Wine Club 101: Introducing the Wine Club weekend

The new year comes with opportunities for new adventures with Texas wine, so we want to take some time to highlight the great benefits that come with our Wine Club memberships. If you’re a fan of the Texas Wine Trail and the award-winning wine we offer at our Hill Country winery, you’ll love being a Wine Club member. 

Our Pedernales Cellars Wine Club members get all the best perks, including early and/or exclusive access to limited series and newly released wines, free wine tastings for you and a friend, quarterly Wine Club pickup parties, discounts on wine and special event tickets, and insights into our winemaking process with food pairings at our new Winemaker Insights. 

We love spending time with our Wine Club members so much that we are expanding our Wine Club Release parties from one Sunday per quarter to “Wine Club Weekends'' with member events spread over several days each quarter. Members enjoy meeting other Texas wine lovers in this wonderful community of Wine Club members and our Pedernales Cellars team. Can’t make it to any of the Wine Club Weekend events? Following each release, members can stop by anytime Friday through Sunday to pick up their wine and enjoy the Wine Club exclusive menu that changes with each release.

February 2024 Wine Club Weekend

This quarter’s Wine Club Weekend includes special events for members only, plus a special Valentine’s-themed tasting that is open to all but complimentary for our Wine Club members. Join us the weekend of February 17-18 for the Wine Club release and pickup party at our gorgeous, award-winning Texas Hill Country winery in Stonewall, Texas, just a stone’s throw from Fredericksburg.  

Winemaker Insights: Tastings With Gourmet Grilled Cheese Pairings

We promise you won’t want to miss out on our new member-only series, Winemaker Insights.  Spend an hour or two with our winemakers, Joanna Wilczoch and David Kuhlken, when they will host a wine tasting and food pairing journey in the Pedernales Cellars underground barrel cellar. The February 17 event, curated by La Bonne Merde – a pop up by acclaimed Chef Ryan Fox and Advanced Sommelier Ali Schmidt - will pair creative grilled cheese recipes with Pedernales Cellars wines.

February 17 - Winemaker Insights, Grilled Cheese Pairings

$30 per person. Seating times are 11am, 1pm, 3pm.

Wine #1: Lyla 2022

Grilled Cheese: Pear, Fennel, Pure Luck Goat Cheese 

Wine #2: Over the Moon Rose 2022

Grilled Cheese: Aged Cheddar, Tomato Ginger Chutney 

Wine #3: THP Carignan 2021

Grilled Cheese: Braised Red Wine Short Ribs, Melty Cheese*, Pickled Onions 

Wine #4: Texas Ruby 

Bread Pudding, Dulce de Leche, Blue Cheese 

Valentine Specialty Wine Pairings With Dripping Springs Chocolate

On February 18, grab someone you love for a delectable pairing of our Texas wines with another Hill Country fan favorite, Dripping Springs Chocolates. We will offer this menu from 12-4 pm. It is free for members and $40 for non-members. 

• 2021 Sparkling Vermentino
• 2022 Over the Moon Rosé
• 2019 Vintner's Reserve
• 2020 Canted County Tempranillo Reserva
• Texas Ruby Port

Membership Levels

Our Wine Club is a quarterly commitment, and we will either ship you the wines or you may pick them up at our Tasting Room starting wine club release weekend. If you are wondering which level of membership is right for you, here are our Wine Club membership tiers: 

 

 

Hilltop Club

Hilltop members receive 3 bottles quarterly, winemakers’ choice. In addition, members save 20% on all of our wines by the glass or bottle. Perfect for those interested in dabbling in the variety of Texas wine we offer. Choose from a red and white wine bundle or reds only.  

Vista Club

Vista members receive 6 unique bottles quarterly, winemakers’ choice and 20% off on our wines. Vista members know what they like, and they like Texas wine. Order bundles of red and white wines or reds only. 

Panorama Club

Our Panorama Club tier is for the connoisseurs who love our wines and hate to miss out on a great vintage. Panorama members get to personally choose their own bottles in a quarterly shipment of 12 bottles. Panorama members also get a 25% discount on our award-winning Texas wines.

When it comes to Texas wine, our Wine Club provides an educational, exclusive experience that can’t be replicated. Don’t miss out on these one-of-a-kind adventures at our family-friendly, dog-friendly winery nestled atop the Pedernales Valley with a serenely gorgeous view. Cheers – we hope to see you soon!

 

Winter Wine Remix

Winter Wine Remix

As temperatures drop, you may find yourself turning to winter wine standbys like full-bodied reds to complement the hearty flavors and cozy moments of the season (malbec, anyone?). 

Of course we love any excuse to break open a velvety Texas Tempranillo, but we also get excited about the versatility of wine and the wide range of options that pair with all of the hallmarks of the holidays. 

Here are a few “hot” wine tips for this cold weather season that may surprise you:

Choose rosé in the winter. Lighter, higher acid wines like Over the Moon rosé  are the perfect companion for rich winter fare.  In fact,  rosé  is so special because it can pair well with anything and everything on the holiday party menu – charcuterie or cheese plates during cocktail hour,  latkes or braised short ribs at dinner, and pavlovas at the dessert tables. 

Chill your red wines: If you are choosing a red for the cooler temps, don’t be afraid to put a slight chill on it so it can really show off. Typically, red wine is served at around 65 degrees Fahrenheit, or just below room temperature. Bringing the temperature down a few degrees before serving can enhance a wine’s  fruit flavors while also taming down tannins. Try popping your GSM Melange in the fridge for a few minutes before your guests arrive so it's the perfect temp for your pairing.

Or heat your wine up! National Sangria Day is in December – surprise! This beloved wine cocktail is fruity and flexible, all about adding in fruits and spices to the wine base for a festive refreshment. The perfect sangria-esque treat for winter is Glogg, the traditional Swedish spiced wine, served warm. Our Stonewall Glögg fortifies local Texas wine with aged brandy, infused with organic spices to make a delectable holiday treat. In fact, Glogg is the only wine that pairs with fruit cake – everyone's favorite! ;) 

There’s no such thing as “cooking” wine: As you bring your menu together, you may find recipes that call for a splash or more of a red or white wine. Don’t forget: the dish is only as good as the ingredients, and if a wine is good enough to go in the pan it should be good enough to go in your glass! Skip the “cooking” wine and use the same bottle you’ll be serving at dinner.

Whether you remix your wine this winter or stick to what you know, the story of the season remains steadfast – it’s a time to enjoy good food, good company, and create (delicious!) memories. Cheers!

Texas Lifestyle Magazine - Cheers to Hill Country Wineries

  "Texas Wine Month was celebrated throughout the month of October with fun fall festivities and wine tastings galore! Texas Hill Country Wineries hosted their annual Texas Wine Month passport event, which had over 45 participating wineries in the beautiful Hill Country."

"Below are just a few of the wineries that the Texas Lifestyle Magazine team visited in October." Full Story

A Tempranillo Tale

From Spain to Texas: A Tempranillo Tale

On International Tempranillo Day, a brief homage to this luscious yet hardy black-skinned grape, native to Spain yet thriving in Texas, is in order. 

What more can we say, we’re smitten with this gorgeous grape and the wonderful, lush wine it produces. It’s one of our signature varieties at Pedernales Cellars, having brought home numerous awards over the years in international wine competitions. Tempranillo has won admirers from around the world for good reason. Celebrate this grape with us as we look at its trajectory from Spain to Texas.

Vineyard owners and winemakers grow these vines in many corners of the world: from its traditional home in central and northern Spain and Portugal to Australia to Argentina to right here in Texas (both in Texas Hill Country and Texas High Plains). It blends like a dream but also stands very well on its own. If you’ve ever had Spanish or Portuguese red wines, you’ve almost certainly tried Tempranillo. 

Quick Tempranillo Facts

Winemakers have long valued this mighty grape variety, for the tenacity of its vines and the tastiness of its juice. “Temprano” in Spanish means “early,” and the “illo” ending is a diminutive, so “Tempranillo” translates to “little early one,” most likely named this because it tends to ripen a few weeks or so earlier than other vines. 

Let’s look at a few key facts:

Tempranillo is native to Spain.

It dates back to at least the 9th century, according to some estimations. 

Tempranillo plays well with others! Tempranillo is the primary grape used in the famous Spanish Rioja wines. 

Portugal’s Port wines also lean heavily on Tempranillo in its blends. 

Tempranillo thrives in chalky and sandy vineyard soils and in limestone.

Spain’s Ribera del Duero and Rioja regions are known for their Tempranillo, and it is grown across Navarra and Valdepeñas regions. 

Tempranillo grows best when the growing season moves from cooler to warmer weather, ripening before its other grape variety counterparts in the vineyard. 

Tempranillo Tasting Notes

Tempranillo grapes have somewhat thin, dark skins, which makes for a beautiful ruby-colored wine.  Single varietal Tempranillo wines are fairly medium-bodied with low acidity and smooth tannins.

Tempranillo drinkers may likely notice the presence of red and purple fruit, with notes of black cherry, red currant, plum, blueberry, and raspberry along with notes of leather, smoke, tobacco, vanilla, or black pepper. There is usually a decent minerality from the chalk and limestone soil in which it grows. Tempranillo varietals are usually aged in oak barrels, mostly American but sometimes French oak. 

Pedernales Cellars Tempranillo: Spanish Roots to Cowboy Boots

Texas growers and winemakers began planting Tempranillo seriously in the early-to-mid 2000s. Neal Newsom of Newsom Vineyards and Dan Gatlin of Inwood Estates Vineyards partnered to plant the state's first commercially grown Tempranillo grapes. Pedernales Cellars was another early Tempranillo pioneer winery. David and Julie Kuhlken planted their first estate Tempranillo vines in 2007. By 2020, Tempranillo grapes made up 50% of our estate grapes at Kuhlken Vineyards, and we continue to work with growers such as Canted County Vineyards, Daniel Vineyard, and Lahey Vineyards to buy their Tempranillo grapes. 

The grape took to Texas soil like a duck to water, as they say. Tempranillo quickly became an important grape not only for us at Pedernales Cellars but for winemakers across Texas. 

Winemakers and vineyard managers across the state have poured their time, energy, and passion into providing as ideal conditions for their grapes to flourish as humanly possible. Tempranillo has proven worth it, becoming the unofficial state grape of Texas and the star ingredient in many award-winning wines. 

We always have Tempranillo available in our tasting room by the bottle and by the glass, both as single varietals and in some of our blends. You can also buy our wine online or look for it at your favorite retailer that carries Texas wine. 

Happy International Tempranillo Day! ¡Salud!

 

Seriously. Texas Wine.

Nothing says Seriously. Texas Wine than a stock show and rodeo wine competition, ya’ll. And we’re coming hot out of the chute with this one – Pedernales Cellars won Best of Herd Texas Winery at the 14th annual San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo wine competition this month! Now that deserves a “yee haw!”

The competition included more than 900 wines from across the United States and around the world. While we love a friendly showdown with our fellow Texas wineries, we are always especially proud to stand on an international stage. This year we poured our Texas wine alongside wineries from Napa Valley, Paso Robles, the Provence region of France, and Italy, among many others. Entries are judged by a highly experienced panel that selects the award-winning wines by varietal. 

Judges awarded medals to all eight wines Pedernales Cellars entered into the competition, including Texas Reserve Class champion / Double Gold for our 2020 Valhalla, and gold medals for our 2020 Malbec, 2020 Tempranillo, and our 2022 Viognier Reserve. Full list of winners is below, if you’d like to see. 

Wineries selected as Top 14 Champion Wines will be featured during the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo Champion Wine Auction & Dinner scheduled for Thursday, November 16, 2023 at the Shrine Auditorium in San Antonio, TX. Lasso those tickets now so we can pour you a winning glass. 

Southern Living - 4 Small Texas Towns That Go Big On Wine

   "Boutique, family-owned wineries are celebrated here with packed bottle release parties, barbecues, and even good old-fashioned grape stomps during harvest season."

"The result is lush, dark-fruited red wines steeped in Texas sunshine and crisp, mineral-rich white wines that are lovely to enjoy in the shade of Texas live oak trees. Paired with Texan hospitality and cuisine, your time at a Texas winery will give you a lasting memory to savor beyond what’s in the bottle."  Full Story

Houston Chronicle - Wine Walk: Celebrate Texas independence this week with Texas wines

   "One of my favorite wine posters is from Llano Estacado Winery on the Texas High Plains which states 'Brave Texans did not die at the Alamo so you can sip on California wine.' "

"Innovative winemakers like John Rivenbaugh have brought the latest winemaking technology into Texas like flash détente’ to further upgrade winemaking in Texas."  Full Story

My SA - Texas Hill Country wineries: Where to sip and stay for the weekend

"Texas is known for a lot of things, like great barbecue, thrilling rodeos and, of course, big cities. But all around the state in the wide open plains and countryside are wineries bottling fantastic varieties that thrive in Texas' unique microclimates. With over 50 Texas Hill Country wineries to try, you definitely want to pace yourself."

"Sandy Road Vineyards is a winery where family history runs deep into the roots of the grape vines. The first vines were planted in 2016, on land the family has owned for almost 100 years."  Full Story

Tasting Table - 14 World-Class Wine Regions That Might Be In Your Own Backyard

"Don't mess with Texas — check out these stunners. Becker Vineyards drives home the "bigger in Texas" saying by offering hearty reds like cabernet sauvignon, petit sirah, and sangiovese. Bending Branch does as well, also producing cabernet sauvignon but also offering tannat and tempranillo. Pedernales Cellars excels with its Texas-grown Spanish and Rhône varietals with a lighter touch. Llano Estacado is the largest premium winery in Texas, making a range of wine styles. Southold Farm + Cellar are the cool kids making terroir-specific, low-intervention wines — grab the skin contact trebbiano."  Full Story

InsideHook - A Guide to Texas Wine Regions, From the High Plains to the Gulf Coast

"As such, the Hill Country isn’t the only game in town, and it produces a relatively small percentage of the state’s wines."

"Most of West Texas is hot and dry, but the mountains provide cooler and wetter growing conditions, and volcanic soils. Look for varietals like tempranillo, zinfandel, syrah, malbec, cabernet sauvignon and gewürztraminer."  Full Story