Grapes and friendship grow at Rockwall’s boutique winery

Sow. Reap. Drink.

(ROCKWALL, TX – March 5, 2019) There’s a country road in far North Rockwall that leads to a small, boutique winery. At the time of our visit, there were no signs to guide us, no vineyard visible from the road – just a physical address and a dozen cars parked in the drive that hinted we were in the right place. A smiling face emerged from the stucco home, waving us to a parking spot on the lawn and encouraging us to head down to the barn.

Snow, a Great Pyrenees, gave us a sniff of approval and then diverted her attention to her owner, who introduced herself as Roe Ann and apologized for not seeing us to the barn herself; she had to make a quick trip to the store.

Not being a farmer, a wine connoisseur, or even a true oenophile (lover of wine) myself, what struck me as we approached the barn were not the rows of grape vines beside it, nor the baby goats standing atop the lawn furniture to get a better look at us from the fenced backyard – but the aroma. Not of the farm, not of the wine – but of the setting sun. I could actually smell the warmth. That, and the wood-fired pizza on the grill. I breathed in the country air, and exhaled a long list of work-related to-do’s that previously consumed me.

Our friend Chad greeted us at the barn. It was upon his invitation that we ventured out on this Saturday evening to what may be the “only winery in Rockwall County”- even though my husband chooses to abstain from alcohol and my drink of choice is usually Jack Daniels. But since discovering that red wine can have some positive health benefits, I looked forward to expanding my knowledge of wine as well as our circle of friends.

To our right, a local musician named Fritz Schultz took a seat on a bar stool and began strumming ‘Dirty Boot Music’, accompanied by James King on the harmonica. In front of us, folks chatted amongst themselves at rustic, bistro-style tables. At the bar to our left, vineyard owner, grape farmer and winemaker Leo Estevez (a vigneron and vintner, as I’ve learned are the official terms) offered us crackers with homemade lavender and jalapeno jellies, and tastes of his limited edition fine wines.

My favorite wine turned out to be C1 Limited Edition 2017 Texas Red Blend, vintage and handcrafted in memory of Leo and Roe Ann’s friend Steve Cone. The message on the side of the bottle reads, “Steve loved motorcycles, ranching, and country music. He also loved giving, and he would often buy brand new bicycles and hand them out to underprivileged children. He also loved to bless first responders whenever he could. Be like Steve. John 3:16.”

C1 is apparently infused with a bit of Brandy. I’m sure that with time, I will learn to distinguish its different notes and darker scents, and I will better appreciate its textural elements – its tannins and terroir. For now I just liked the way it tasted, so I bought a whole bottle and proceeded to drink it in the upstairs loft with Chad, his wife Jennifer, their neighbor Holly, and some other genuinely nice folks. (Sidenote: before the evening was over, I also bought a membership to the Vine Club, which offers exclusive tastings, discounts off four bottles of select wine shipped to me each quarter, and invitations for two to annual events, including a harvest party.) The only thing I enjoyed more than the wine was the conversation among newfound friends. The music and the grilled pizza were excellent, too!

The Making of a North Texas Vineyard

On their winery website, vinecrafters.com, Roe Ann writes that when she first met Leo, she had no idea she’d end up a farmer and open a winery. She is a seventh generation Texan, but Leo is a legal immigrant from Uruguay. When they got married, Leo wanted to serve something extra special to guests at their wedding reception, so he imported cases of a “spicy, fierce, meat-loving wine from Uruguay, called a Tannat.”

They moved into their first home in Dallas, and Leo got to work planting test vineyards. During long years of trial and error, he would visit his family in Uruguay where he would purchase Tannat grapes and experiment with winemaking. Throughout Roe Ann and Leo’s first ten years of marriage, they enjoyed growing grapes, making wines and sharing them with family and friends.

“We would even have Vino Night in our neighborhood where 30 families would gather once a month to enjoy wine and each other’s company,” Roe Ann writes. “At some point, Leo and I realized that we truly loved farming and making wine. We wanted to raise our family in a more rural environment, doing something that we were passionate about that we could share with others and honor God at the same time.”

So they moved their family to a “small hobby farm” on Shady Creek Lane in Rockwall, and got to work. “Today we are a small boutique winery making limited fine Texas wines for family and friends, taking each day as it comes, and trying to love and honor God as we go. We invite you to come taste our wines and enjoy the blessings of friendship.”

VineCrafters, 146 Shady Creek Lane 75087, is open to the public most Saturdays from 5 to 8 p.m. for its ‘Wine All You Want’ gatherings, with live music on select dates. For more information, visit vinecrafters.com or follow their ‘Wine All You Want’ event pages on Facebook.

By Dawn Redig, Blue Ribbon News. Photos by Richard Redig.

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