The grapes are ripe, the wines are bright, (clap, clap, clap, clap). Deep in the Heart of Texas! Sing along with me now! We all know the legendary song, but new legends are in the making. Wine legends. Smirk if you will, but I’m here to tell you the new sheriffs in town mean business. And they mean the Texas wine business. Brothers Michael and Andy Bilger of Adega Vinhö are on a mission to take what the crazy weather and seasonal surprises of the Lone Star State give them and turn it into fantastic wine.
Texas Hill Country, Fredricksburg, and Stonewall (where Adega Vinhö is located) are about as deep in the heart of Texas as it gets. As the second largest state in the U.S. of A, Texas has a landscape for any and all to appreciate. Beaches, deserts, high plains, lakes, hills, wide open spaces, and cosmopolitan metroplexes alike, if you seek it, Texas delivers. According to Michael and Andy, the Texas Hill Country provides the perfect combination of soil, temperatures, sun, wine, cooler nights, and all things ”terroir” for farmers to test their skills in the vineyard.
Mother Nature isn’t always kind to Texas!
But not just any grapes will thrive in the wild west of Texas. And not every year provides consistency, predictability, or stability for farmers and winemakers to predict the style of wine they will ultimately produce from each harvest. The best of them know how to take what Mother Nature gives them, the good, the bad, and the ugly, and create magic in the bottle. How, you ask? Just ask Andy!
Andy shares the principles on which Adega Vinhö has built a cult following for their wines. It’s no wonder their Stonewall tasting room has become ”the place to gather” well into the evening many nights of the week. It doesn’t hurt that cool gathering spaces of mid-century style chairs and sofas fill the space versus traditional tabletops. Gizzy and Lola, our twin Shih Tsus, made themselves at home during our recent visit and everyone at the winery made them feel perfectly at home.
What’s growing Deep in the Heart of Texas?
90% of Adega’s grapes are hill country born and bred with just under half grown on the estate. By the time they’re harvested, they are about as close to members of the Bilger family as you can get. Harvested and vinified with a ”low intervention” mentality driving all touchpoints, the resulting wines can compete with the greatest wine regions of the world in maintaining true expressions of the varietal. Think Tempranillo from Spain, and Viognier from Southern France. Leveraging oak, lees, and natural yeast and avoiding preservatives and filtration, nature and centuries-old wine-making processes bring out the magic without manipulation.
I’m a fan! And if my recommendation isn’t enough for you, the awards Adega Vinhö is racking up should convince you to head on down Deep in the Heart of Texas and give them a visit! San Francisco Chronicle Double Golds and TEXSOM Judges Medals to name a few. How exactly do the Bilger brothers beat out legendary wines from the most heralded wine regions of the world? ”Sometimes you just get lucky,” Andy humbly replies.
Cheers!
