Instead of closing her tasting room for the summer wine club pick-up, our friend Judy of Esperanza Vineyard invited us to her property for strolling among the vines with a glass of wine last Thursday. I don't know how you could say no to that, and I was in dire need of a day off during the week.
Spring Branch is about an hour and a half from our house, through very scenic Texas Hill Country. She met us in the driveway and said "park your car, get a glass of wine, and meet us in the vines" and a group of folks were heading out. We made a beeline for the wine, then ran out to catch up with everyone. I sure didn't want to miss the tour!
She has acres of beautiful oaks - she cleared out a lot of the cedar trees herself. And all of the vines were planted by her, with help from her daughters. A 10 foot fence keeps deer from doing their own brand of creative landscaping - she learned that the hard way.
She is one of the friendliest people we know and is working hard to get her winery off the ground. Her tasting room in Blanco is a cozy place to sit and sip wine, and her wines are excellent. {read more about it here} For part of the "tour" her daughter took over and showed us the first vines they planted. The property was left to she and her siblings when their parents passed, so it has been both a work and an education in progress.
We walked around admiring the place. Met and made pleasant conversation with other wine club members. And just enjoyed the heck out of a sunny and beautiful afternoon.
She has a lot of Sauvignon Blanc planted, but also a bit of Tempranillo. I'm sure I would make a terrible wine farmer - the work is back-breaking and so many things can wreck your grapes. Deer, birds, too much rain, powdery mildew...to name a few.
When we got home later in the day, we enjoyed some more of her wine in our tiny deck in the back yard. It was a relaxing day, full of driving, walking, and socializing, and we were so happy to have taken the day off to spend in the country.
Gina
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