Bernhardt Winery July 2011 Dockline Issue
Hey y'all! Can you believe that it's this HOT? As I sit and pencil this, we are in the worst drought in our area since record keeping began in 1895. Whew! It's nice to know that you can always come by and wet-yer-whistle at The Rancher's Daughter. And by the way, we are much obliged to all that came out to the second meeting of "Women and Wine on Wednesdays". We enjoyed ourselves and appreciate the opportunity to host such an event. The first was at Cork This! Winery and the next will be at Bernhardt Winery, the third Wednesday of every month, so mark your calendars. Speaking of the Bernhardt's, they were very generous to help us in our efforts to raise funds so that our shop mascot,Pearl, could have heart surgery. Pearl is now a very healthy (read: "overly energetic") Australian Shepherd pup, our sincere thanks to all who helped. They are also our featured Texas winery this month.
Bernhardt Winery is a small, boutique winery producing classic varietals and unique blends. Producing approximately 8,000 gallons of wine each year, this Tuscany style tasting room/winery sits on top of a beautiful hill overlooking endless hills and valleys, much like that of Tuscany. They carry traditional wine merchandise, along with fine jellies, jams and sauces. Located just 8 miles west of the historical town of Montgomery, birth place of the Texas flag, and 17 miles east of Navasota, the Blues Capital of Texas, this winery has become a favorite destination for many because of their great wines, warm environment, a beautiful B&B, and Sunday music lawn concerts. The winery is open Tuesdays through Fridays noon until 5:00pm, Saturdays, noon till 6:00pm and Sundays 1:00 pm till 6:00 pm. During concert season, mid-April to mid-November, Sunday hours are 1:00pm to 9:00pm.
Jerry and Jerri Bernhardt opened Bernhardt Winery in
July 2005. Both being retired educators, building a new business in the fast growing wine industry came from their desire for learning something new together. Their passion for learning about wine and wine making has transformed into a great destination for wine lovers.
With a career in teaching architectural design, Jerry designed and built the winery that opened to the public in July 2005. After five years, the winery has grown in wine production as well as opening a new Bed and Breakfast, an events room, and has become a unique place for weddings.
Their mission statement "To produce quality wines and provide a fun wine tasting experience in a warm environment" has never been taken lightly by Jerry or Jerri. They believe this has truly been a large part of their success in this fast growing wine industry.
Jerri and Jerry said that they dreamed of a place where family and friends could meet and enjoy the beauty of nature and celebrate life. In support of their dream, they created a Sunday evening sunset celebration they appropriately called, Sippin' Sunday Sunset Concert Series. The concert series begins the middle of April and continues every Sunday through the middle of November. For a list of entertainers, go to their web page or call the winery. Every Sunday evening beginning an hour before sunset
, they have a lawn concert with great music for you to relax with your family and friends. The concerts take place on the lawn under beautiful century old Pecan trees. This area is lit by soft lights dangling from the trees that look like something from the early 1900's. At sunset, the Bernhardt's stop the music and raise a toast to life and love! Guests bring lawn chairs and blankets to enjoy on the concert lawn. Generally, folks arrive an hour or so before the
concert to go through a tasting and tour of the winery.
This year will be their third harvest of their Blanc Du Bois grapes. The 2008 harvest produced a wine in which the Bernhardts won a bronze medal at the San Francisco International Wine Competition. Harvest is the second weekend in July, and volunteers are always needed. The day begins at 7:30 am and ends around 11:30 am. After harvest, they will be serving a nice lunch paired with their award winning wines.
On Sunday, July 31, the Bernhardts will celebrate their sixth year anniversary with a good ole' Grape Stomp. The celebration will include guided tours through the vines, lawn games, a Lucy Look-A-Like contest, specialty food vendors, and the traditional sunset toast and poetry reading. Rounding out the evening will be Kevin Black in concert. Participants will be able to step into their Lucy Look-A-Like grape crush vat and stomp grapes. After crushing grapes you can step onto a T-shirt capturing the moment! Grape crush activities start at 4:30 pm. Children are welcomed and have a wonderful time!
On Sunday, September 4, they will celebrate their fall harvest with another Grape Stomp that will include all the activities listed above and will conclude with a concert by Shake Russell, one of Texas' great gentleman troubadours.
For more information or to contact the winery, go to their website at www.bernhardtwinery.com or you can call (936) 894-9829.
You can find Bernhardt wine at The Rancher's Daughter, where we represent over 50 Texas wineries and over 100 varietals. Come in and taste their wines or one of the many others that we have on daily tastings. We hope that you enjoy this column and as always, if you have any suggestions, we welcome them. Y'all come see us at The Rancher's Daughter, "Texas' Only Texas-Only Wine Shop". Harry and Rendy Kerr, native Texans and Montgomery residents, can be reached at 202B McCown Street, Montgomery Texas 77356 (936) 449-4100.