Kuhlman Cellars: What's in a Name?

I was leading a tasting the other day and someone asked where our wine names came from and who named the wines.  The very short answer: me! The longer answer will be revealed in two parts: our winery name and then our wine names.  

When Jennifer and I “bought the farm” back in 2010, we specifically sought a place both peaceful to our souls, but also furthering our family goal of a personal vineyard.  The 34 acres we bought has a beautiful 10 acre pasture but also some hills and a small valley. Kuhlman Creek forms on this property, which is sited at the northern ridge of the Pedernales River Valley.  As we face south, we have a beautiful view stretching 4 miles and several hundred feet gradual drop down to the river. It’s stunning and peaceful.

When we launched the winery, we struggled with a name.  We didn’t want to name it after our family, because the winery isn’t about us.  Further, we didn’t want to distract from our amazing wines and the meaningful experience of food and wine pairings.  Some of you know we originally thought Kuhlman Creek Cellars, but dropped “creek” when we realized how many places already have a “creek” as part of their name!  Kuhlman is anything but a follower or part of the crowd - we’ve completely redefined the meaning of wine and food pairings as related to wine tastings.

Back in 2010, the creek was a live water stream and had flowed seemingly uninterrupted for years, even through the terrible 1950’s drought.  Our oldest son even caught some small perch in the creek, much to my surprise and a lost bet! However, the extreme drought of 2011-2013 changed that and the creek dried up.  It’s flowing again on a seasonal basis, though the importance of water on all of our ecology can’t be understated. The Texas A&M Forest Service estimates approximately 300 million Texas trees perished because of the 2011 drought!

The winery is named after water - the foundation of life.  Our wine names are about the dirt in which the vines grow, and their story will be told in a later blog.  When we add in our unique Texas weather and our yearly labor of love in the vineyard and cellar, the result is wine.  Really great wine!