Grape Creek Vineyards: Tuscany in Texas

By Carline Schwartz

http://www.arounddrippingsprings.com

Grape Creek Vineyards has earned more than 100 medals at various competitions within the past two years.

Before becoming an owner of Grape Creek Vineyards in 2006, Brian Heath was an executive at a Fortune 500 company. He enjoyed his corporate career, but wanted to do something new and became interested in the winery.

“There’s something about the nature of the business,” Heath said. “It’s literally from the ground to the glass. It’s a romantic business.”

Grape Creek’s wine tasting room and gift shop were built shortly after Brian Heath took over.

Grape Creek Vineyards is situated on a 100 acre property along Highway 290 in Fredericksburg. The 20,000 square foot onsite facility produces and distributes its own signature wines. Included are cellars that hold up to 300 wine barrels.

Wine barrels in one of the cellars at Grape Creek Vineyards. Grape Creek uses both French and American small oak barrels to age red wines “the traditional way.”

According to Heath, Grape Creek wines are currently be found in only a few stores in Austin and San Antonio.

“It’s all about the experience,” Heath said. “That’s why we’re not in a lot of stores. In California terms, we’re a boutique winery. We don’t have a distributor. We distribute our own wine.”

For Brian Heath, working at the winery feels like opening his home to people.

“We want people to take something away,” Heath said. “We want you to feel that when you leave here it has touched your heart and soul.”

Brian Heath (left) explains the functionality of machinery used to fill wine bottles to vineyard visitors.

Heath said sweet wines used to make up two-thirds of his wine sales, but now represent only one-third of sales as the demand for red wines has increased dramatically. Nearly 50 percent of wines sold are now red, up from 20 percent. Heath attributes the red wine’s popularity to the vineyard’s wine club.

“I think what happens is the wine club members come back and their pallet changes,” Heath said. “What’s caught us off guard is how popular the wine club has become.”

Grape Creek Vineyards is a member of Wine Road 290, an association of Fredericksburg area wineries. Grape Creek – which uses the marketing tag line “Tuscany in Texas” – now produces between 17 and 19 signature wines, and will no doubt increase its Texas following with Grape Creek’s first appearance at the 5th annual Dripping With Taste Wine & Food Festival on Saturday, September 8, in Dripping Springs.

Visit Grape Creek Vineyards winery and tasting room at:

10587 Highway 290 East, Fredericksburg, TX 78624

Tel: 830-644-2710; julie@grapecreek.com

Visit Grape Creek Vineyards online:

http://www.GrapeCreek.com

Facebook.com/Grape Creek Vineyards