Arts
The First Underground, Commercial Barrel Cellar in Central Texas Grape Creek Vineyard's terroir has a rich legacy beyond it's recent wine history. The property sits on what is believed to have been a Comanche campground. Evidence of their presence is in the form of spearheads, arrowheads and skinning tools found on the property. The banks of Grape Creek afforded the native tribes access to year-round water and cool breezes. In 1985, Ned and Nel Simes, the original owners of Grape Creek Vineyards, began a 20 year journey to create a recognized winery in the Texas Hill Country. They planted Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay and also established the first underground, commercial barrel cellar in Central Texas, which can be seen on our tours. Ned passed away in 2004 and the Heath's purchased the property and business from Ned’s heirs in early 2006. The Heath's have a Vision Brian immediately embarked on a renovation and expansion of the property. This included transforming what once was the residence into the Tuscan Villa tasting rooms you see today. A new rock bell tower and entry were added off highway 290 and an aggressive program of vineyard planting and investing in substantially improved wine production capabilities was undertaken. Beginning in 2011 Grape Creek completed phase one the current state-of-the-art wine production facility, and contine to add to it today. The winery is featured on our cellar tours. The new tour tasting room and art gallery was launched in 2014 and the trattoria and terrace patios were opened in 2015, only to transform into a fine dining restaurant in 2017. Every year Brian says he is done building for a while, but none of us believe him! Grape Creek looks forward to providing you with a unique, old world experience and serving exceptional wine. You can order wine online and Belong! to our wine club family so you can enjoy Grape Creek Vineyards year round!