Jene said with a laugh.

And from there the journey started.

Nance agrees the magazine clippings were the departure point for the process. “We spent hours going through each image and discussing what it was they found interesting in the images. Along the way, we began to identify which things were ‘novel’ but maybe not relevant, and which items would likely need to be integral to the proposed design.”

The established outdoor rooms and existing trees meant that the addition would have to be placed at the street side of the house, creating a new front entry and redefining the house’s face. “This site has a real natural beauty – it’s easy to forget the Lamans have neighbors on each side because it’s densely wooded,” Nance said. “They had developed this wonderful attitude about working with the trees, almost as sculptural elements around the house contained within courtyards, or surrounded by fields of jasmine. We embraced the courtyard idea by shifting the addition away from the existing home creating a small courtyard spaces between them. We also purposefully framed views of trees and the exterior with openings wherever possible.”

With a canopy of live oaks and cedar elms, a gently curved driveway that disappeared behind the house, the new forms appear as sculpture nestled unobtrusively in the landscape. Reeves said creating the two forms split apart as the signifier for the addition and the new entry for the house allows the design to emphasize the negative space between, a theme that sets the tone for the remainder of the journey.

Transparency, solid, translucency, light and form play together. A massive ninefoot pivot door framed by the glass entry opens to a small atrium space that connects to two towers – a studio to the right, gallery space to the left.

By definition, these spaces need both uninterrupted wall surfaces and abundant indirect natural light, so openings are oriented away from the entry, toward the east, the existing house and to the sky above. A second-floor library is a

Shadows play throughout the afternoon on the couple's eclectic collection of art, inspiring ideas from the artistic pair.

place to relax, meditate, listen to music, read and visit with small groups friends. What Jene calls the “tree house” view expands this connector space to grasp hold of the outdoors, flanked by the solid surfaces, creating simultaneous sense of both shelter and prospect.

The collaboration between architects and clients is evident at every level. Light as a design element was a special concern, one the Lamans said the architects were well prepared to address. Windows are placed to capture the desired quality of light, and large expanses of polycarbonate gently diffuse the light making it flattering to skin tones. “We especially appreciated this light effect,” Jene said. In addition, this wonderful light is a continuing surprise as one moves through the spaces. Design gestures solve a problem, create smart efficiencies and, often, just create small moments of joy, like the carefully thought-out hand rail along the light filled stairs, carved into the wall and pleasant to the hand, illuminated at night with an LED strip for added attention.

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Both artistic and inventive, clever even, the house has work to do, not as scared showroom space, but as story teller and awakener. The gallery wall conceals a Murphy Bed for when family comes to visit – beds and accommodations are made throughout the house - and the walls of a small bath are lined with “cartoons” – working drawings on brown paper that provide specifications for stained glass windows in an undetermined church.

Jean and Jene picked these up in San Antonio for mere pennies, but Jene recalls it was late in the sale day, and most of the drawings left were apostolic and saintly feet. Never mind; they are beautiful and, to be sure, not every bathroom tells stories like this.

Moving through the glass bridge that connects the addition to the original reminds once again of the beauty of the site and its outdoor spaces. It’s a small journey in the mind that prepares for the next part of the adventure. The bedroom’s floor-to-ceiling glass hovers slightly above the walled Zen garden outside. The new master bath – large and serene – overlooks a spare, walled courtyard from its freestanding tub. A dismantled wardrobe’s ornate carved door provides the entry to the walk-in closet, a nod to Narnia’s gateway, Jene said. A tiny stuffed Aslan stands watch on a shelf opposite. Spot him, make the connection, and the delight soars a little more.

Hidden doors reveal magical, light-filled nooks, and books seem to float on overhead shelves. Turn a corner and enjoy the sliver of a vista overlooking the room, and the space now seen entirely differently. Treasures from near and far spark conversation and stories and, before you know it, a new outlook on the world. Enjoy a whimsical arrangement of big-mouthed small fish heads from a shop in Fredericksburg, a stuffed penguin under a glass dome (discovered in Luling, no less), side table from Restoration Hardware, its glass top replaced with a leather-bound book. Paintings, drawings, books, ceramics and trinkets adorn every surface. All are arranged to tell a story, spark a memory, conjure thoughts about how it makes perfect sense that items from the nearby outlet mall reside check-by-jowl with fine art and sculptures. But always there is the light that accompanies the Lamans throughout the day. “The shadows created by the changing light is breathtaking and has inspired both of us in our creative work,” Jene said.

“One shadow each afternoon has been particularly mesmerizing, we can watch it change shapes over a period of an hour.”

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Outside, outdoor rooms that break up the large site and were intended to keep deer at bay— Zen-like spaces, tiered decks, a secluded citrus grove, and bocce ball court — provide more variety and choice. The glass-lined bridge between the addition and the original house straddles a gulley in the site and runoff during very heavy rains creates a stream of water underneath. These connections to the outdoors reconnect to the site, its nod to naturalization via inconspicuous intervention. Everything appears perfectly inevitable, nothing contrived or controlled either inside or out.

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The second-floor library offers a place to relax, read, meditate and draw inspiration.

The homes bold, contemporary lines draw the eye to the next hidden surprise.

The couple says their favorite moments in the house are the mornings, afternoons and nighttimes. Daily calendars placed throughout the house, create the need to move through the entire space every day to change the date.

The process is part inspection, part curation – things are tweaked or adjusted and it’s apparent that it’s an ongoing labor of love and devotion to art as a way of life, dayto-day, moment-to-moment. For the architects, that devotion was a professional dream come true. “I think it’s a real privilege to be able to have such amazing clients that can take what we created together and continually improve upon it. It shows that one of the main ideas about making a container for art worked out,” Nance said. “The collaboration [with the Lamans] has made something really special that would not work the same if any part of the team or equation were had been removed or altered in the slightest.”

R&V

WINTER 2019 81

EXPERIENCE THE HILL COUNTRY’S EXCLUSIVE DESTINATION SPA Romance Packages Small Group Packages Gift Certificates Available INFO@WILLOWROOMSPA.COM

432.638.3729 @willowroomspa @spa_willowroom

By Appointment Only 82

Rock&Vine

Your Dream Kitchen Awaits…

Your Dream Kitchen Awaits…

830.693.4222 1302 N U.S. Hwy 281, 830.693.4222

www.cdappliancestudio.com www.cdappliancestudio.com

FEATURED BRANDS FEATURED BRANDS

830.217.0135 1603 E Main St Ste E, 830.217.0135

Marble Falls, TX 281, 78654 Fredericksburg, TXE,78624 1302 N U.S. Hwy 1603 E Main St Ste MarbleTODAY Falls, TXto 78654 TX 78624 **Call ScheduleFredericksburg, an Appointment**

**Call TODAY to Schedule an Appointment** WINTER 2019 83

Sip, Taste, Stay.

830-997-9591 www.c21fredericksburg.com 84

Rock&Vine

Private deck overlooking the Hill Country

Like us on Facebook PERMIT: FBGTX-17051

WINTER 2019 85

haus

Texas Made (to Order)

By Canan Yetmen Photos by Sell design group

86

Rock&Vine

haus

ased among the beloved towering Cypress trees of Wimberley, Sell Design Group designs and builds custom furniture and architectural elements commissioned by designers, individuals and architects. Co-owned by the husbandand-wife team of Phillip and Tracie Sell and in operation since 1994, Sell Design Group has enjoyed its current location in Wimberley for nine years and works with people from all around Texas on creating specific designs that satisfy unique tastes and needs. Specializing in American hardwoods - walnut, oak, mesquite and especially the local cypress (more on that later), the Sells design and build anything from tables and chairs to beds, with most woods sourced within close range of the Hill Country region.

It all started with a roll top desk that Phillip Sell made in high school in Kansas City.

A career in furniture making followed, until a soft landing in the rolling hills of Wimberley made him put down roots. At the beginning, Tracie, a Houston native and Wimberley resident, was commuting to Austin, while Phillip made his custom pieces, a set-up that made less and less sense as the drive to Austin grew longer and longer. So, since 1997, the pair has focused solely on growing the business, creating uniquely beautiful pieces for a growing population of locals, as well as clients from Austin and beyond.

Phillips Sell works on a huge, custom banquet table. Since 1997, he and wife Tracie have operated Sell Design Group in Wimberley.

Many of the company’s recent pieces are made of local cypress, the unexpected benefaction of the tragic 2015 Wimberley flood. As the waters receded, FEMA workers gathered hundreds of felled cypress trees that had accumulated in a bend in the river and began chipping them for disposal. The Sells made a bid to purchase 300 trees from Texas State University, which owned the land where the trees accumulated.

They beat out several other offers and were awarded the trees based on the fact that they were the only locals to submit a bid. The cypress trees now provide ample inventory of beautiful material for work. continued on page 90

WINTER 2019 87

We welcom e you to v isit o u r n ew sh ow ro o ms i n Sa n A n ton i o & F re d e r icks b u rg

8526 Vidor Ave. San Antonio, TX 78216 603 RR2093 Ste. 103 Fredericksburg, TX 78624 88

Rock&Vine

www.guidoco.com

|

| |

210.344.8321 830.990.5717

info@guidoco.com

WINTER 2019 89

haus

Working hyper-locally in this way is important to the team. The Texas Hill Country soil produces especially beautiful wood, enriching the colors and variation in the grain that makes it – and the resulting furniture – unique to the area.

The Sells collaborate with other local artists and craftspeople who work in metal and other materials to add elements to the work, creating one-of-akind items rooted in the local culture, just as the Sells intended. With its own sawmill the company can also mill-to-order, which provides additional possibilities, and a typical piece requires ten to twelve weeks to complete (projects using the stillwet cypress logs take longer, as the newly milled wood requires drying in a kiln for several weeks).

Classic design with contemporary qualities helped Sell win “Best of Show” and multiple other awards in regional design events.

Sell mills furniture made from fallen cypress trees purchased after Wimberley’s devastating 2015 flood.

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The resulting custom creations can meet the expectations of contemporary and traditional tastes, as well as the decidedly unusual. Tracie recalls a customer bringing the team a crocodile hide and asking it to be incorporated into a piece of an unspecified function. Phillip and his team of artisans created a base and support for a glass shield shaped top. Phillip created a mahogany wooden belly, drawers, and neck, and added a bronze head to bring the creature back to life as a coffee table. But mostly the work calls for exquisite custom pieces and architectural elements such as structural trusses that showcase Phillip’s artistry and craft as well as the beauty of the materials. While all pieces to date have been custom made, the company created its signature Cicada Line, which features interwoven wood pieces that can be applied to any commissioned design, if desired. Phillip’s work has earned multiple awards from the Texas Furniture Makers show in Kerrville, including "Best of Show," while two of the company’s apprentices have won the "Best Apprentice" award.

Sell Design Group plans to use some of those cypress trees to create a new line of tables in 2019, which will provide a lower price point to complement its custom-made pieces. Clients will be able to choose several options of table tops as well as multiple leg options that provide either a traditional farmhouse look or a more modern sensibility. Buying a piece off the floor will also be available, making the line more accessible to a wider clientele in the Hill Country and beyond.

R&V

WINTER 2019 91

Made InIn The TheUSA USA Made

extra extra soft soft soft medium medium firm firm extra firm firm extra xtra firm firm xtra

bed pillow pillow The bed fits that fits your sleep sleep style style *Hypoallergenic *Hypoallergenic *Machine *Machine Wash/Dry Wash/Dry *Includes *Includes 100% 100%cotton cotton 375 375 thread threadcount count zippered cover zippered cover *Available *Available inin66densities densities and alternative and alternativesizes sizes Available at Available at LINENS-N-MORE LINENS-N-MORE 302 E. Main St. 302 E. Main Fredericksburg, TXSt.78624 Fredericksburg, TX 78624 830-990-1212 830-990-1212

www.yourbedpillow.com www.yourbedpillow.com

92

Rock&Vine

830-997-5302

REPLACEMENT WINDOWS, DOORS & INSTALLATIONS

446 S. Lincoln St., Suite B • Fredericksburg, Texas 830.997-5302 • www.hillcountrywindowsanddoors.com

New & Replacement Windows & Doors Your Custom Specialists Kerrville, Fredericksburg and Surrounding Areas Contact us for a Free Quote today!

Locally owned & operated by certified installers WINTER 2019 93

HOURS Wednesday - Saturday 7:30am - 3pm Sunday 10am - 2pm Closed Monday + Tuesdays

607 South Washington Street ▮ Fredericksburg, Texas 78624 ▮ emmaolliefbg.com 94

Rock&Vine

Discover all the

good things we have gathered for your home and your life...

830.307.3032 www.gatheredandgood.com 401 Auguste, Fredericksburg (2 Blocks from Nimitz Museum)

WINTER 2019 95

drinkery maps Pontotoc

111

35 San Saba

Lake Buchanan

Tow

106

Florence

281

Blufftown

71

Buchanan Dam

29 29

Inks Lake

41, 72 & 86 Castell

102

29

Oatmeal

Lake LBJ

Sunrise Beach

40

Marble Falls

Horseshoe Bay Spicewood

Round Mtn.

107

Cypress Mill

87

59 22 3 16

Stonewall

Johnson City

97 8

10

29

14

290

84 31

24 74 54

35 Driftwood 34 110

Sisterdale

38

90

19 10

89

Boerne

53 Bandera

18 23

183 San Marcos

Spring Branch

15

AUSTIN

71

92

Wimberley Comfort

68 Vanderpool

104

82

KERRVILLE

Center Point

Bee Cave

Dripping Springs

87

80

95

Lakeway

13 Henly 32

7 Blanco

Jonestown Lago Vista

50

75

Luckenbach

SEE PAGE 60

60

49

77

Round Rock

69

Willow City

83 105 1 114 64 66 Hye

Lake Travis

94

87

FREDERICKSBURG

45

183

Travis Peak 71

12

Georgetown

Liberty Hill

Granite Shoals 16

Rogers 35

78

Kingsland

28

Andice

Bertram

Burnet

99

Llano

Mason

290

100

79

Canyon City

Canyon Lake

30 61

35

Smithson Valley Bulverde

98

63

281

33

87

Gruene 46

N New Braunfels

26 Seguin W

103

E

S

Hill Country Wine Region The Texas Hill Country region now has over 100+ breweries, distilleries, wineries and vineyards combined and continues to grow each month. With this growth, Rock & Vine has also expanded its reach with coverage to the northern counties of San Saba and McCullouch, down south to Bandera, Kendall and Comal, out west to Mason, Kimble and Menard, and east to Hays, Williamson and Travis counties.

Highlighted areas on page 60

96

Rock&Vine

Listing numbers correspond with numbers on map. Locations are approximate not to scale.

1.

290 Vinery

30. Dodging Duck Brewhaus

60. Kerrville Hills Winery

91. Six Shooters Cellars

2. 290 Wine Castle

31. Driftwood Estate Winery

61. Kinematic Brewing Company

92. Solaro Estate Winery

3. 1851 Vineyards

32. Dripping Springs Vodka

62. Kuhlman Cellars

300 W. Main (Hwy. 290) • Johnson City 101 Durango • Johnson City 4222 S. Hwy. 16 • Fredericksburg

4. Altstadt Brewery

6120 E. US Hwy 290 • Fredericksburg

5. Alexander Vineyards 6360 Goehmann Lane Fredericksburg

6. Andreucci Wines

2 Locations 8898 US Hwy. 290 308 E. Main St. • Fredericksburg

402 River Rd. • Boerne

4001 Elder Hill Rd. • Driftwood 5330 Bell Springs Rd. Dripping Springs

33. Dry Comal Creek Vineyards 1741 Herbelin Rd. • New Braunfels

34. Duchman Family Winery 13308 FM 150 W. • Driftwood

35. Fall Creek Vineyards

2 Locations 18059-A FM 1826 • Driftwood 1820 County Rd. 222 • Tow

3600 Fredericksburg Rd. • Kerrville 635 E. Hwy 46, Suite 207 • Boerne 18421 E. US Hwy. 290 • Stonewall

63. La Cruz de Comal Wines 7405 FM 2722 • Canyon Lake

64. Lewis Wines

3209 W. US Hwy. 290 • Johnson City

65. Longhorn Cellars

315 Ranch Rd. 1376 • Fredericksburg

66. Longhorn Hills and Winery

555 Klappenbach Rd. • Johnson City

7. Andalusia Whiskey Company 6462 N. Highway 281• Blanco

36. Fat Ass Winery Tasting Room

67. Lost Draw Cellars

8. Arc de Texas

37. Fat Ass Ranch Winery

68. Lost Maples Winery

4555 Hwy. 281 • Johnson City

9. Armadillo’s Leap Winery

2 Locations 134 E. Main St 6266 E. US Hwy. 290 • Fredericksburg

10. Baron’s Creek Vineyard

5865 E. US Hwy. 290 • Fredericksburg

11. Becker Vineyards

2 Locations 307 E. Main St. 464 Becker Farms Rd. • Fredericksburg

12. Bell Mountain Vineyards

463 Bell Mountain Rd. • Fredericksburg

13. Bell Springs Winery 3700 Bell Springs Rd. Dripping Springs

153 E. Main St. • Fredericksburg

51 Elgin Behrends Rd. • Fredericksburg

113 E. Park St. • Fredericksburg 34986 Farm Market 187 • Vanderpool

38. Fawncrest Vineyard & Winery 69. McReynolds Winery 1370 Westside Circle • Canyon Lake

39. Fiesta Winery - 2 locations

147A E. Main St. 6260 US Hwy. 290 • Fredericksburg

40. Flat Creek Estate

24912 Singleton Bend East Rd. Marble Falls

41. Fly Gap Winery (Off Map)

2851 Hickory Grove Rd. • Mason

42. Four Point Cellars

10354 E. US Hwy. 290 • Fredericksburg

706 Shovel Mountain Rd. • Cypress Mill

70. Mendelbaum Winery/Cellars

10207 E. US Hwy. 290 • Fredericksburg

71. Messina Hof Winery

9996 E. US Hwy. 290 • Fredericksburg

72. Murphy's Cellars

120 Fort McKavett St • Mason

73. Narrow Path Winery 2 Locations FM 1623 (South of Hye) • Albert 111 E. Main St. • Fredericksburg

43. Fredericksburg Brewing Company 74. Newsom Vineyards 245 E. Main St. • Fredericksburg

717 Front St. • Comfort

44. Fredericksburg Winery

75. Pecan Street Brewing

45. Georgetown Winery

76. Pedernales Cellars

16. Bingham Family Vineyards

46. Garrison Brothers Distillery

77. Pelota Wines, Inc.

17. Blue Lotus Winery

47. Grape Creek Vineyards

78. Perissos Vineyards

18. Boerne Brewery

48. Grape Creek Vineyard on Main 79. Pilot Knob Vineyard

19. Branch on High

49. Hahne Estates Winery

14. Bella Vista Ranch

3101 Mount Sharp Rd. • Wimberley

15. Bending Branch Winery

142 Lindner Branch Trail • Comfort 3915 E. US Hwy. 290 • Fredericksburg 8500 W Hwy 290 • Hye 106 Sage Brush • Boerne 704 High St. • Comfort

247 W. Main St. • Fredericksburg 715 Main St. • Georgetown 1827 Hye Albert Rd. • Hye

10587 E. US Hwy. 290 • Fredericksburg 223 E. Main St. • Fredericksburg

14802 US Hwy. 290 East • Stonewall

106 E. Pecan Dr. • Johnson City 2916 Upper Albert Rd. • Stonewall 3209 US Hwy. 290 • Johnson City 7214 W. Park Road 4 • Burnet 3125 CR 212 • Bertram

80. Pint & Plow Brewing Company 332 Clay St. • Kerrville

81. Pontotoc Vineyard 20. Brewbonnet (inside Wildseed farms) 50. Hawk’s Shadow Estate Vineyard 320 W. Main St. • Fredericksburg 7500 McGregor Ln. • Dripping Springs 100 Legacy Rd • Fredericksburg

21. Calais Winery

51. Heath Sparkling (coming summer '19) 82. Real Ale Brewing Company

22. Chisholm Trail Winery

52. Hilmy Cellars

8115 W. US Hwy. 290 • Hye 2367 Usener Rd. • Fredericksburg

10591 US Hwy. 290 • Fredericksburg

12346 E. US Hwy. 290 • Fredericksburg

231 San Saba Court • Blanco

83. Ron Yates Wines

6676 W. US Hwy. 290• Hye

84. Salt Lick Cellars 23. Cibolo Creek Brewing Company 53. Hill Country Cellars & Winery 1800-C FM 1826 • Driftwood 3540 S. Hwy 16 Ste 2D • Bandera 122 N. Plant • Boerne

24. Comfort Brewing

54. Hill Country Distillers

85. Safari (opening soon)

25. Compass Rose Cellars Inc.

55. Horn Wineries

86. Sandstone Cellars (Off Map)

26. Copper Star Cellars (Off Map)

56. Hye Meadow Winery

87. Santa Maria Cellars

27. Cross Mountain

57. Hye Rum

88. Signor Vineyards

523 Seventh St. • Comfort 1197 Hye Albert Rd. • Hye 13217 FM 1117 • Seguin

308 E. Main St. • Fredericksburg

723 Front St. • Comfort

9953 E. US Hwy. 290 • Hye 9953 US Hwy. 290 • Hye

11247 W. US Hwy. 290 • Hye

28. Dancing Bee Winery (Off Map) 58. Inwood Estates Winery 8060 W. US Hwy. 190 • Rogers

29. Deep Eddy Vodka 2250 E. US Hwy. 290 Dripping Springs

10303 US Hwy. 290 • Fredericksburg

59. Iron Goat Distillery

817 Usener Rd. • Fredericksburg

5479 E. US Hwy. 290 • Fredericksburg

6264 E. US Hwy. 290 • Fredericksburg 13111 Silver Creek Rd. Dripping Springs

93. Southold Farm + Cellar 10474 Ranch Road 2721 Fredericksburg

94. Spicewood Vineyards 1419 CR 409 • Spicewood

95. Stone House Vineyard

24350 Haynie Flat Rd. • Spicewood

96. Texas Heritage Vineyards

3245 E. US Hwy. 290 • Fredericksburg

97. Texas Hills Vineyard

878 RR 2766 • Johnson City

98. Three Dudes Winery

125 Old Martindale Rd. • San Marcos

99. Torr de Lochs

7055 W. State Hwy. 29 • Burnet

100. The Vineyard at Florence 8711 W. FM 487 • Florence

101. The Vintage Cellar

6258 E. US Hwy. 290 • Fredericksburg

102. Thirsty Mule Winery & Vineyard 101 CR 257 • Liberty Hill

103. Timber Ridge Winery

2152 Timber Creek Rd. • Pipe Creek

104. Treaty Oak Distilling Company

16604 Fitzhugh Rd. • Dripping Springs

105. Vinovium

214 Edmonds Avenue • Johnson City

106. Wedding Oak Winery 2 Locations 316 E. Wallace (Off Map) • San Saba 290 Wine Rd., • Fredericksburg (Under construction)

107. Westcave Cellars Winery 25711 Hamilton Pool Rd. Round Mountain

108. Western Edge Cellars

228 W. Main St. • Fredericksburg

109. William Chris Vineyards 10352 US Hwy. 290 • Hye

110. Wimberley Valley Winery

2825 County Road 183 • Driftwood

111. Wines of Dotson Cervantes 13044 Willis Street • Pontotoc

112. Winotus

115 E. Main St. • Fredericksburg

113. Woodrose Winery

662 Woodrose Lane • Stonewall

114. Ron Yates Winery

676 W. US Hwy. 290 • Hye

115. Zero 815 Winery

11157 W. US Hwy. 290 • Hye

211 San Antonio St. • Mason

12044 S. Hwy. 16 • Fredericksburg 362 Livesay Lane • Fredericksburg

89. Singing Water Vineyards 316 Mill Dam Rd. • Comfort

90. Sister Creek Vineyards 1142 Sisterdale Rd. • Boerne

WINTER 2019 97

drinkery maps 93

GOEHMANN

Cain City

LOWER ALBERT RD.

47 51

11

ALBER RD

HYE ALBERT RD.

GELLERMANN

1376

COM RD. FORT

C LU

7058

62 57 115

113

2 17 56

55 21

25 46

1623

HAHN RD.

CITY

N BACH-CAIN .

KE RD

RD.

MEUSEBACH CREEK RD .

WOODLAND DR.

RD. CAIN

IO

Blumenthal

52 88 42 37

Hye

290

Stonewall

T

ON

6

290

109

Pedernales River

PER

10 65

71

LBJ National LBJ State Historical Park Historical State Park Ranch

UP

NT SAN A

87

16 85

101 4 39 91 20 Rocky Hill 5 CITY

OLD

96

Pedernales River

JENSCHKE LANE

290

LUCKENBACH RD.

GOEHMANN LN.

LANE

.

16

KLEIN RD.

LANE

FREDERICKSBURG FREDERICKSBURG

76 Albert

73

OLD

Luckenbach

WINE CORRIDOR

DOWNTOWN FREDERICKSBURG W. CENTRE ST.

PECAN ST.

ELM

W. COLLEGE ST.

TRAVIS ST.

ORCHARD ST. TRAVIS ST.

16 SCHUBERT ST.

MAIN STREET Pioneer Museum

44

9

27

73 112 39 36

Visitor Information Center

LINCOLN ST.

Marktplatz

LLANO ST.

AUSTIN ST.

ADAMS ST.

108

CROCKETT ST.

81

ORANGE ST.

MILAM ST.

AUSTIN ST.

EDISON ST.

BOWIE ST.

ACORN ST.

CHERRY ST.

SCHUBERT ST.

48

43

Museum of the Pacific War

290 11

MAIN STREET

6

SAN ANTONIO ST.

UFER ST.

16 N

PARK ST. W

E

S

98

Rock&Vine

67

S WASHINGTON

87 T

EEK S

E. CR

2818 East US Highway 290 Fredericksburg, Texas 78624 (830) 990-2717 grapesandwine.ttu.edu

Pursue a Career in the Wine Industry With state-of-the-art facilities, including wine labs and a teaching vineyard, we offer students outstanding hands-on learning experiences through three education options.

TEXAS VITICULTURE CERTIFICATE: Two-year program for wine industry entrepreneurs and prospective vineyard managers.

TEXAS WINEMAKING CERTIFICATE: Two-year program for winemakers, cellar workers, and prospective winery employees.

VITICULTURE & ENOLOGY SPECIALIZATION: The only four-year undergraduate program in Texas focused on the science and technology of grape and wine production.

Major in Plant & Soil Science with a specialization in Viticulture & Enology.

LONGHORN CELLARS

At Longhorn Cellars, our wines are handcrafted in small lots by our own owner and winemaker Dr. Michael Dickey and in cooperation with award winning winemaker Dr. Robert Young.

Our estate vineyards are located in Hye, Fredericksburg and Pontotoc, Texas.

The goal at our winery and tasting room is to produce unique world class and award winning wines grown and vinted right here in the Texas Hill Country.

315 Ranch Road 1376 Fredericksburg, TX 78624

(830) 990-2990 WINTER 2019 99

Events January 10-12

—2019 Gillespie County Youth Livestock Show & Sale, start times Thursday 6am, Friday, 8am and Saturday 11am, Gillespie County Fairgrounds, 2000 S. State Highway 16, Fredericksburg, TX

19—Luckenbach Blues Festival, noon-9pm, 830.997.3224, Luckenbach, 412 Luckenbach Town Loop, Fredericksburg, TX

20—San Marcos Celtic Festival, noon-6pm, 512.393.8400, San Marcos Activities Center, 501 East Hopkins St., San Marcos, TX

February 2—Sparrowfest, 6am-6pm, 830.693.6639, The Retreat at Balcones Springs, 104 Balcones Springs Dr., Marble Falls, TX

2-3 —Kerrville

Renaissance Festival,

10am-5pm, 214.632.5766, River Star Art and Event

Park, 4000 Riverside Dr., Kerrville, TX

9 —Hill Country Jazz Festival, 6-8pm , 512.245.3375, Evans Auditorium, 617 IH 35 North San Marcos, TX

100

Rock&Vine

April 13—Fredericksburg

March

Jazz Festival, 7pm,

fredericksburgjazzfestival.com, Fredericksburg High School Auditorium, 1107 Highway 16 South, Fredericksburg, TX

13-14—Folkfest, Heritage Village, 10am6pm, and 11am-5pm, 830.629.6504, 1370 Church Hill Dr., New Braunfels, TX

15-18—Llano Earth Art Fest, 325.247.5354, 199 E Haynie St., Llano, TX

30

— LBJ 100 Bicycle Ride, 7 am ,

210.355.2645, LBJ National Historical Park at the LBJ Ranch, 144 Park Rd 49, Stonewall, TX

30—Hill Country Indian Artifact Show,

25-28 —Indie Film Series, 512.589.4049, Fritztown Cinema, 2254 US-87 South, Fredericksburg, TX

26-28—Balcones Songbird Festival, 512.965.2473, Balcones Canyonlands National Wild-life Refuge, 24518 FM 1431, Marble Falls, TX

8am-4pm, 830.329.2636, Lady Bird Johnson Park, Pioneer Pavilion Hall, 432 Lady Bird Dr., Fredericksburg, TX

WINTER 2019 101

THE CLUB

The Locals’ Place

Opening Hours: Thursday - Saturday 5-11 pm Saturday Afternoon: Bluesic - Wine - Bistro Wine Tasting by Reservation 316 Goehmann Ln. Fredericksburg, TX • 830-992-3421

LIVE M U AND F SIC IN BISTRO E SPECIA LTIES

18 CABINS on 26 acres just two minutes to Main Street along the creek.

The only Vineyard IN Fredericksburg!

Home of the “Cabelas” photo shoots

Barons

The Romantic

830-990-4048

Getaway

www.baronscreekside.com

Lone Star Candy Bar Come be a kid in a candy store!

Try a FREE sample of our fresh HOMEMADE FUDGE!

CHOCOLATE DIPPED BACON!

Order fudge online!

www.lonestarcandybar.com

- Over 36 Flavors Everyday -

M&M’s in 21 colors & Jelly Bellys in lots of flavors!

Fresh Roasted Nuts Pucker Powder

We serve Hand Dipped Blue Bell Ice Cream!

Your Old-Time candy favorites 254 E. Main • Fredericksburg, Texas 830-990-9100

WINTER 2019 103

Breeding a TEXAS LEGEND® Longhorns for Sale

Come view and feed the longhorns during your stay!

LIDDELL PROPERTIES

Fredericksburg Texas Hill Country Guest Houses Ranch Guest Houses Available (Sleeps 12-14): City Guest Houses Also Available: H Sam Houston’s Retreat H Aunt Pam’s

H Enchanted Porch

H Grandmother’s Porch

For Reservations Call 866-427-8374 or 830-997-5612 Or Visit Our Website: www.gplonghornranch.com/Guest-Houses

Der Lindenbaum the linden tree

German Restaurant Authentic German Cuisine

you will be glad you came

Where Good Times are Always On the Menu!

For a truly unique dining experience during your visit to Fredericksburg and its German-enriched attractions ... Stop by our Main Street Restaurant, where you can find American, German and other foreign-flavored dishes to appease even the most hungry of appetites. And, remember, good times and fellowship are always on our menu!

Our skillful chefs take their precious time in preparing dishes (their “masterpieces”) that you can write home about and our service staff offers their visitors — both local and out-of-town — a refreshing friendliness as they care for all their needs.

Whether in town for just a day or making Fredericksburg your home, Der Lindenbaum is ‘a must’. Our comfortable, yet elegant dining atmosphere, welcomes all tastes with open friendship.

authentic - schnitzel burgers - sandwiches home baked breads - german specialties - desserts mouth-watering After shopping, come relax in our quiet, cozy atmosphere with hot spiced wine, European pastries and more. Come join us for delicious international dishes in our comfortable dining room. We’ll be waiting for you (close to the Nimitz Museum.)

Open 7 Days a Week, 11am to 10pm Tuesdays, 11am - 4pm only Now accepting all major credit cards Travelers Checks, Personal Checks

312 E. Main, Fredericksburg, Tx. - 830-997-9126 104

Rock&Vine

WINTER 2019 105

END

notes

Compiled by CHRISTINE GRANADOS

Turns out jumping spider mothers’ nurture their offspring with milk until they are able to fend for themselves.

Scientists found milk-like secretions on the underside of the spider. Spider milk, drop for drop, contains four times more protein than a cow’s. Apparentaly, milk does invertebrate bodies good too.

In Liberty Hill, a must-see is Terry “Tunes” Parks yard art. It’s filled with Texas-sized sculptures like a cow skull, a Tiki head and 10-footlong banana made entirely of discarded toys.

Photo by Julianne Cappadonna

A 33-year-old, single woman, on a budget, living in Manhattan, dared to think practically and designed a dress she could work in using wrinkle-free wool, no-sewn-in waist, no padded shoulders or darts and with pockets.

Her outside the box design didn’t win her many fans in haute couture but it did revolutionalize women’s clothing in the 1930s. Claire McCardell’s “Nada” dress, as it was called then, flew off the store shelves and the fashion industry called it the Monastic because it was “as simple as a monk’s cassock.” She is credited with starting American sportswear.

The margarita was invented by a restaurateur from Mexico or a bar tender in Ensenada or and El Pasoan or a socialite in Dallas. Many people want to take credit for the lemon-lime tequila cocktail.

Chronologically speaking it was Carlos “Danny” Herrera owner of the Tijuana, Mexico restaurant Rancho La Gloria invented the drink in 1938 for a woman who was allergic to all spirits except tequila. She didn’t like to drink it straight so Herrera made the tequila flavored drink.

In 1941, Don Carlos was tending bar in Ensenada, Mexico and made the cocktail. When the daughter of the German ambassador Margarita Henkel walked in-to the bar, Carlos let her taste it and named the drink after her.

Pancho Morales, a truck driver for Price’s Creameries, said he invented the margarita in July of 1942 when he couldn’t keep his flowers or liquors straight. A customer ordered a Magnolia, which Morales knew contained triple sec and lime but couldn’t remember the alcohol, so he added tequila. When he set it on the counter he told her that the Margarita was ready.

It wasn’t what the customer ordered but she liked it.

“You see, daisy, in Spanish, is margarita. The reason I called it the Margarita is because I was thinking of the flower margarita, like the magnolia,” he said. “She liked it. That’s how it originated.”

Dallas socialite Margarita Sames said she concocted a drink for a group of her friends while vacationing in Acapulco in 1948. Her buddy Tommy Hilton put the cocktail on the bar menu at the Hilton hotel chain.

Photo by The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Source material: Prolonged milk provisioning in a jumping spider,” Sci-ence, Nov. 30 2018: Vol. 362, Issue 6418, pp. 1052-1055; Liberty Hill, RoadsideAmerica.com; Monastic Dress from the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Washington Post; and Texas Monthly Magazine 106

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