organic growth
Cali winery pours local wines at first Texas tasting room in Fredericksburg
Halter Ranch's third location is its first in the Lone Star State.
Texas' wine country may be a well-kept secret beyond state lines, but California's is not. Most wine drinkers wouldn't say no to a Texas vintage made with Cali know-how, spread among the sprawling live oaks of Fredericksburg. They're in luck as Halter Ranch Texas moves in.
Halter Ranch, originally from Paso Robles, California, is expanding into a 13,000-square food tasting room on a 32-acre patch of land at 8561 US-290 — about 15 minutes east of Fredericksburg's downtown. This is the third location, and the first outside of California.
Despite the winery's West Coast provenance, it's already producing Texas-grown wines. A rosé that will only be sold on-site anchors the starting lineup, and a Cabernet Sauvignon is on deck.
A restaurant on the property called Restaurant H furthers these localized goals, with all of its ingredients sourced in Texas. Even the butchering happens on a property neighboring the ranch. The menu will, of course, complement wines poured in the two dining rooms.
Although Halter Ranch technically opened on April 3, a public grand opening weekend will be held May 10-12, with live music and tastes of food and the inaugural rosé. Other Halter Ranch wines will also be available, but the listing does not specify which. The vineyard's Tock page mentions "a mix of Rhône and Bordeaux-style wines."
This new location is much smaller than the original 2,700-acre ranch, but winemaker Kevin Sass isn't making the transition alone. He's partnered with another Texas-based winery, according to a release that doesn't name the partner, and is keeping to the vineyard's sustainable roots. The wines served at the tasting room will all be from certified organic estate vineyards and made of organic grapes from the High Plains of Texas.
Some of those practices on the ranch include avoiding synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, conserving soil and water, and using renewable resources. These efforts were rewarded in 2023 with a CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers) Organic Certification.
Hansjörg Wyss, a philanthropist and conservationist from Switzerland, has even contributed some of his own private art collection. The pieces will sit across the Texas landscape — surely a different backdrop than Switzerland or California.
More information about Halter Ranch Texas is available at halterranch.com. Reservations are available via Tock.
