Even though it is Texas during the dog days of August and temperatures are projected to soar, I am excited; I almost feel like it is my first winery picnic. November was when I last sat under spreading oaks, dining al fresco, and sharing food and wine with friends. Then came winter. And Covid-19. Self-isolation. And closures of wineries and restaurants. They are slowly coming back to life, and on this day, of all the wineries along Highway 290, only a handful open their doors to limited guests. One is Kuhlman Cellars, a lovely winery with wonderful wines.
Kuhlman Cellars
It was serendipity—a chance discovery—that brings us to their doorstep today. Yesterday, Michael even asked me to confirm our reservations, he was skeptical of their validity. But here we are, masks secured, opening the door of the car, with views of the winery and fields of grapevines before us. Michael unpacks our simple picnic, carrying a small basket, and rolling our ever-ready tote down the path toward the picnic area.
I check-in with the winery and learn the Covid-19 drill.
The winery interior is closed to visitors; however, they have set up a sort of welcome area at a sliding glass window adjacent to their tasting room. The window slides open, and I learn from the winery staff that with social distancing de riguer these days, Kuhlman’s is only allowed to have 50 guests on the premises at one time. That is why reservations are almost mandatory—easily made online. They ask their customers to try and limit their time from 60 to 90 minutes. However, today is Monday, and like most Mondays of past years, things are very quiet, on the verge of serene.
There is a pile of laminated menus before me, listing wines available by the glass, bottle, or flight—five 1-ounce tastings of white, red, or mixed. Michael and I want a bottle of light Provencal-style rosé for our picnic—a perfect summer wine. A perfect picnic wine. Out of four available, Kuhlman Cellars Estate Rosé, a blend of Carignan, Mourvèdre, and Roussanne, is the recommendation I receive.
The Patio Picnic Area
The rosé I purchase is appropriately chilled and wrapped in a specially insulated jacket to keep it that way. A bottle of wine in one hand and two wine glasses in the other, I turn and climb the stairs to one of their many picnic areas above the tasting room. A fat yellow cat follows me like a puppy and takes up residence at the center table, immediately closing his eyes. He is our only companion up here and apparently could care less at our presence.
I love the expansive view from where I sit, and the gentle breeze wafting through the open space is a gift—a summer wind. Michael pours the wine while I unpack our picnic—for me, a very simple picnic. Because I knew we would be under time constraints, I thought fixing three courses was a stretch. However, today, it looks like we have all the time in the world.
Picnic Lunch
I cut each of us fat slices of the decadent potato pie, the crust filled with butter and the layers of potatoes studded with savory bacon and laced with rich cream. To make up for the indulgent dish, I add a side of tiny Campari tomatoes that are sliced, seasoned, and dressed with red wine vinegar, a touch of olive oil, and thin slices of mint. I take a bite of potatoes and a sip of the rosé. It is light and delicate. Perfect. Drinkable. Perhaps too drinkable for a Monday afternoon.
At the last minute I decide on a sweet ending, and since I didn’t bake anything specifically for the occasion, I turned to the refrigerator for inspiration. Discovering I still have a few luscious poached peaches that have been soaking in a bourbon infused simple syrup for weeks, I added them to my picnic basket. Spooning the first sweet boozy bite into our mouths I decide that adding them to our repast was both brilliant and easy.
Michael looks at me and says, “The peach kills the wine.”
“Have a bite of potato pie—that will fix it,” I tell him.
He smiles.
Michael and I raise our glasses, toasting the fact we are here together, drinking delicious wine, and eating tasty food. If we didn’t know better, we would think our world was almost normal. As we sit and sip and talk, a large and friendly, midnight-black, four legged creature named Toby, walks up to us and starts wagging his tail. The look in his eyes says, PLEASE. He is hard to resist. Sensing my husband is the softest touch, he positions his head under Michael’s hand and appreciates the friendly affection offered.
Leaving
Sitting here is so pleasant, enjoying the view and the wine, I have to motivate myself to pack up our meal’s detritus and leave this airy retreat. I stop by the tasting room window, pay my bill and buy another bottle of wine—Kuhlman Cellars Kankar. From past experience and recently enjoying a bottle with dinner, I know this red wine is lovely. A blend of Petite Syrah and Malbec from the Dry Creek Valley, with a touch of Sangiovese from Newsome Vineyards in Texas, it is a limited production wine. I learn that if I have patience, long term aging will develop complexity in the coming years. Although patience is not a virtue I readily possess, I can try.
The Long Road Home
As we leave the winery, Michael surprises me by saying, “I’m going to take a different road home and see where we end up.”
One more gift that drops in my lap this ordinary Monday. The road has no number that we can see only a name—Maenius. There isn’t even a thin gray line on my Google Maps App to show it exists.
Driving down this narrow lane, I feel like I am getting a glimpse of Texas as it was. We are indeed on the road less traveled; there is not another car or truck or tractor in sight as we wind our way homeward. Fields beckon for me to sit and be, but a fence always is there to discourage me. Instead, Michael stops the car often so I can inhale the scene and take a picture. Moments to remember.
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Information on Kuhlman Cellars
After managing a small estate vineyard in the Texas Hill Country AVA, Chris and Jennifer Cobb continued the “wine life journey by opening Kuhlman Cellars in the autumn of 2014. Named after Kuhlman Creek, which originates on their family farm, they produce wine representative of Old-World winemaking principles, striving to make wines of distinction, nuance, and great complexity. Believing the idea of wine is supremely agricultural by nature, their Winemaker and partner, Bénédicte Rhyne, builds between climate and vine from the dirt to the barrel to the bottle.
Rhyne joined the Kuhlman team in 2012 after completing her Diplôme National d’Œnologue (Masters in Enology) at the Universite de Bourgogne in Dijon, France; she began her career in Sonoma with Ravenswood Winery.
For more information on Kuhlman Cellars visit their website www.kuhlmancellars.com
Tasting Room:
18421 E US 290, Stonewall, TX 78671, (512) 920-2675
Hours:
Thursday – Saturday: 11 AM to 6 PM, the last tasting starting at 5 PM
Sunday – Monday: 12 PM to 5 PM, the last tasting starting at 4 PM
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