Love on the vine

There are beginnings and there are endings, and both can be sweet in their own way. That is the case with our local wine industry. It burst out of nowhere over the last thirteen years, as wineries opened throughout Walker County. Now two of those are taking their curtain call, as their owners transition to buffing up the "grandparent" portion of their resumes.

Winemaking is an exhausting, creative, demanding, exhilarating job. Let's discover what makes these folks tick.

First fruit

Wine first came to Walker County off of Highway 19 south of Riverside, in the form of Knox Circle Winery, aka Froggy Wines.

Owners Richard and Debbie Henriksen bought a hobby wine kit when their youngest was a high school senior. With the encouragement of friends with whom they shared their inaugural White Zinfandel, they started making different kinds of wine and attending workshops and trainings.

They moved to Walker County in 2006, when Richard secured a position teaching counseling at Sam Houston State University. After two years of construction and permitting, Froggy Wines opened in 2013.

Their first competitor was only a few lily pads away.

Stan and Peggy McGinley's 360 acres off FM 1791 near the Montgomery County line was intended to be called "Cousin Camp," a place for their ten grandchildren to spend time outdoors. But Stan's retirement hobby soon changed the face of the land, when 15 acres of Blanc du Bois and Lenoir grapes were planted in 2009.

West Sandy Creek Winery bottled their first vintage of Blanc du Bois wine in 2013. In 2015, the tasting room and production facility were built, then five cabins. In March 2019, West Sandy Creek was open to the public.

The next winery opened just one month later.

Teysha Vineyards in Oakhurst was built by Joe and Lynn Zimmerman as a long-term business investment. "Create value and sell it," says Joe, "that was the ultimate goal." In devising their blends, Joe, a non-drinker, was the nose, and Lynn was the palate.

Their four acres contain nearly 2,000 vines of Blanc du Bois and Lenoir grapes, planted in 2015 and tended by Lynn while Joe worked overseas. By 2016, Joe retired to join his wife in focusing on wine full time. Teysha opened in April 2019, drawing visitors from both Huntsville and Livingston.

Those three wineries covered the north, east, and west of Walker County. The last represented the south: Golden Oak Micro Cellar, located a few miles outside of New Waverly.

The 13 acre horse ranch Catherine and Alex Bader purchased in 2015 now contains 600 vines of Blanc du Bois, Syrah, Merlot, and Camminare Noir grapes. "The timing was right," Alex shared. "We fell in love with the area."

The winery opened in October 2020. Since then, it has continued to roll its earnings into improvements and expansions, both inside and out. When you visit, you have three seating options: a covered patio, open air, or inside.

And you thought water into wine was hard

Golden Oak is unique in that its owners have day jobs. Alex works in the energy industry and Catherine is an auditor of quality management systems. For the others, wine became their retirement gig.

For 40 years, Stan McGinley served in the legal department of Saudi Aramco, the world's largest oil producer. Joe Zimmerman also spent 40 years in oil and gas, as a petroleum engineer. Both poured savings from those jobs into their new ventures, in a sense turning oil into wine.

It's not easy. Zimmerman grew up on a cotton farm in Louisiana and thought growing grapes would be a breeze. Turns out, he says, "these are the hardest things I've ever grown in my life."

Making the wine isn't easy either. Richard Henriksen of Froggy says winemaking, even more than his work with students and patients, uncovered reserves of patience he didn't know he had. "If you are going to make wine, you got to have a lot of patience," he said. "I have made wines that took a year. It's a labor of love."

In fact, Viticulture (grape growing) and Enology (winemaking) are so tough it helps to study them. Texas A&M University offers certificates in both subjects, which each take two years to complete and cost $3,500. You learn about soil health, vine physiology, wine chemistry, and much more.

The Henriksens and Stan McGinley were, in fact, classmates in a similar program at Grayson College in Denison. It is a small world. West Sandy Creek has a partnership with A&M's program, and even uses genetically modified grapes to combat disease and pests, two of any farmer's biggest foes.

Making the wine is just the beginning. Every winery has a tasting room and most occasionally host live music or other special events. In addition, West Sandy Creek has animals you can visit (through the fence), including Sadeeq the camel and zebra-donkey hybrids called zebronkeys. The McGinleys are farmers, vintners, zookeepers, and hosts, all in one.

With all of these demands, there is one constant: there is no substitute for doing it yourself. Every winery in Walker County is strictly family owned and operated. Alex Bader loves winemaking because "we get to be creative. We like to be innovative," he shares. But there are "no shortcuts. You gotta put your best in, even in dire straits."

A generational thing

Wine is a slow business. Years pass between your initial investment and that first bottle sold. And time passes another way, too: through the generations.

For two wineries, taking care of business is a family affair. The Baders' children help out at Golden Oak from time to time. At West Sandy Creek, three generations are involved. Stan McGinley's son Sandy now stewards the day-to-day operations, with grandson Dan there to keep things going when Sandy needs to step away.

For the other two wineries, family enters differently. They are setting wine aside to focus on their grandchildren.

The Henriksens plan to close Froggy Wines within the next year. The tasting and Lily Pad rooms will become The Tadpole Room and serve as a hangout for their three grandchildren.

"It's been a fun business," says Richard. "We've made a lot of friends. We are not into all the commercialism, so people like to come out here and hang out."

Something similar is happening at Teysha, which closed in April.

Joe Zimmerman says, "In the [last] 5-6 years, we've had three real weekends off. We miss soccer games, t-ball... it's pretty hard when you're stuck here with this enterprise to run." They are staying on the property, building a new home and using the space for the grandkids to visit.

What will they miss most? The people. "We have met some of the best people on the planet here," says Zimmerman. "We were making wine for our friends."

Leftover stock from Teysha can be purchased here for $25-$45 per bottle (with volume discounts), or keep an eye on their Facebook and Instagram accounts for opportunities to stop by.

Froggy Wines is open Friday 2-6, Saturday 11-6 and Sunday 12-6. Check their Facebook page before visiting to ensure they are open, as they are scaling back as they get closer to closing. They are at 104-A Knox Circle south of Riverside.

West Sandy Creek Winery is open Thursday 12–5, Friday and Saturday 12–7, and Sunday 12–6. They often have live music on the weekends. Don’t forget to grab some carrots from the tasting room to feed Sadeeq. They are at 1773 FM 1791 in Richards, or enter Blue Bonnet Hill into Google Maps and it will take you straight to the winery.

Golden Oak Micro Cellar is open Fridays 2-7, Saturdays 12-7, and Sundays 1-6, with unique Tea Infused (TAVIN) wine tastings at 5 pm on Fridays and Saturdays. They are located at 1124 Jones Rd. in New Waverly. Carefully follow the signs from downtown New Waverly, or follow the directions on your phone.

Golden Oak and West Sandy Creek both have lovely, elegant spaces that can be rented for special occasions.