Texas Wine Country-Pedernales Cellars

      

     This past Valentine’s weekend fellow wino Lisa, myself and our husbands escaped this cold, snowy winter for a quick trip to the Hill Country of Texas. The sun was shining with temperatures in the 70s! It was perfect weather for exploring Texas wineries. One of my favorites was Pedernales Cellars in Stonewall, Texas-the heart of Texas Hill Country.

The view from Pedernales

     Pedernales Cellars is just an hour drive from both Austin and San Antonio and only 15 miles from Fredericksburg. It is situated on a sprawling property that overlooks the beautiful countryside. Pedernales owns and operates vineyards in both the Hill Country and the High Texas Plains. They  specialize in Tempranillos and Viogniers.  They proudly produce 100% Texan wines and pride themselves on developing wines from grapes that can survive the hot Texas summers like Tempranillos and Rhone blends.


     As beautiful as the property at Pedernales is, the tasting room is also a thing of beauty. It is airy, well lit with plenty of space to enjoy a tasting. We loved all the natural light that our winter weary souls were desperately seeking. The tasting itself was relaxing, led by a knowledgeable young man who not only knew his Pedernales wines, but had great knowledge to share on the Texas wine industry. Our favorite wines were the Tempranillos, that Texas is becoming known for producing, and Block Two Tempranillo blend. Of course a wine trip would not be complete if we didn’t purchase a few bottles to take home with us (we did bring our wonderful Wine Check bag). We purchased Block Two Red Blend and Texas High Plains Tempranillo to enjoy at home. 

     And then there is the outdoor space! A huge deck shaded by old oak trees with plenty of seating to enjoy a bottle of their delicious wine. We took advantage of the beautiful weather and shared good company and a Tempranillo after our tasting inside. It was a wonderful, relaxing way to spend an afternoon with our sweeties on Valentine’s Day!

Enjoying some wine from the deck at Pedernales

       I would say our first adventure to Texas wine country was a success. The people were fantastic, we enjoyed some wonderful wines, and it will be interesting to see how the region takes off in the next few years.

Cheers,
Beth