Yates Winery Growing Grapes and New Business in Hill Country

If you look to the right side of the road past Johnson City, heading to Hye on US-290, you’ll spot a new winery. It’s from the same family that owns Spicewood Vineyards and it bears the family name, Yates. Starting off with nine releases, Yates wants Central Texans to know there’s a new destination they should add to their Hill Country winery tour list.

Newest Winery on Wine Road 290

Even though Spicewood Vineyards is Yates’s “sister winery,” contributing talent and experience, Yates has a distinct purpose. In a press release, owner Ron Yates explained, “Spicewood Vineyards will remain committed to making Texas wine with estate-grown Portuguese and Spanish grapes. Yates will make top-notch Rhone, Spanish, and Italian style wines, along with several vineyard-designated Tempranillo wines with fruit grown in the Texas Hill Country, West Texas, Davis Mountain and the Texas High Plains. Texas wine lovers will have a lot to choose from.”

Out of the nearly 16 acres of beautiful Texas land owned by Yates, four acres currently hold grapevines, most of which grow Tempranillo grapes. Six more acres of the property will soon cultivate grapevines, while the winery will continue to work with other Texas grape growers to bring in even more fruit.

Along with fruitful grounds holding rows of vines, Yates contains a pristine 6,000 square foot facility paired with state of the art equipment, like a custom crusher and de-stemmer. Eventually, the team plans to set up a pavilion where wine club members can chat and unwind next to a swimming pool. In the future, visitors will also be able to hang out in a 5,000 square foot tasting room, complete with wine library and cellar for private tastings and aging Gran Reserva Tempranillo.

Taking More Than a Few Sips

I was happy to attend the Yates Grand Opening Media and Trade Event on Aug. 22, despite my wine tasting ignorance. All I know is that I like the way wine tastes, and by swirling it around in the glass and smelling it before taking a sip, I can feign expertise. Luckily, Yates is accessible and appealing to every type of wine drinker.

Yates’ Tempranillo stood out as my favorite with its hints of cherry and memorable taste. It could quickly become someone’s go-to wine to pair with a meal, or drink on a porch during a calm Texas evening. The Tempranillo 2014 was fermented/macerated for three weeks and aged for a year in 25% new American oak and 75% neutral oak.

Along with an evening full of wine, light eats and live music, checking out the winery itself was a must. Since the opening party took place right after heavy rains, all of the grapes on site had been quickly picked and put into huge cubes. Guests could peek in and see the beginning stages of Yates wine that would soon be pressed and eventually funneled into barrels.

Follow and Visit Yates

The Yates website hasn’t been released as of this writing, but it will be available shortly. For now, you can follow the winery on Twitter and Facebook for updates.

Yates is located at 6676 Highway 290 West in Hye, Texas. To make a reservation, email re**********@ya********.com. At the moment, the venue is appointment only, but it’s well worth the extra effort to make a reservation, since you’ll get to try out amazing wines before everyone else finds out about them!

The Yates owners and staff are very kind and eager to talk about their new wines and facility. Even if you don’t know much about wine, they will welcome you and happily introduce you to their expanding collection.

 

@MadameKLM wants to know: 

Do you have a favorite Texas wine?