Anniversary Wine Bottles

Posted on March 17, 2015 by Kori and Eileen

We discussed the idea with each other on the way here: we’ll save the various wine bottles we collected on our elopement trip and open them on different anniversaries.

We briefly discussed with the staff at the Pillar Bluff Vineyard how different wines age. Based on her recommendation of which of their wines age better and a little internet research, we determined which wines would be best for which anniversaries. Hopefully we’re doing this right, and they don’t turn to vinegar before we open them.

We’ve labeled and photographed the bottles to keep track of when we plan to consume them:

Wedding Oak: Bridal Blush (2013) – Now
Wedding Oak: Viognier (2012) – 1st Anniversary
Pilot Knob: PK Cuvee (2014) – 3rd Anniversary
Pillar Bluff: Orange Merlot – “Kitty” (2009) – 5th Anniversary
Pillar Bluff: Cabernet Sauvignon (2010) – 10th Anniversary

Texas Hill Country Vineyards

Posted on March 15, 2015 by Kori and Eileen

We’re nearly to Austin, we’ve had a lot of fun visiting some of the many vineyards/wineries throughout the Texas Hill country.

The first winery we stopped at was the Wedding Oak winery in San Saba. The staff there were very nice to us. We told them that we had just gotten married and they gave us each a complimentary glass of wine of our choice (we had the Bridal Blush). We tried their selection of wines and selected the Bridal Blush as it was our favorite from the ones we had. We spent a few minutes sitting outside on their patio with our complimentary glasses of wine.

Afterwards we got a tour of their winery. We got to see the fermenting barrels, tanks, and presses they had on site and I took lots of pictures. The room was actually very cold (which I loved). The staff let us hang out there by ourselves for a little while, so we looked around and got lots of pictures of everything. It was quite fun.

After spending time at the Wedding Oak winery, we decided to take a look at the winery’s namesake, the local ‘Wedding Oak.’ About 2 miles away from the winery, stands a massive oak tree with a heart shape knot in the trunk. As the placard read:

A LEGENDARY INDIAN SITE,
POPULAR IN THE 1900s,
WEDDING OAK
SHELTERED MANY MARRIAGE
SERVICES. THREE OCCURRED
IN ONE DAY, DEC. 24, 1911.

Later on we went to Pillar Bluff Vineyards just outside of Lampasas. We drove through Lampasas and walked along the bank of Sulphur Creek before continuing on to the vineyard. We pulled up and at first were wondering if they were still open. Realizing we were just in time, we went in and were greeted by the owner Gill Bledsoe and by the winery dog, Rudy, and the winery cat, Pistil (as in the part of a flower). They had a very nice atmosphere. We sat down and asked to try their tasting selection. We tried the many wines they had including in their tasting, and we had their delicious super secret blue cheese dip. We ended up buying a few bottles of their great wine, as well as the recipe from them for an undisclosed amount. ^_^

We also dropped by the Texas Legato Vineyard across the way, owned by Gill’s brother. We had a look around and took in the atmosphere. It was only just down the street, but when we got there no one was inside, so we took a walk around the grounds and looked at their vineyard before getting back on the road.

-Kori

Pilot Knob Vineyard

Posted on March 13, 2015 by Kori and Eileen

We just stopped by Pilot Knob Vineyard and Winery. It was a bit out of the way towards Brownwood, but it’s the first vineyard on our trip! They are actually hosting a wedding on their grounds this afternoon, and were setting up when we arrived.

We tried out their tasting selection and we decided to get a bottle of their PK Cuvée white wine. It was definitely the sweetest, and we both liked it. Going to have to save this for a special occasion.

It’s really nice outside today, so we walked around for a little on the vineyard grounds. The grapes aren’t quite in season yet, so the vines were still bare. There was tons and tons of cactus as far as you can see. And of course more cows, lots more. We passed by a really rustic old barn on the way here. The scenery is just so nice. I’m sure the locals are bored with it, but it’s very new and interesting to us. Looking forward to the rest of the drive. Though if we keep stopping to take pictures of everything we may be getting in after dark.

-Kori & Eileen