Texas wine industry grows

Pinkley fell in love with the winemaking practice several years ago while working as a commercial lender. At first just an interest, he began growing grapes on the edge of the Hill Country and supplemented the fruit he could not grow—new grapevines take about three years to produce—with imports from the state's High Plains region near Lubbock.

"We worked with a grape grower who had 46 acres in the High Plains and built a relationship with him so that when we opened our doors, we could already have wines developed," he said. "When you grow your own grapes, you have more control of the elements that go into it, but if you have a good grower, they let you have quite a bit of control of what's happening in that vineyard, too."

Pinkley said his industry is less competitive than others, and winemaker Tim Drake agrees. He guides Pilot Knob's wine production and is also the Vineyard Manager at Flat Creek Vineyard and Winery in Marble Falls, about 20 miles west of Cedar Park.

"In the wine industry, it's virtually impossible to duplicate what somebody else has," Drake said. "If one of us does well, it helps everybody else do well. So it really is in everybody's best interest to collaborate."

Flat Creek—owned by Rick and Madelyn Naber—uses grapes from its own 20-acre vineyard as well as fruit from other regions of Texas and from California.

"Our focus is on quality fruit, so we want the best-quality grapes because that's where quality wine comes from," said Amanda Koraska, director of business operations. "Our goal is to eventually be all Texas-grown grapes, but right now there aren't enough vineyards to support all of the wineries in Texas."

The two wineries share similarities. They both host weddings and wine tasters year-round, and both use grapes from the same regions. But Drake said despite the camaraderie among Texas winemakers, there is still a competitive edge.

"We're all competitive, and I believe that a winemaker, by definition, believes he is God's gift to grapes," he said. "Some can admit that and some will not, but we would not be doing this if we didn't think that we could do it better than anybody else out there."

Pilot Knob Vineyard, 3125 CR 212, Bertram, 489-2999, www.pilotknobvineyard.com

Flat Creek Vineyard and Winery, 24912 Singleton Bend East Road, Marble Falls, 267-6310, www.flatcreekestate.com