Here come the brides

Owners of picturesque Fredericksburg winery uncork rustic new wedding venue

A new wine pairing, of sorts, is in the works in the Texas Hill Country, as husband-and-wife investors are coupling their newly purchased vineyard with a new wedding venue currently under development.

Randy and Carroll Jones purchased the Torre Di Pietra winery and vineyard along U.S. Highway 290 West for $3.8 million from Ken and Jenise Maxwell. Maranda Mobley of Coldwell Banker United Realtors in Austin represented the Joneses in the deal.

The 50-acre property, about 10 miles southeast of Fredericksburg, features a vineyard, tasting room, gift shop, and outdoor pavilion. The couple plans to cultivate about half the total acreage with new vines, which would bring the size of the vineyard to about 50 acres.

“Fredericksburg is well-known for its incredible vineyards, and I saw a great opportunity with the Torre Di Pietra to redevelop and enhance the property,” Randy Jones tells CultureMap.

The winery and vineyard, which will be rebranded as The Cork Haus, will complement a wedding venue that’s set to open in four months along Pfiester Road about six miles southwest of Fredericksburg. The Joneses have invested millions of dollars to transform the property into a rustic complex for wedding receptions.

The Joneses bought the 208-acre La Bonne Vie Ranch in May 2017 with the goal of creating “the best wedding venue in town.” Highlights of the property include a 16-bedroom lodge, seven one-bedroom cabins, an outdoor courtyard, and a library. A home dating back to the 1800s also is on the site. It’s about a 15-minute drive between the winery and wedding venue.

Perhaps the most significant upgrade at the soon-to-be space is a custom-built barn constructed by local artisans to accommodate more than 300 people for wedding receptions.

As the icing on the wedding cake, the Joneses will be making available several of their vintage cars for newlyweds to head off on their honeymoons.

The Cork Haus will join a roster of nearly 60 wedding and reception venues in the Fredericksburg area that are listed on Fredericksburg’s tourism website. According to The Wedding Report, the average wedding in the Fredericksburg area cost $23,400 in 2017.

The wedding business is so big in Fredericksburg and surrounding communities that the Fredericksburg Municipal Court even maintains a webpage dedicated to weddings. For fees running from $50 to $250, Municipal Court judges will officiate at weddings in the area, including ceremonies in nearby Luckenbach and at Enchanted Rock.

Fredericksburg’s tourism website also includes a section devoted to weddings.

“Behind the charming B&Bs, one-of-a-kind boutiques, awe-inspiring scenery, and laid-back charm of Fredericksburg and Gillespie County, you’ll find the ingredients to create the unforgettable, elegant, and romantic storybook wedding you’ve always dreamed of,” the tourism website says.

There are nearly 60 wedding venues in Fredericksburg.

Renderings courtesy of the Cork Haus

There are nearly 60 wedding venues in Fredericksburg.

weddings wine hill-country

The Big Picture

Contest-winning photos show the Texas Hill Country in a new light

Hill Country rattlesnake photographed by Bill Weekley

“Danger in the Wildflowers” by Bill Weekley

This testy shot by Bill Weekley won second place.

The Hill Country is looking its best in a new round of award-winning photos. In them are landscapes, surprise moments with hard-to-find creatures, and one shot that highlights the beauty of the old-fashioned architecture. The winners of the photo contest organized by the Hill Country Alliance are available to look at in this article, and Texans are encouraged to carry the images forward through 2025 with a wall calendar.

The premise is both proud and cautious; as beautiful and thriving as the Hill Country is, heightened development is known to bring problems along with progress to rural towns. The Hill Country Alliance, a coalition of more than 85 area organizations that focus on natural and cultural preservation, has created the contest as an initiative to visually preserve the region.

There is national interest in the Hill Country, although no one sees it quite like locals. CNN named the Hill Country one of its 24 best places to visit around the world in 2024, and in 2023, motorcycle classifieds site Cycle Trader named the Twisted Sisters outside San Antonio as one of the best scenic routes in the country. Just days ago, William Chris Vineyards in Hye made the World's Best Vineyards list for the third year in a row.

More than 550 entries were submitted to the alliance this year, but only four won prizes, and of course nine more make their way onto the calendar (if you count the cover).

Grand prize:

$\u201cSunset\u201d by Jesus Corona$ This shot by Jesus Corona features wildflowers bathing in the sunset in Bexar County.“Sunset” by Jesus Corona

First place:

$\u201cGruene Nights\u201d by Gary T. Ray$ Gary T. Ray caught Gruene Hall and the surrounding buildings at the perfect dusk moment.“Gruene Nights” by Gary T. Ray

A release announcing the winners extolls the beauty of sunsets. "However, just as a sunset is fleeting, the health of our region can also be precarious," it warns. "This balance is particularly evident in current drought conditions, and HCA’s water program is focused on protecting our most delicate resources – like clear, flowing waters and the natural infrastructure we rely on to keep springs bubbling."

Second place:

$\u201cDanger in the Wildflowers\u201d by Bill Weekley$ It's amazing that Bill Weekley found this rattlesnake among sunny wildflowers and much more ominous skies.“Danger in the Wildflowers” by Bill Weekley

Third place:

$\u201cGray Fox up a Tree" by Mike Zarella$ This gray fox may look like he's sitting on the ground, but Mike Zarella caught him sitting in a tree in Blanco County.“Gray Fox up a Tree" by Mike Zarella

Many of the submitted images were of animals. "So much of the photography submitted in this annual contest reminds viewers of their own connection to the region’s delicate web of life," the release says. "This urgency underscores the importance of the HCA’s work to advance local land stewardship and conservation efforts that directly benefit the wild creatures and open spaces of the Texas Hill Country."

People's choice award:

It's not surprising viewers were enchanted by this welcoming road, which seems to lead into a future with more Hill Country blooms and beauty.Bluebonnet and Live Oak Road by William Shelton

The images above are featured on the calendar (even if they're not a full page), along with other selections that highlight unique geography, beautiful pollinators, cacti, and the darkening night sky.

Hill Country Alliance calendar The rest of the calendar images.Mockup courtesy of the Hill Country Alliance

The Hill Country Alliance works in five major areas, which are represented in some way in the images above: land, water, night sky, community, and collaboration.

This year's calendar ($15) is available now at hillcountryalliance.org. Other items like an illustrated map and apparel are also available in the online store. More information about the coalition's work (with more amazing photos sprinkled in) is available here.

The release credits the following photographers with work featured in the calendar:

Airon Mothershed
Alan Zhou
Ashley Campbell
Aspen McCallum
Baba Arimilli
Carol Serur
Carolyn Whiteside
Daniel Gomez
Delaney Kempf
Donna Chance
Elvis Canoy
Gary Sertich
Jackies Wise
Jacob Saunders
Jeff Newton
Jennifer Bauerkemper
Jess Brown
Joseph Richards
JP Sanchez
Katherine Carvajal
Kim Smith
Lisa Hood
Matthew Guthrie
Meghan James
Michael Tidwell
Michael Wight
Nicky Scott
P. Michael Jones
Patty Robertson
Paul Huchton
Shelby Sckittone
Steffen Baumgart
Stephen Isenhower
Tim Speer

hill country photography nature conservation