Vinepair - Pedernales Texas Tempranillo Reserve 2018, Stonewall, Texas

"Pedernales Cellars was established in 1995 and specializes in Spanish and Rhône-style wines, sourcing its grapes from vineyards in the Texas High Plains and Texas Hill Country, the state’s two largest winegrowing areas."

"This is a wine of elegance that offers dark fruit aromas and tastes — blackberry, blueberry, and plum — along with touches of cedar and cigar box." Full Story

Travel Awaits - 6 Texas Hill Country WIneries with Views

"There are over 100 wineries and vineyards in the Hill Country with about half located along Texas Highway 290, also known as Wine Road 290, as well as many other scenic back roads."  Full Story

Forbes - Women In Wine: The Texan Torch Carriers

"Her personal passion is food and wine pairing, and to that end, she’s working on initiatives to include the winery on the front of the culinary scene."

"Julie Kuhlken, Pedernales Cellars, PhD in philosophy and WSET III, is co-founder and CEO of Pedernales Cellars, a majority women-owned sixth-generation winery."  Full Story

Texas Monthly - Don't Napa by 290

"Today Texas wine finds itself in the role of the nineties high school rom-com protagonist, shyly walking into prom having cast off her glasses and monkish attire to reveal the face of a homecoming queen and, in wine parlance, good legs."

"Whether your tastes lean toward cabernet or peach-infused moscato, the Texas wine country has something for everyone. Including a rhinoceros."  Full Story

Houston Chronicle - The Kuhlken family legacy behind Pedernales Cellars

"The brother-sister team wanted to build a Texas boutique winery with an emphasis on making world class wines from their Texas-grown grapes" 

"This growth in the Texas wine industry means better quality wines being made available to Texans and eventually to the rest of America!"  Full Story

InsideHook - 7 underrated wine regions worth your attention

"Pedernales Cellars, Becker Vineyards, Grape Creek Vineyards and William Chris Vineyards are several notable, award-winning producers that have both brought attention to and helped shape the region"

"Texas Hill County is the third largest AVA in the United States, covering nine million acres and characterized by a hot, dry climate with limestone and granite soils, which produce bold, powerful, (dare one say barbecue-worthy?) reds from a variety of international grapes that love heat — think mourvedre, tempranillo and sangiovese."  Full Story

Seriously. Texas Wine.

What to Know about Texas Wine

Texas wines are making a name for themselves on the national and international stage, and there's no better time to explore the best wineries in the Texas Hill Country than in the vibrant month of October. But how much do you know about the burgeoning Texas wine scene? In celebration of Texas Wine Month, we’re sharing the must know facts about Texas wine. Pour a glass and settle in!

Texas has 8 distinct AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) 

In Texas – you guessed it – everything is bigger. That's why even our AVAs have AVAs within them! An AVA is a designated grape-growing region with distinguishing features, a name, and a delimited boundary. Texas has 8 distinct AVAs and the Texas Hill Country AVA is the third largest in America with over 9 million acres in the sprawling center of the state. 

Two distinct microclimates are designated within this AVA: Bell Mountain AVA just north of Fredericksburg where our Kuhlken Estate Vineyard is located, and Fredericksburg in the Texas Hill Country AVA, a limestone rich area best known for Chardonnay and Viogner. 

In addition to the grapes we grow here in the Texas Hill Country AVA, Pedernales Cellars sources 100 percent Texas grapes from family vineyards in the Texas High Plains AVA and West Texas.

Texas Terroir is Distinct, but Diverse 

Terroir is the natural environment in which a wine is produced, including the soil, topography and climate. The terroir imparts distinct flavors and aromas to wines. Limestone and granite are the dominant soils throughout the Texas Hill Country and are the backbone of its terroir, which is often compared to Rioja, Spain and the Rhone Valley in France. Of course, since Texas is so large, soil types can vary from vineyard to vineyard and the diversity of the region lends itself to a wide range of grapes, including Tempranillo and Viogner. 

Many Grape Varietals Thrive in Texas 

Speaking of grapes: warm days and cool nights are a part of the charm of a Texas Hill Country winery getaway, and certain European grapes really enjoy this climate too. Particularly, Tempranillo, Viogner and Grenache thrive with the shining sun and the cool breeze that flows down from the hills. In fact, Texas was among the first regions in the country to have significant plantings of European grape varieties, dating all the way back to the early 19th century in the El Paso area. Take that, California!  Across Texas, more than 80 types of grapes are grown, mostly in the High Plains AVA.

You can sip your way through the best of Texas wines via the Texas Hill Country Winery Association and its Texas Wine Month passport event

The Texas Hill Country, with its rolling landscapes and charming small towns like Fredericksburg, is home to some of the best wineries in Texas. Along the Texas Wine Trail, there are more than 60 wineries to enjoy! As you head along the trail, picture-perfect vineyards stretch across the hills making for a scenic day trip from major cities like Austin, San Antonio and Houston. During Texas Wine Month in October, you can enjoy a self-guided tour of Texas Hill Country wineries, including our tasting room here at Pedernales Cellars. We look forward to hosting you and raising our glasses to the beauty of Texas wines. Cheers!

Patriotic Pairings for Independence Day Grilling

Happy Birthday, America! Let’s celebrate the 247th anniversary of the founding of the United States with grilled dishes paired with wine made in the greatest state in the union, Texas.

Grilling out is as traditional on Independence Day as fireworks. The key to pairing wine with grilled food is simplicity. Select wines that you know you will enjoy and match the primary flavors of the wine with the dominant flavors of your food. Here are a few pairings that will delight your tastebuds.

Zucchini and Cauliflower Skewers with Feta Paired with 2021 Lyla  

Grilled veggies are perfect for a side dish and for a main course. We like hearty vegetables with crisp, chilled white wine. Try this recipe for veggie skewers with our 2021 Lyla.

Ingredients

• 4 large zucchini and summer squash
• 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
• 8 skewers, soaked in water for 20 minutes
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 c. crumbled feta
• 8 skewers, soaked in water for 20 minutes

Preparation

• Preheat grill to medium-high.
• Shave zucchini and yellow squash into long, beautiful strips.
• Skewer zucchini and yellow squash in folded curves alternating with cauliflower florets.
• Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Grill for about 10 to 12 minutes, turning occasionally, until vegetables are tender and slightly charred.
• Crumble feta cheese over the grilled veggies and serve.

Our 2021 Lyla is a traditional Rhône-style white blend made with Roussanne from the Hill Country Estate at Kuhlman Cellars and Viognier from the Texas High Plains. It’s a medium-bodied wine with stone fruit, ripe pear, apples, and honeydew melon flavors with a touch of flint and minerality. Grilled veggies typically have a stronger flavor than roasted or steamed. The round fruit flavors of the wine balance well with the slight sweetness of the zucchini and the crunch of the cauliflower.

Cheddar Bacon Hamburgers Paired with 2019 Texas Mourvèdre

Burgers are an essential summertime food. An important consideration when pairing wine with hamburgers is to select higher-fat ground beef with the oomph to kick up the fruit flavors in the wine a notch. Hamburgers are delicious with full-bodied red wines with plenty of tannins, like Mourvèdre.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• ½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ cup real bacon bits
• 4 hamburger buns

Preparation

• Preheat the grill to high heat.
• In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, Cheddar cheese, horseradish, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and bacon bits.
• Shape the mixture into 4 hamburger patties.
• Lightly oil the grill grate.
• Place hamburger patties on the grill, and cook for 4 minutes per side, or until your preferred temperature.
• Serve on buns with your favorite fixins.

Our gold medal-winning 2019 Texas Mourvèdre is a blend made predominantly with Mourvèdre with a healthy splash of Petite Sirah, and Syrah grown in vineyards located in the Texas High Planes. It has deep aromas of dark fruits, red currants, earth, cedar, herbs, and wild game. This medium-bodied wine has lovely black cherry pie flavors and a long vanilla finish. The grippy tannin in this rich Mourvèdre is softened by the grilled hamburger's heavy protein and fat content, making it even more flavorful and smooth.

St. Louis Spare Ribs Paired with 2019 Vintner's Reserve

Slow-smoked pork ribs are a delicious dish for Independence Day. Ribs are excellent with a wide variety of wines including fruity white, rosé, and bold red wines. Here is a recipe for fall-off-the-bone tender spare ribs.

Ingredients

• 2 slabs St. Louis spare ribs, trimmed
• ½ cup coarse ground black pepper
• ¼ cup Kosher salt
• 1 cup water
• ½ cup apple cider vinegar

Preparation

• Prepare your smoker for indirect cooking at 275⁰.
• Combine salt and pepper and season ribs liberally on both sides with the mixture.
• Place ribs on the smoker and add pecan wood chunks to the fire for smoke.
• Mix water and apple cider vinegar in a spray bottle to spritz ribs every 45 minutes.
• After 2.5 hours remove ribs from the smoker, spritz with vinegar mixture, and wrap in aluminum foil.
• Return ribs to the smoker and continue to cook for approximately 2 hours. Check ribs for doneness after 1 hour and every 15 minutes after. Once desired tenderness is reached pull off the smoker.
• Let the ribs rest for 15 minutes and serve.

Our 2019 Vintner’s Reserve is a nontraditional red blend made with Texas-grown Tannat, Carignan, Mourvèdre, Petite Sirah, Touriga, and Syrah. It’s an aromatic wine with lots of blackberry bramble, blueberries, plum, and cola with a hint of spice. The flavors match the aromas in this medium-bodied wine with integrated tannins. The 2019 Vintner’s Reserve is delicious with pork ribs. The higher fat content in the ribs matches well with the firm tannins in this wine, and the smoke enhances the fruitiness of the wine.

We hope you enjoy these delicious wines with grilled foods over the long holiday weekend. Stop by the tasting room to pick up a mixed case to make sure you have plenty of wine for your guests. Happy Independence Day! 

Simple Summer Wine and Picnic Pairings

It’s here! The unofficial kick-off to summer starts every Memorial Day weekend. It is a perfect time to relax outside in the breeze with a simple summer picnic paired with excellent wines.

Picking picnic food should be straightforward. Go with easy-to-make, easy-to-eat food that will taste great now and still taste great after a two-hour car ride and is easy to clean up. The less prep and fewer utensils required, the better. What are your favorite picnic foods? Fresh fruits, an assortment of cheeses and crackers, pasta salad, hearty sandwiches, fried chicken, and a charcuterie board with fresh bread are excellent selections.

In addition to the delightful food, make sure you have all the necessary gear.

Picnic Essentials Checklist

• Wine
• A corkscrew 
• Plastic wine glasses
• A picnic basket and/or a cooler with ice
• A picnic blanket
• Paper plates or re-usable plastic plates
• Picnic utensils
• Napkins  
• Cutting board and a sharp knife
• Insect repellent and sunscreen
• Water

Now for the good stuff: the picnic wines. The best wines are the wines you enjoy. However, you can never go wrong with chilled, crisp white, and versatile rosé wines. Here are a few recommendations.

2021 Viognier Reserve

The 2021 Pedernales Cellars Viognier is a vintage to remember. We aged this wine in 40% of new French oak over a period of seven months and a little longer in a 500L puncheon. It has vibrant tropical notes like candied pineapple and kiwi, as well as golden delicious apple, pear, and hints of brioche. It goes really well with granny smith apples, fried chicken, mild cheddar, and goat cheese with honey.

2021 Lyla

Our second vintage of Lyla, named after our winemaker’s late rescue dog, is as beautiful, unfailing, and complex as she was. The blend is a traditional Rhône-style wine made with Roussanne from the Hill Country Estate at Kuhlman Cellars and Viognier from the Texas High Plains. It’s a medium-bodied wine with stone fruit, pear, golden delicious apples, and honeydew melon flavors with a touch of flint and minerality. It has zippy acidity that makes it an excellent match with deviled eggs, fattier cheeses like triple cream brie, as well as cured meats.

2021 Texas High Plains Vermentino

We love Vermentino. This is our first vintage getting it from Canted Country Vineyards in Lamesa, Texas, and we are really pleased with the fruit. This wine fermented entirely in stainless steel tanks and aged on its lees almost until bottling in January. It has lovely orange blossom and lemon aromas with sea breeze and fresh green herbs. The palate has a slight creaminess to it with notes of peaches and lime. It is super food friendly with a smooth mouthfeel that is complimented by lively acidity. It is perfect with pasta salad, aged gouda, and bruschetta.

2021 Over the Moon Rosé

Rosé is the quintessential picnic wine. Well, let’s be real, it’s the quintessential spring, summer, and fall wine. Our 2021 Over the Moon Rosé is made with a blend of red grapes including Grenache, Cinsault, Mourvèdre, Sangiovese, and Carignan that marry incredibly well to create a softer style of rosé that is a fantastic accompaniment to food and incredible all on its own. The nose on this rosé is delicate with peach and apricot, as well as pear and rose petals. It tastes exactly how it smells, with a creamy texture and long finish. Bring it to every picnic for the rest of your life. It’s lovely with charcuterie, and specifically prosciutto.  

The Perfect Picnic Place

If you have already selected the perfect picnic spot on the banks of a cool stream under a shady tree, swing by the winery and stock your cooler with a selection of these summer-ready wines. If you’re fresh out of ideas for where to go, you can picnic on our lawn. Bring your blanket, grab the bottles of your choice, and spread out on our spacious lawn. You can even order a cheese plate in our tasting room. We’ll supply a magnificent view of the Texas Hill Country.

See you soon!  

Employee Spotlight: Head Winemaker, Joanna Wilczoch

It feels a little odd to talk about someone who is alive for Women’s History Month, but that’s exactly what we’re doing. We’re shining our spotlight on our head winemaker, Joanna Wilczoch, who is definitely making history in our cellar.

Joanna is a first-generation American, whose parents were born in Poland and immigrated to the U.S. in 1982. Before entering the wine industry, she worked in social services for several years. While working a part-time job in wine sales, Joanna fell in love with wine and wanted to get more involved.

She joined the Pedernales Cellars team in 2016 working in the vineyard. At the time she was taking winemaking classes at Texas Tech. That helped her transition into a role as an assistant winemaker where she really found her groove. Joanna’s winemaking skills and excellent palate helped her break through the glass ceiling in 2019 to become the head winemaker, working alongside executive winemaker, David Kuhlken.

That same year, she also interned at a winery in New Zealand to further hone her skills. She jokes that the real reason she chose to work in the Southern Hemisphere is so she could work two harvests in one year. In reality, she learned a lot to help her lead the wine-making team at Pedernales Cellars. Joanna tells us about that experience and what she is looking forward to in this Q&A.

Q: What did you learn while working in New Zealand that has helped you with winemaking at Pedernales Cellars?

A: I spent the spring harvest season in 2019 at the largest winery in New Zealand, Indevin. My goal was to experience how things are done in a different country and pick up skills to be a more well-rounded winemaker. While there, I primarily worked with Pinot Noir, which requires different processes than we use with the grapes at Pedernales Cellars. One of the biggest takeaways was getting comfortable with spontaneous fermentation and cold-soaking grapes. I learned to relax through the weird cycle of fermentation. I recognized that the grapes might get really funky at different points in the fermentation using those techniques, but they are just passing phases and have nothing to fear. I use that knowledge at our winery to accept the various phases of fermentation in service of the greater good of making a better wine at the end of the cycle.

Q: We source the best grapes possible from talented growers in Texas. What grape varietals are new to the program in 2023?

A: This year we have contracted Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from Nogalero Estate Vineyard in the Texas High Plains. I’m excited to work with this vineyard to get fantastic Bordeaux varieties. The vineyard is in the process of transitioning to organic growing. It is part of the strategy to combat the over-spray and drift problems of dicamba. We rely on growers who are committed to producing the highest quality fruit possible. Nogalero Estate Vineyard is growing sustainably and organically, and they do a fantastic job of managing the vineyard to keep yields low. For example, they maintain the leaf canopy well to allow the later maturing Cabernet grapes to fully ripen. The result is really high-quality grapes.

Q: What qualities do you look for in partnering with growers and how do you maintain relationships with them?

A: We start our search using the dating site, GrapeConnect.com. We swipe right on growers who are willing to have heart-to-heart conversations about our shared long-term goals during long walks down the vineyard rows. We want growers who aren’t afraid of commitment.

But seriously, we like working with growers who are willing to learn and grow along with us. We’re fortunate to have several long-term contracts with grape growers who are focused on the quality of the crop and not quantity. We value relationships based on shared commitments and strive to be good partners as well.

On the light-hearted side of that partnership, we bring gifts of wine that we make with their grapes. We bottle early trials of the wine to give them a sneak peek at wine made with different versions of fermentation so they have an idea of what their grapes can do. We separate various blocks from their vineyards so they can taste the difference in their growing approaches. These kinds of trials help them perfect their grape-growing craft, and it goes a long way in showing them how committed we are to their success.

Q: What are you excited about for this growing season?  

A: I’m really excited about our continued work with Desert Willow Vineyard in Seminole, Texas. They continue to expand their plantings and acreage under vine in an immaculately maintained vineyard. They are in the process of transitioning all crops to be certified organic. Last year was the first year of organic practice on the vineyard, and all new plantings of varietals such as Petite Sirah and Alicante Bouschet are certified organic. In the 2023 harvest, we’ll get Alicante Bouschet, Grenache, and Syrah from the vineyard. They are planting Carignan and Petite Sirah specifically for us for future vintages.

Q: Which wines are you excited about releasing this year?

A: We’re releasing our 2021 red wines and our 2022 white wines this year. Working with wines from both growing seasons at the same time is an excellent illustration of the differences in vintages. The 2021 growing year was cooler and a bit challenging with the fruit. The cooler conditions resulted in lighter-bodied, less tannic, and fruitier wines than we produced in 2020. It’s really fun to compare the two different vintages side by side and see how the weather had an impact on the finished wine. The 2022 growing season was hotter and dryer, resulting in more concentrated fruit. We had good yields and the heat and drought reduced disease pressure. The 2022 vintage is outstanding, with balanced wines showing excellent fruit intensity and supple tannin.

Some of the wines that I’m looking forward to releasing are the 2022 Teroldego, which will be a much larger release of a single varietal than we typically make, and the Canted County Reserva Tempranillo 2020 which will be released in the fall. This wine is already phenomenal. I recommend buying a few extra bottles of it and holding on to some of them to compare it to the 2020 Gran Reserva Tempranillo that we will release in three years. We just bottled the Gran Reserva this month and it will require three years of bottle aging. It’s the same wine, but with an additional year in the barrel, and more time in the bottle. It tastes awesome. I’m excited about tasting these two wines side-by-side and think it will be really fun for everyone to see what a difference a year in the barrel can make!