Important Service Updates

“Weather permitting.” It’s the headline of the week!

Our hearts go out to all who have been contending with consequences of the storm, and to all the hardy souls who have been working diligently to keep us safe through the arctic blast. Some of our Bending Branch team have had challenges, too, but we’re keeping tabs on everyone.

Here is our plan, weather permitting. The tasting rooms at Bending Branch Estate and Ursa at Branch on High are scheduled to open again at noon on Saturday. In the meantime, contact us at club@bendingbranchwinery.com if you need to get in touch. There is no one on site to answer the phone since many of us are working from home with sketchy power and internet. We’ll answer your email as soon as we are able.

Until then, here is news you can use about this weekend’s wine club Drive-Thru Pick-Up Party. All club members with Saturday reservations have been rescheduled to Sunday, at any time between noon and 5 p.m. You do not need to change your reservation, just show up on Sunday between noon and 5 p.m.

We will miss you if you cannot attend on Sunday. You may cancel your reservation through Tock. See more drive-thru party details and the Tock link HERE.

Although we won’t be hosting the Drive-Thru Pick-Up Party on Saturday, the tasting room at Bending Branch Estate will be open from noon to 6 p.m., Saturday the 20th, for wine club pick-up and curbside service only. You do not need a reservation to pick up your wine and chocolate.

We will not be at the Pearl Farmers Market on Saturday the 20th, but we plan to be at our usual location on Sunday, February 21st, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

We hope to see you as the weather becomes more cooperative, and we apologize for the change in plans. Once again, please contact us at club@bendingbranchwinery.com if you need assistance.

Feb 18, 2021 at 1:27 PM Permalink

2017 Estate Souzão, Lost Pirogue Vineyard

Bending Branch pioneered Souzão in Texas by planting the first acre of this grape variety at Bending Branch Estate Vineyards in Comfort. The 2014 vintage of Estate Souzão had an impressive review by Elin McCoy of Bloomberg when she rated it one of the best wines she tasted in 2017, and called it her “most surprising wine of the year.” Read the full story here.

Fast forward to our exciting new release of the 2017 vintage, exclusively for Bending Branch wine club members. The 2017 Estate Souzão from Lost Pirogue Vineyard reflects both an exceptional vintage in Texas, and the passionate care of growers Bruce and Jana Colgate. Vineyard designated wines, especially from an estate vineyard like Lost Pirogue, are singled out for label recognition because they are notably different from other wines.

Lost Pirogue Vineyard in Center Point is about 8 miles from Bending Branch Winery. Bending Branch has a long-term estate vineyard agreement with Lost Pirogue, and we maintain managerial control by providing the services of Westover Consulting. Bending Branch and Lost Pirogue Vineyard collaborate to execute the vineyard plan and strategies outlined by the vineyard consultant. Both the winery and the vineyard are located in the Texas Hill Country AVA, and Bending Branch performs all aspects of the wine’s production on its premises.

Bruce and Jana Colgate are not only grape growers and owners of Lost Pirogue Vineyard; they are great friends of Bending Branch owners Dr. Bob and Brenda Young, and longtime members of the 1840 Founders Club. They also volunteer at various Bending Branch events, and they hosted an event at their home in 2019 when we released the 2018 Picpoul Blanc harvested from Lost Pirogue.

At Lost Pirogue Vineyard, the combination of soils, weather, and terrain, the appropriateness of the grape variety for the particular site, and the dedication of skilled growers come together to produce fruit of great character. The results merit the vineyard name on the label.

We are delighted with this exceptional new release. Only 48 cases of 2017 Estate Souzão were produced, so get yours before it is gone! All Bending Branch wine club members may add one bottle to their February 2021 club release, if desired. 1840 Case Club members may add up to 6 bottles.

Price is $85 per bottle. Club members can call the tasting room at 830-995-2948 to purchase. Cheers!

Souzão on the vine on harvest day - August 9, 2017

Jan 29, 2021 at 11:21 AM Permalink

Introducing our first Magnum

~Exclusively for 1840 Custom Case Club Members~

For the first time, Bending Branch bottled large formats of one of its premium wines, 2017 Petite Sirah, Newsom Vineyards. When tasting wines from the barrel in 2019, it was clear that this wine was special. Plans were made to bottle it in magnums, and we packaged enough to offer each 1840 Custom Case Club member the opportunity to add one magnum bottle to their December club release. We were thrilled, and not surprised, when this wine was awarded Double Gold at the 2021 San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo Wine Competition.

The shape and color of a wine bottle are often associated with a specific region or wine style such as Burgundy or Bordeaux. There are antique styles, traditional styles, and flashy shapes driven by modern wine marketing. The weight of wine bottles also varies broadly from simple glass to high-tech, ultraviolet resistant glass with a deep punt and thickness that results in heft intended to imply prestige.

In addition to the standard 750 milliliter wine bottle, there are a couple dozen recognized bottle sizes, though few of them are in common usage. Small sizes such as the “split” and the half-bottle are useful in the consumer market. The magnum, equal to two standard bottles, is the most popular large-format bottle, making an impressive presentation. Larger, ceremonial-size bottles, often named for Biblical kings and historical figures, include a range that tops out with the colossal 30-liter Melchizedek.

Aside from the fun of having a Texas-size bottle on the dinner table, there are a couple of important things to know about a magnum. The air trapped between the cork and the wine, and the slight evaporation of wine through the cork, cause the gradual oxidation that helps a wine mature over time. A magnum contains twice the volume of wine, so the effect of air on the wine is reduced by half, slowing the aging process, and potentially revealing subtle nuances that may develop in the wine over longer aging. If you have the patience, aging a magnum can be rewarding, but you’ll find the Bending Branch Winery 2017 Petite Sirah, Newsom Vineyards, is delicious in any size.

1840 Case Club Members:

Quantities are extremely limited. Contact the tasting room at 830-995-2948 to purchase yours today.

Retail $95 / 1840 Case Club pricing $76

Dec 2, 2020 at 1:13 PM Permalink

Thanksgiving Wine Suggestions

The thing about Thanksgiving …

Thanksgiving is that uniquely American holiday when lots of relatives who may not see each other often (or have much in common) get together for a big meal. Stuffing or dressing? Mashed or sweet? Pumpkin or pecan? And that’s before sports and politics.

Choosing wines for Thanksgiving can also seem challenging. The flavors of the traditional menu are as diverse as the guests. The key is balance.

Balance means a harmonious blend of the basic flavors in wine – tart, fruity, bitter, and alcohol. Tartness comes from acidity in grapes, fruitiness comes from ripe grapes, bitterness comes mostly from tannin in grape skins, and alcohol comes from fermentation. If any of these component flavors overwhelms the others, the wine can seem uneven or simply unpleasant. But if the acidity, tannin, fruit and alcohol are coherent and complementary, the wine is nicely balanced. 

Balanced wines have two great attributes. They are crowd-pleasers, and they taste good with many kinds of food – just the ticket for Thanksgiving. Here are a couple of good suggestions.

Turkey is a fowl, but it is also a game bird with rich, dark flavors and texture. Elegantly balanced 2018 Ursa Tannat Rosé walks the line between white and red wines, a flattering partner for the big bird. Dark meat lovers may prefer an aromatic red like the 2016 Bending Branch Tempranillo. Both these well-balanced wines are also compatible with the many heirloom side dishes on the holiday table.

The cousin who rarely drinks may prefer something a little fruitier like Bending Branch Thinkers Blanc. Also consider having a bottle of Bending Branch 2017 Texas Tannat® around for that uncle whose tastes tend toward whisky and cigars. In wine as in family, balance is the answer.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Bending Branch Family!

Nov 22, 2019 at 2:41 PM Permalink

Cryo-Maceration in Winemaking

Happening now in the winery...

Cryo-Maceration – Cryo or CM for short – is a technique we use to improve the extraction of color, flavor, and tannin from the skins of red grapes. Freshly harvested grapes are destemmed, put in half-ton bins, and then taken to the freezer. As the grapes freeze, large, slow-forming ice crystals weaken the cellular structures containing tannin, pigment, and flavor. Once defrosted, the subsequent fermentation can extract about 50% more of these critical compounds than a conventional fermentation without Cryo-Maceration.

Conventional Fermentation – around 20% to 40% extraction

versus

Cryo-Maceration – around 30% to 60% extraction

The first wine in which Bending Branch employed Cryo-Maceration, the Bending Branch Winery 2011 Estate Tannat CM, was awarded Double Gold, Texas Class Champion, Class Champion, and was named Top Texas Wine at the 2014 Houston Rodeo Uncorked! International Wine Competition.

One useful side effect of Cryo-Maceration is that it allows us to defer the fermentation of a portion of our fruit until later in the season when there is more room in the winery and more time in the winemaking schedule.

Oct 30, 2019 at 12:28 PM Permalink

Bud break in the Texas Hill Country

Lost Pirogue Vineyard in Center Point is awakening after last year’s very wet autumn, and a winter that was colder and drier than typical. Still, bud break this year was right on schedule, only a day later than in 2018. The Picpoul Blanc vines pictured here had just begun to bud out when the vineyard experienced an early March cold-snap. Some early buds may have been nipped, but many more are pushing out as the days get sunnier. Flowering is next, followed by green leaves in a couple of weeks – or sooner if the vineyard gets significant rain. Bring on harvest 2019!

Mar 27, 2019 at 12:00 PM Permalink