Wine is an agricultural product. Drink local.

Two weeks ago, I moderated a panel during Culinaria’s Third Coast Cocktail Summit. Panelists were Jennifer Beckmann of Re:Rooted 210 Urban Winery, Jennifer Syma of Becker Vineyards, James Smith of Château Wright, and Anisa Elizondo with the Texas Department of Agriculture. The discussions centered around Texas wines on Texas restaurant lists. Each panelist brought expertise to the discussion, and I was blown away by non-industry audience feedback after the session regarding how interesting and eye-opening the topics were. Topics included the benefits of having Texas wines on Texas restaurant lists, ways to increase interest from sommeliers and wine buyers, the challenges and opportunities for distributors and wineries, preparedness for a potential increase in demand, and more.

Ultimately, if you want to eat local and support local, drinking local is a big component. Texas wine is an agricultural product.

There is a lot of work to do to get more Texas wines on Texas restaurant lists across the state. For consumers, if there is a restaurant you frequent, take a look at the wine list. How many Texas wines are on the list? Consider asking for more Texas wines. But if you ask, be ready to purchase if and when the wine makes it to the menu. And keep in mind that different Texas wineries are at different stages with distribution.

To all the Texas wine fans – thank you for supporting local. Let’s spread the word. #AskforTexasWines

P.S. Follow the AskForTexasWines Instagram page!

 

VIDEO: Important April wine club update

Dear Bending Branch Winery Club Members,

For efficiency and safety for all concerned, we will cover the cost of shipping for the entire April wine release to all members. Even if you typically pick up your club, we will ship it. Even if you live in Comfort – we will ship it.

It is absolutely imperative that you log in to your account to make sure we have your correct shipping address. All wine selections, address changes, and credit card updates must be completed by March 26th. If you normally ship to a business address, please make sure we should still ship to that address. We want you to get your wine!

***The deadline to make changes is March 26th.***

UPDATE FROM UPS:

Many people are asking the same question: is it safe to receive and handle a shipment?

The WHO and CDC have stated that the likelihood of catching the COVID-19 virus by touching cardboard or other another shipping container is low. CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS FROM UPS
 

FAQs

When will my credit card be charged?
Credit cards will still be processed on Saturday, March 28th.

When will I get my wine?
Your April wines will be shipped from our fulfillment center on March 31st. As always, an adult must be present to sign for the package.

What else do I need to know?
The April 5th release party has been cancelled, and we have updated our tasting room hours and service. Until further notice, Bending Branch Winery estate tasting room will be closed for tastings. However, we will be open for curbside service from noon to 5 p.m. March 19-22 for call-ahead and online orders.

Email club@bendingbranchwinery.com you have additional questions that are not addressed here or in the email you received.

Please check your email for more details and continue to monitor our Facebook and Instagram accounts, as well as the Bending Branch blog on our website for our most current information.

Enjoy the wines in your April release in good health, knowing that we will be together again as soon as we can.

Jennifer McInnis Fadel
General Manager

Updated tasting room hours and services

The health and wellbeing of our family, employees, and customers are paramount. As of this week, these are the updated measures we are taking:

• Both Bending Branch Winery and Ursa at Branch on High tasting rooms are closed to the public.
• Curbside pickup/delivery with limited contact will be available at both locations, noon to 5 p.m., Thursday-Sunday. Watch the videos for more details. 
• There will be minimal staff in the tasting room to maintain a safe social distance.
• Office personnel is working from home and holding daily videoconference meetings.
• Production will continue with additional safety measures.
• Daily staff briefings have been held, and we have expressed that any staff member who is uncomfortable working will not be required to work.
• No one is allowed on the property if they are experiencing symptoms or have come into contact, or even potentially come into contact, with someone who has contracted COVID-19 coronavirus.
• The April Wine Club release for Bending Branch Winery will be 100% shipped with no cost for shipping to the members. An email was sent to members on March 17. There is a forthcoming video and separate blog entry with more details.

We are so thankful to our incredible team, who has been working every day – even on their days off – to ensure we are doing everything we can to help #flattenthecurve and #slowthespread to buy our local medical facilities the time that they need to prepare as best as possible for what’s to come.

Owner and Winemaker Dr. Bob Young’s history of experience in public health medicine and epidemiology during his time a physician is an incredible resource in guiding us. Our management team also consists of our General Manager, Jennifer McInnis Fadel, who has a more than a decade of experience in multimedia and breaking news; and our Direct to Consumer Manager, Jennifer Cernosek, who oversaw the wellbeing of children and staff at a summer sleepaway camp for about seven years. There is a depth of knowledge within the rest of our versatile team. With them and our partnership with Dayna De Hoyos, Stellahaus Film, we plan to continue updating you through our blog, videos, and social media to continue to maintain the incredible sense of community that makes Bending Branch Winery special. Stay tuned for some innovative experiences we are planning.

 

 

Commitment to COVID-19 precautionary measures

Dear friends of Bending Branch Winery, 

Many of you have supported us for years. So, you understand the priorities that Owner and Winemaker Dr. Bob Young places on medicine, health, and community.

As we face the COVID-19 coronavirus national emergency, we have taken precautions to safeguard our team, our customers, and our Comfort-area community. We want to share some of the proactive measures we have put in place this week. 

If you are planning to visit, you will see heightened sanitation measures, social distancing, and service on our open-air patios and deck. Additionally, we are offering call-ahead orders that will be available for curbside pick up. The tasting room number is 830-995-2948.

Bending Branch Winery estate will be open regular business hours this weekend. The Members Lounge will be closed so that our team can concentrate on these measures. 

The Pearl Farmers Market has been canceled through March 22. Bending Branch has also canceled all tours and events in March and April. 

We will reevaluate additional precautions in the coming days and weeks. Please follow our social media and check our blog for updates. 

MORE DETAILS

Visitation

• Bending Branch Winery estate tasting room will be open normal operating hours and the Members Lounge will be closed this weekend, March 12-15, 2020.  
• All service will be outside in the open air at the estate tasting room patio and deck. 
• The tasting room will be open only for order pick up, the restroom, and for food and merchandise. 
• The doors will remain open to provide ventilation.

Service

• Wine tastings will be served as a flight in disposable sample cups on a platter.  A logo glass will be provided for the guest to pour samples into. Logoed wine glasses will be used for service by-the-bottle and by-the-glass.
• We will have a glass return station, and ask guests to return their glasses to the station when they are finished.  We will wear sanitary latex gloves when handling used glassware and dishes.
• When glasses come out of the dishwasher, they will be air-dried.  We are suspending polishing glasses.

Cleaning schedule

• A sanitation routine has been established and a rotating schedule of staff members assigned by the tasting room manager will execute wiping surfaces, doorknobs, cleaning restrooms, washing glasses, etc.

Social distancing

• We will offer call-ahead curbside service to guests who wish to remain in their cars for purchases and wine club pick-ups.
• Guests can also call when they arrive for vehicle delivery at the circle drive.
• Tables will be spread out to maintain distance between parties. 
• We are suspending all tours until further notice, at least through April. 
• We have met with our team to meet their needs and address their concerns for themselves and their families. 

Pearl Farmers Market
Pearl Farmers Market has been canceled through March 22 based on San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg’s recommendation to limit large gatherings to no more than 500 people, effective Friday. The city also is asking that all events with more than 250 people be canceled. 

Events 
April 5: BBW Wine Club Release will not be a traditional pick up party. We are working on more details and will provide updates. 
April 11: Easter Egg Hunt has been canceled and refunds have been issued.
April 16: The Bordeaux River Cruise has been canceled by Ama Waterways.
April 25: King William Fair has been postponed. As of now, Fiesta has been moved to November 5-15. 

Thanks you for your support and understanding.

Sincerely,
Jennifer McInnis Fadel
General Manager
Bending Branch Winery
 

Bending Branch Winery wins first-ever Texas sustainable winegrowing competition

Left: Winemaker Greg Stokes; Center: Laura & Drew Tallent, Dr. Bob Young, Kathryn Cook, Tallent Vineyard Manager; Right: Tannat from Tallent Vineyards, Mason TX

The Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo and Botanical Research Institute of Texas recently announced the winners from the 2020 FWSSR / BRIT™ Texas Sustainable Winegrowing Competition. Top honors were awarded to Bending Branch Winery in Comfort, Texas, in combination with Tallent Vineyards of Mason, Texas. Nice Winery in Houston, Texas won the Grand Reserve Champion award in combination with Alta Mira Vineyards of Anderson, Texas.

The top winning wineries were awarded for their sustainable practices in the vineyard and other areas of operation in addition to the wines they submitted to a blind tasting. - Bending Branch 2018 Tannat Rosé, Texas Hill Country

The inaugural wine competition of the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo established a unique approach to a Texas wine competition by recognizing both the winery/winemaker and grape grower. Working with BRIT, wineries entered the competition by submitting written applications highlighting their sustainable practices, alongside their Texas wines for evaluation.

Subscribing to sustainable practices in a Texas vineyard presents many challenges. Nonetheless, Texas wineries embrace the quality results of sustainable practices and continue improving their programs. Applicants outlined their efforts boosting sustainability across five areas: vineyard management, winemaking, employee practices, customer service and social responsibility.

Texas wines submitted by applicants were judged by a panel of experienced wine professionals. The entries represented 12 different grape varieties plus wines blended from multiple grapes. The wide range of grape varieties demonstrates the diversity of Texas vineyards.

“Recognizing the collaborative efforts of grape growers and winemakers spurs innovation,” said Stock Show President and General Manager Brad Barnes. “The sustainability effort benefits our environment and consumers get to enjoy award-winning Texas wines. We’re excited to play a role in the future of this growing industry.”

BRITS’s President and Executive Director Dr. Ed Schneider echoed the excitement. “This is a first for Texas wine competitions and we are most pleased with the results,” said Dr. Schneider. “Texas wine organizations are as passionate about their sustainable practices as they are about making great bottles of Texas wine.”

The 2020 FWSSR / BRIT™ Texas Sustainable Winegrowing Competition winners included:

• Grand Champion – Bending Branch Winery / Tallent Vineyards

• Reserve Grand Champion – Nice Winery / Alta Mira Vineyards

• Gold Medal – Lost Draw Cellars / Moonlight Vineyards, Roussanne 2018

• Gold Medal – Kiepersol Winery/Estate Vineyards, Texas Syrah 2015

• Silver Medal – Bingham Family Vineyards/Estate Vineyards, Dugout 2017

• Bronze Medal – Chateau Wright/Estate Vineyards, Heraldic Red 2017

• Bronze Medal – Bull Lion Ranch & Vineyard/Estate Vineyards, Montepulciano 2015

During BRIT’s Vine to Table awards dinner and fundraising event on January 15, 2020, Bending Branch Winery and Nice winery will be presented their champion awards. Tickets can be purchased to the Dickies Arena event here.

Visitors to the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo can enjoy a selection of Bending Branch wines at Vine-2-Wine’s Sip & Shop event on January 29, 4-8 p.m. Tickets can be purchased here.

Read more:

Dallas Morning News

Dallas Innovates (D Magazine)

Texas Wine Lover

Fort Worth Business Press

 

Ursa Takes Over Branch on High

 

Starting July 11th, Ursa Vineyards is taking over Branch on High! Transport yourself to the Sierra Foothills, where Ursa exhibits the best of Northern California’s cool climate wines.

Ursa Vineyards was founded in 2001 by husband-and-wife team, Greg Stokes and Deborah Elissagaray. Greg and Deborah both started their winemaking careers in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and first met in 1992 while working at David Bruce Winery, where Greg headed up Grower Relations. Greg is a highly respected viticulturist and a consultant to numerous vineyards in California and other states. Deborah grew up spending her summers visiting family in the Pyrenees Mountain village of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France, where she gained an appreciation for her Basque heritage. The region inspired her work on the Basque Blend that bears her name and makes predominant use of the Tannat grape. The couple fell in love with Tannat, and they were the first to produce Tannat wines in California. They’ve been making Tannat from a variety of vineyard sources each year since establishing Ursa in the unique terroir of the Sierra Foothills in 2001.

A mutual interest in Tannat is also what brought together Ursa and Bending Branch Winery, when Bending Branch Owner Dr. Bob Young hired Greg as a consultant in 2007. Their professional relationship flourished and when Bending Branch was founded in 2009, its first wines were made by Bob and Greg at Ursa. Dr. Young purchased Ursa Vineyards in 2014, making Greg and Deborah a permanent part of the team.

Greg and Deborah were awarded Best Winemakers of El Dorado County in 2017. Their passion and dedication for producing limited quantities of the highest quality wines is unmatched. We are proud to showcase these beautiful wines at Branch on High in downtown Comfort, Texas. Ursa wines are also available in our online store.

Greg and Deborah will be in Texas for special events at Branch on High July 12-13, 2019. Meet the Winemakers at a free reception on Friday, July 12th from 5 to 6:30 p.m. A Guided Tasting with the Winemakers will be offered at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 13th. Tickets available here for $45 per person. Seating is limited.

When your travels take you to Northern California, visit Ursa Vineyards in Placerville. Tour and tastings are available by appointment by calling 530-644-3443.