Grape Creek Vineyards

Grape Creek Vineyards was founded in 1985 by Ned Simmons, a petroleum engineer who developed a passion for wine and elected to pursue it. In 2004 the current winemaker, Jason Engler, arrived on the scene and began developing the wine for which Grape Creek is now renowned. Grape Creek was the second winery to grace the 290 Trail and continues to be a point of excellence worth visiting along it.

When we initially drove up to Grape Creek we saw several rows of grapes gracing the front drive. The way Grape Creek in particular is situated, the tasting room and production areas are surrounded by the grape vines, making each view on the premise extremely picturesque. Once we had parked, we entered the store front and public tasting room. Here, it was possible to either just do a casual tasting, or purchase a tour. a casual tasting ran about $10.00 while the tour was $25.00 but included a larger tasting in the private cellars.

Store front

Casual tasting bar decorated with wine awards

After purchasing the tour, we milled about for about thirty minutes, tours start on the hour during the weekends. The store housed a large selection not only of wine and wine accouterments, but also cookbooks, wine products, cheese and cheese utensils, and even a small grocery section with cheese, sausages, and fruit.On the hour, we were summoned for our tour and headed out to catch the tram.

Tour Tram

The tour began with a short ride through the vineyards to the production area, which was a large metal barn with a huge cement space on the front to house crush. As we drove through the grapes, we were informed that in addition to the Fredericksberg location, Grape Creek also owns 75 acres in Brownfield and imports Grapes form various West Texas vineyards with which they have arrangements. These particular locations are superior to the Fredericksberg land due to lower humidity, warm days tempered by cool nights, and twice the elevation which provides better conditions for grape cultivation. Because grapes tend to have more sugar during the day and more acid during the night, Grape Creek makes it a point to harvest at all their locations between 4-5 AM to achieve the best acid/sugar ratio in the juice.Approximately 350 tons of grapes will be processed at the Fredericksberg location every harvest which lasts from July to October.

Row with Variety marker

close up of vines

View of the row from Tram

After the grapes are harvested, those intended for white wines will go directly to the bladder press and then pumped inside to the fermentation tanks where it will remain for the duration of its acid driven process of fermentation. The white wine will ferment for approximately fifteen days at fifty degrees Fahrenheit and then another nine months aging in the tanks.  

White wine grape harvest

Alternatively, Red wine grapes will also run through the crusher de-stemmer and bladder press, however, they will be allowed to sit with the skins for about ten days in order to gain both color and tannin.These wines will then enter a tannin driven process of fermentation which will require five days in the fermentation tanks at seventy degrees Fahrenheit. While the red wines remain in the tanks, the will need to be moved via a system of hoses through the tanks in order to avoid the formation of a skin cap.To achieve this the wine is pumped from the bottom of the tank to the top where it is sprayed in a sprinkler type system over the top of the tank. For sweeter red wines, the fermentation process will be halted earlier to maintain an pleasing sugar content and for dry wines, the process will be allowed to go to completion where all sugars are used up by the yeast. 

Crusher and de-stemmer

panoramic of tank room

tanks for wine storage and fermentation

After the wine has finished the fermentation process, it is moved in to barrels. As our guide explained, the barrel is the most important part because it will allow for controlled oxidation which will marry the components of the wine which are approximately 85% water, 12% alcohol, and the final 3% is made up of over three hundred different compounds the best known being the tannin, acids, and keytones which make up each wines individual personality. To achieve this lofty goal for the barrels, Grape Creek employs both American and French oak barrels which are charred to at least the medium level. The American oak will be used to create a more powerful oak taste due to its higher porosity, while the French oak will yield a softer and more controlled oak taste. Many of Grape Creeks blended wines will have components from both types of barrels in order to create more complex flavors. In addition to controlling the flavors with oak type, the barrels themselves are submitted to an extra control in the form of a nitrogen pump which keeps the wine moving and displaces excess oxygen to keep the wine from becoming over oxygenated and spoiling. 

French(left) and American(right) Barrels

Nitrogen pump attached to top of barrel

While in the cellar, we also had an opportunity to sample the same wine, from the same crush, and the same grapes that had been placed into different types of barrels so that we could personally witness the differences. Our first sample was of a first year American oak, which imparted a bright, highly tannic, and dry flavor. the next sample was from a second year American oak which was softer and slightly easier to drink. the final sample was from a first year french oak barrel. This particular barrel created a hybrid taste with the brightness and tannin of the first, but the softer smoothness of the second. 

different barrels stored together

Barrel tasting

This method of imparting taste to wine by using oak barrels as a storage container can be traced back as early as 800 BC. Grape Creek among other wineries continues to use this ancient technique to adjust their wines and pays about $1000.00 for the French barrels and $750.00 for the American barrels. 

After experiencing the cellar which is kept at approximately 63 degrees Fahrenheit, which is considered room temperature for wine, we were led in to the adjacent private tasting room which is also kept at 63 degrees to best showcase the wine. Each person was permitted to choose six wines off their menu of fourteen, two of which were reserved for wine club members. Each wine was delicious and unique with their selection covering a wide variety of flavors. Grape Creek definitely created the largest taste variety with no perceptible signature taste.

tasting cards

Grape Creek was an excellent venue that I would highly suggest to anyone. The tours were extremely informative and given at a relaxed pace and the wines were fantastic with something for every pallet. And just to sweeten the deal, if you found yourself feeling a bit hungry after learning all about wines, you could grab a crepe and enjoy the patio before moving on to your next location.

Becker Vineyards

The second stop on our excursion to the 290 Trail was Becker Vineyards. Becker was established in 1992 by Dr. Becker. What had initially started out as just a purchase of land to retire on, quickly proved itself a worthy venture as vineyards and wineries started to spring up around the area now known as the 290 Trail. Not wanting to miss an opportunity, Becker opted to plant his fields with vineyards and try his hand in the wine business. It was a brilliant decision.

Becker is situated on a sandy loam topsoil with a clay limestone layer below. this combination is excellent for grapes because it provides only the water the vines need, causing light stressing of the vines which then produce higher quality grapes. the vines currently produced on the land in Fredericksberg are grafted on to a twenty year old root stock of Viognier. Becker also has sites in Mason, TX, and in Ballenger, TX, where more of their varieties are grown. Becker wines are produced from approximately 90-95% Texas wines from their sites, with the rest being imported from California. The soil at Becker Vineyards is also home to both a lavender crop, which has helped to distinguish this vineyard from its neighbors as well as an artichoke crop which is being produced in cooperation with Texas A&M. While these crops share the soil, one myth that was busted on this particular visit is that they do not noticeably change the flavors of the wines due to their relatively small concentration compared to the grapes and due to the fact that many of the grapes and juice are brought from other sites.

Lavender Fields

Cat nap in retail potted lavender

Vineyards at Becker in Fredericksberg

Grapes at Becker are harvested mechanically using a tractor conveyor system which harvests the grapes and deposits them into a trailer which then transports the grapes to the crusher de-stemmer.

Harvest tractor

Interior of tractor

Once the grapes have been brought in from the fields and run through the crusher de-stemmer they are placed in a bladder press and the free run wine is harvested first. This free run wine accounts for 90% of Becker's production. The wine is then pressed for a second press which accounts for the remaining 10% of the wine. This press will have more tannin in it due to the closer compaction with the seeds, stems and skins.

Crusher de-stemmer

From here, the juice is pumped into the fermentation tanks and allowed to ferment for the appropriate amount of time before being transferred to a bottle. White wines will remain in the tanks for up to six months before being transferred to a barrel if necessary. While the wine is in the tanks, it is constantly pumped over itself in order to avoid capping and unwanted alteration to the wine profile. This is handled manually with hoses by winery staff and I am told can be quite entertaining.

Tank with Pumping Hose

Tank room

Tank room entrance

Wine identification card

After the wines have spent the appropriate amount of time in the tanks, they are transferred to barrels. Becker uses Medium toast barrels with French Oak for white wines and American Oak for reds. These barrels cost approximately $1300.00 for the French and $750.00 for the American and will be sold to the public for $100.00 when the winery is finished with them. When a wine has completed its circuit, Dr. Becker himself will come and taste them to decide what will be bottled and marketed that year.

Barrels and Bottles are stored together

Underground cellar

Once a wine has been selected for bottling it is moved through Becker's in house bottling line. This series of machines fills the bottles from the bottom up and then pumps in an inert gas to seal the space left over. They are then corked and sealed with a foil form Portugal and packaged to be distributed. This line can bottle anywhere from 50-60 bottles per minute depending on the setting and in 2012 they produced 1.3 million bottles of wine.These wines will be distributed in HEB, Specs, Mini-Marts, and in grocers throughout Texas as well as being shipped to 25 other states. 

panorama of entire line

bottle feed

inert gas station

filling station

After taking the informative, and complementary tour, we took the opportunity to explore the grounds a little bit. Becker houses not only a huge tasting room, but also a store front, back porch tasting and music area, cellar dining room, and an outdoor event center. These venues allowed Becker to not only market as a vineyard, but also as a daytime destination and a venue for personal and corporate events.

Outdoor venue

Entrance to Tasting Room

Store Front

Picnic Area

Cellar Dining Room

After taking the tour and exploring the grounds, we took the opportunity to enjoy our tasting. A standard $10.00 tasting allowed the taster to choose six wines from any of the twenty one wines on their tasting menu including their premium wines and enjoy them in their complementary crystal wine glass. Upon purchase of the tasting we were each issued six tasting tickets which we used to pay the staff manning the tasting bars. Our tasting host was extremely helpful and took his time explaining the wines to us and made it a thoroughly enjoyable experience which seemed very personal in spite of the hustle and bustle of the large room.

Becker Tasting Room

Tasting tickets

Becker menus with markups

Overall, the experience at Becker was lovely. The scenery was beautiful, the wine was delicious and diverse, and the staff was extremely helpful. I would highly recommend this winery to novices and experts alike who enjoy not only good wine but a cheerful and accessible atmosphere as well.

Pedernales Cellars

The third stop on our trip to the 290 Trail was Pedernales Cellars. Pedernales was located just a few miles East of Both Becker and Grape Creek on 290 and was situated slightly off the highway which allowed for a very picturesque drive up appeal comprised of stone walls and rolling hills in front of their tasting room with the vineyards located behind the tasting room overlooking more of the beautiful Texas Hill Country. Upon arrival, we were immediately offered a private tour of the cellars and wine preparation area which was extremely informative. This was a complementary service with the purchase of a tasting.

Pedernales is a family run vineyard with the son and daughter having taken over the project from their parents. The son is actually the wine maker, while the daughter is the artist for their labels and advertising. Pedernales is the largest cellar in TX with over 17 acres of vineyard in Fredericksberg, some acreage for red wine grapes right outside San Antonio, and the rest of their production in Lubbock. All their grapes are picked at dawn in order to insure the best acid to sugar ratio in the grapes before they are pressed in to wine. They also press grapes on each of their locations in order to get the best juice and avoid any complications that can come with shipping whole grapes. This means that in each of their three locations, there is a harvest and a crush with the juices all being shipped to the central site in Fredericksberg. It is here that the wine making takes place.

Crusher

De-stemmer

De-stemmer components

Pedernales is one of only two wineries in the 290 Trail which uses a basket press instead of a bladder press. This is a slightly older technology, however it gets the job done and fits in perfectly with their more traditional and hands on approach to the actual wine making. 

Basket Press

from the press the wines are fermented in damp underground vats which are cooled to the appropriate temperature for each different wine. Each wine is also allotted a different type, amount, and application of yeast which helps to create the distinctive profiles of each of Pedernales' wines. These vats are also equipped with cooling jackets in order to maintain the lower temperatures desired for white wines. These huge vats interestingly enough, have to be cleaned by hand in between batches of wines. One of the employees must enter the vat with a mop and solution and clean it out in order to prepare for the next wine to be added. Our tour guide informed us that this can be quite nerve wracking since there are usually several different procedures taking place at one time in the cellar and the noise can become quite deafening. She expressed to us her worry that someone may close the vat and not be able to hear you, though she made sure to assure us that this was her own personal fear and that no such thing had ever occurred due to the extreme caution and well orchestrated team work of the staff. Many of the actual procedures are carried out in the below ground cellar due to its design which includes an opening to a flat cement area for press and the tubing necessary to move the juice inside in addition to a large interior space in which to work, sheltered from the Texas elements. The cellar is also equipped with Geothermal cooling which is able to more efficiently and economically cool the space.

Geothermal cooling unit

 Once the wines have fermented to the satisfaction of the wine maker, the are transferred into both American and French white oak barrels depending on the type of wine. The barrels used at Pedernales are Medium Toast and top and bottom roasted which is identified on the barrel by a TH. Each barrel is used for three years and is then sold to the public. After wines have completed their requisite time in the barrel, they are mixed together to produce blended wines. After wines have undergone all of the necessary procedures, they are bottled by a bottling truck which comes when needed and saves Pedernales from having to invest in their own bottling line which can be very costly. The truck achieves a velocity of 42 bottles per minute and in 2012, Pedernales produced and bottled 10,000 cases of wine.

Barrel storage area

Pedernales tasting allows visitors to sample ten of their selections which include whites and rose`s, reds, and dessert wines. Pedernales wines achieve an excellent balance between fruit and and floral notes, mostly pear, citrus, strawberry, peach, and rose, with darker more robust notes, mostly coffee, vanilla, and dark chocolate.

Pedernales Tasting Menu

My team and I really enjoyed Pedernales and its distinct style of wine production and its delicious selection of wines showcased in their tasting. For the extremely reasonable $15.00 cost, Pedernales offered an excellent tour, tasting, and complementary stemless wineglass which has already proven its worth in the spring picnicking season.