GRAPE EXPECTATIONS

Award-winning Texas winery uncorks new Hill Country tasting room

Reddy Wines recently opened a tasting room in the Texas Hill Country.

A family-owned and operated northwest Texas winery with a nearly 30-year legacy has uncorked a new location in the Hill Country. Reddy Wines' new Stonewall tasting room, a short drive from Fredericksburg, debuted on March 4 in the former site of Cicada Cellars, joining the region's 100-plus popular wineries.

Reddy Wines dates back to 1997 when India native Vijay Reddy and his wife, Subada, began applying their long-established farming skills and business knowledge toward developing vineyards in Brownfield, near Lubbock. Vijay and Subada's son Akhil Reddy, now CEO at Reddy Wines, says his father earned a doctorate in soil and plant science. The achievement was key to his parents building a business that helped farmers get the most out of their crops.

"Eighty-five percent of the wine grapes in Texas are grown near our vineyard in the Texas High Plains due to the specific climate," Reddy says. "High elevation, low humidity, extremely cold winters, diurnal swings, winds, and much more contribute to the excellent quality of the wine grapes that come out of the Texas High Plains. These climate factors are similar to the great growing regions of the world."

The Reddys formally launched an on-site wine program in 2015 and officially opened the winery at their 400-acre vineyard ranch in West Texas in 2018. The vineyards cultivate over 38 varieties of wine grapes, producing about 50,000 bottles yearly.

The first harvest resulted in a gold medal-winning Cabernet Sauvignon, among other honors. According to Reddy, the wines are made more complex by the weather familiar to locals in the Lubbock area, such as high winds, dust storms, hailstorms, and heat spikes.

"The growth here is extraordinary and with merit. This era in Texas wine is similar to how Napa Valley was in the 1960s, and we have international recognition of our excellent wine," Reddy said.

New Hill Country winery
Reddy says the family has been eager to join the dozens of other famed wineries north of San Antonio and west of Austin. The Hill Country American Viticultural Area is the nation's third-largest AVA, covering 9 million acres and hosting more than 100 wineries, according to industry advocacy group Texas Hill Country Wineries.

The new Reddy Vineyards tasting room, marked by a playful logo featuring a bobcat riding a motorcycle, serves five distinct tasting experiences. The tasting room also offers indoor and outdoor seating shaded by oak trees. There is a members-only lounge and a private area for corporate events, retreats, or larger group gatherings.

While sipping the signature varietals, guests may snack on small bites of local cheeses, meats, fruit, nuts, vegetables, and other charcuterie items. The tasting room team plans to partner with local chefs during special events.

The tasting room at 14746 US-290 in Stonewall is open 11 am-5:30 pm, Thursday-Monday. Oenophiles can book tastings in advance, but walk-ins are welcome. Reddy plans to schedule a grand opening in April.

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REVIVING THE ALAMO

Texas landmark the Alamo reclaims historic cannon from private ownership

Photo by Gower Brown/ Unsplash

A 90-pound cannon used in the Battle of the Alamo is returning to its San Antonio home.

It turns out the Alamo's original 1836 cannons are good for more than just defense — they also make a sturdy birdbath. After serving as a garden ornament for Samuel Maverick’s descendants, an authentic piece of San Antonio history is finally returning home to the revered mission.

According to an Alamo announcement, the swivel cannon weighs 90 pounds and is approximately three feet long. The relic was originally found in 1852 when Maverick built a home near the northwest corner of the battle’s site.

The lawyer and land baron was saved from death when he was urged by William Barret Travis to ride to the Texas Declaration of Independence convention in Washington-on-the-Brazos to send reinforcements. Returning to the Alamo’s grounds, he found a cache of cannons buried where the Hotel Gibbs sits today.

From there, the cannon wound up at the Maverick family’s Sunshine Ranch on the Northwest Side, where it was eventually incorporated into the garden DIY project. In 1955, the cannon was removed from the ranch, and the current location remained a mystery until the Alamo received a call from a Maverick relative in Corpus Christi.

Alamo cannon This Alamo artifact gives an idea of what the cannon will look like once restoration is complete.Photo courtesy of the Alamo.

“The relative graciously donated the cannon to the Alamo,” wrote a rep from the mission. “Alamo Senior Researcher and Historian Kolby Lanham and Head Conservator Pam Jary Rosser drove down the very next day to take this piece of history home to the Alamo.”

Although the artillery is mostly intact, it is missing its trunnions (the pivot-point protrusions on the sides of the barrel) and cascabel (the knob and neck assembly at the rear of historic muzzle-loading cannons). The parts were removed by the Mexican army to make the cannon inoperable.

Once preservation is complete, this cannon and the Alamo Collection’s other battle cannons will make their way to the upcoming Visitor Center and Museum, where they will be joined by rocker Phil Collins' collection of Alamo artifacts. The Alamo is in the midst of a $550 million preservation project, which includes conserving the Alamo Church, Long Barrack, and the mission’s original footprint. The museum is on track to debut in late 2027.

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