Our Story
Owned and operated by a sixth generation Texas family, Pedernales Cellars is committed to crafting world class wines from 100% Texas fruit using sustainable practices.
The story of Pedernales Cellars began when Larry and Jeanine Kuhlken, planted a vineyard near Fredericksburg in the early 1990s. During this time Texas wine pioneers worked experimentally with grape varieties and viticulture practices in order to master winemaking in the Texas terroir. Over time the Kuhlken vineyard started producing consistently high-quality fruit with bold, intense flavors.
In 2006, Larry and Jeanine’s children, David and Julie founded Pedernales Cellars. Grown from the success of Kuhlken Vineyards, they developed the concept for a winery focused on sustainable practices, handcrafted, small-lot wines, and working with varieties that thrive in Texas.
Pedernales Cellars continues to be a family affair, with David and Julie spear-heading continuing innovation, including one of the first Texas wines made with Organic Grapes. Their children, the third generation of the family, have apprenticed in all aspects of the vineyard and winery.
Pedernales Cellars draws its name from geography and history – the Pedernales River runs through the Texas Hill Country, and “pedernales” means flint in Spanish. The inspiration came when an old flint Indian arrowhead was found in the vineyard and part of an Indian flint stone ax was excavated on the winery site. The serendipity of these two finds connected the vineyard, winery, the region, and its history.
Cheers to Seriously. Texas Wine.
Sustainability
We not only strive to make the highest quality wines in Texas, but we are equally committed do so in a sustainable way. We are proud of what we’ve done to exercise stewardship and realize this vision
In the Winery
Sustainability starts with our winemaking facilities, which were designed to take advantage of the natural insulation of limestone and the humidifying and cooling Hill Country soil for barrel storage of wines. Our cellar and case storage facility are cooled via a geothermal cooling system reducing cooling energy by half.
We utilize open bin fermentation and compost by-products of the winemaking process. We clean our barrels using steam rather than water to reduce water usage. We also sell used barrels, available in our tasting room
in the Vineyard
In our vineyard we minimize water use through good ground cover management, and promote natural pest management through the use of local species (such as Purple Martins for insects). Compost from the winery is also recycled back into the vineyard.
In the Tasting Room
We are pleased to offer four EV charging stations for our guests. Our tasting room features a number of local and sustainable products, including oils by The Spicewood Food Company. We work to recycle the majority of our tasting room cardboard waste. Our winery building also uses CFL and solar lighting, rather than incandescent lighting. We collect rainwater in a 55,000 gallon tank in order to water the landscaping.
On the Grounds
The Texas Hill Country enables us to make incredible wines, and we feel a responsibility to be good stewards of the land. Through removing cedar overgrowth and invasive plant species around our winery, we’ve been able to re-establish seeps and springs that had previously been lost, making a better habitat for the native Hill Country wildlife on our property.