Vitis Texas: Pedernales Cellars

Visits: March 2016, September 2015, April 2015, and July 2014

Pedernales Cellars focuses on Spanish and Rhone varietals, and only uses Texas fruit. They have a regular tasting for $15 that gives a good introduction to their wines that rotates through their current offerings. They also offer a reserve tasting by reservation on the weekend for $25. The reserve tasting gives you an opportunity to taste some wine club only and library wines. This is one of the few experiences like this in the Hill Country, and is an experience more frequently found at wineries in Napa. Pedernales Cellars has a panoramic view of the surrounding hills from their deck, so it’s an excellent spot to grab a glass of wine, relax, and enjoy the view.

Pedernales Cellars does distribute a few of their wines, so they can be found at wine retailers around the state. Their Texas Tempranillo ($20), GSM ($25), and Viognier ($20) are all good examples of what Texas boutique wineries are producing now. The Texas Tempranillo is softer than their other Tempranillos, but is a well-made bottle of wine, and is an excellent value considering many of their bigger red wines break the $50 price point.