If you are a wine lover in Central Texas, you need to make a visit to Spicewood Vineyards. Spicewood is less than an hour’s drive from Austin and makes for a sweet way to spend an afternoon. The property sits just off highway 71 in Spicewood, Texas and includes 32 acres planted with vines. The tasting room is a homey, friendly spot where knowledgeable staff will walk you through 7 tastes for a very reasonable $10 fee.
This past weekend, we were lucky to sample nearly everything that the winery offers, and we were impressed by the quality of every wine. Daniel Rodriguez poured us everything from Tempranillo to Sauvignon Blanc to my personal favorite, Viognier. It was clear that Spicewood has got a handle on making quality wine. Ron Yates, the owner, was right there with his staff helping to take care of the full tasting room on the Labor Day weekend.
Outside, there is a beautiful covered patio that sits among huge old live oak trees. You could spend hours lounging, sampling cheese and sipping wines. A cold case inside the tasting room offers local cheeses and meats (the quail sausage was divine) which can be plated with crackers for a much needed snack to make sure that you can get back to Austin safely after your tasting. The whole property is dog friendly, I’m sure in part due to the presence of the resident vineyard dog, Elway. He is a sweet and happy boy that probably gets his share of sausage snacks slipped to him by patrons (I may have been one of those patrons). On our recent visit, Colin Gilmore, a musician out of Austin, provided entertainment.
Spicewood Vineyards Texas roots are deep. The family owned vineyard is the first venture of Ron Yates, a seventh generation Texan who is a cousin to one of Texas’ wine pioneers, Ed Auler of Fall Creek Vineyards. Ron purchased the property in 2007 from owners who had been growing grapes since 1992. His vision was to produce great wines from high quality grapes. Having spent time in Ribera del Duero Spain, Ron thought that Spanish varietals would be well suited to the hot Texas climate, and that bet has paid off.
I was lucky to sit down with Ron on this visit and find out just how awesome grapes can be grown in the Hill Country’s sometimes ridiculously hot climate. The answer in short, seemed to be, “very carefully.” The right grapes choices are key, some varietals just won’t do well with 100 degree days and not much cooler nights. Varietals well suited to the Hill Country often originate in hotter parts of Europe such as Spain and Southern Italy. I have seen fantastic examples of Texas Sangiovese, Tempranillo and Mourvedre in recent years. Spicewood currently offers a 2014 Estate Tempranillo which is a beautiful expression of the grape. Black fruits (cherries and plums) pop from a background of cedar and spicy pepper notes. Smooth tannins and a nice medium body make for a perfect backyard barbecue wine.
I don’t know that I would have considered Sauvignon Blanc to be a grape well suited to Texas, but Ron and his winemaker Todd Crowell produced a fantastic example in 2016. Grown on 27 year old vines, the grapes make for a big and juicy, but in no way flabby Sauvignon Blanc. The wine is fermented and aged in all stainless steel and spends time on the lees (spent yeast). These techniques provide for a clean and crisp wine with a nice round mouthfeel and body. It tastes and smells of white peaches and subtle hints of grapefruit without the prominent green notes that are often found in cooler climate Sauvignon Blancs. I loved this wine and their 2016 High Plains Sauvignon Blanc, which was a bit more racy and more typical of cooler climate wines with notes of tarragon and grapefruit. I still couldn’t wrap my head around how they were producing such high quality Sauvignon Blancs in our climate, but Ron explained that careful vine management could keep the grapes cool enough to shine. Keeping a more robust canopy of grape leaves can shield the berries from the hot sun and allow the grapes to preserve their acidity.
Other Spicewood wines are produced from grapes sourced from the Texas High Plains AVA, located in the Texas panhandle, south of Amarillo and surrounding Lubbock. The Texas High Plains growing areas are at between 3000 to 4000 feet in elevation, providing a cooler climate and allowing for easier growing of a wider variety of grapes. Many wineries in the Hill Country source their grapes from the Texas High Plains, as this region has the highest concentration of grape growers in the state.
The Spicewood 2015 Viognier was my favorite pick that was sourced partially from the High Plains. Half of the grapes originated at Bingham Vineyards in the High Plains and the other half from Brennan Vineyards, between the Hill Country and the High Plains in Comanche, TX. Viognier is always a favorite of mine; I just love the floral quality and full body of these wines. This one did not disappoint with an incredible bouquet of honeysuckle and Meyer lemon. The palate included the white flowers and lemon along with ripe peaches. It had a lush texture and a beautiful full body.
We happily joined the wine club after our long afternoon of tasting, chatting and snacking and can’t wait to go back to pick up our next batch of wines. Y’all visit Spicewood real soon and tell Ron and Daniel I sent you.