Visitors to the 32 oak-lined acres at Halter Ranch Wines tend to linger. They don’t dine and dash — they want to learn more about the organic grapes in their glass and the chef-prepared meal on their plate. “The food and wine have a story. People want to know that story,” said Steve Wagner, sous chef at H, the restaurant on site. “They like to know how it’s all made. It’s romantic.”
Halter Ranch, located along US Highway 290, the burgeoning Texas Wine Road, is part of the Halter Ranch family, based in California. The Estate at Paso Robles (which means “Pass of the Oaks”) is a destination unto itself and the only winery in the world with its own airstrip. Halter Ranch has a second tasting room in Temecula, California. And now, Halter Ranch Texas is its newest venture and the first winery in Fredericksburg to be certified organic. The winery has one acre of organic Blanc du Bois, which it plans to develop into a sparkling white wine.
Wagner describes his customers as people who like to take their time with good food and wine. They may come for a tasting and stay another hour or more to savor a meal. “We found out we can’t be reservation-only here,” Wagner said. “People in Texas like to not be tied down to plans.” Other guests come from out of state. “They may have joined our wine club, maybe in California, and they’ve traveled here. Or maybe they live here now and are excited about us having a winery here too,” Wagner said.
He has noticed that Texas tastes are different than those in California. “People come here looking for a heartier meal, bigger portions. It’s more meat-driven here,” he said.
The food Wagner prepares is as locally sourced as possible. With a state as big as Texas, that can mean peaches from Fredericksburg, young wild boar from Broken Arrow in Ingram, shrimp from the Gulf Coast, citrus from the Rio Grande Valley, or cheese from Oro Bianco in Stonewall. Wagner works primarily with small, sustainable farms and providers who focus on organic practices. “We try to stay seasonal as much as possible. Springtime is great — so much is in season,” he said. “This winter we’ve been using butterkin squash in our harvest salad. They’re small, like ornamental pumpkins, but the color of butternut.”
Cooking seasonally has its challenges, but those challenges keep Wagner thinking and creating. “I may create menu items for a month or two that allow us to switch things out. But literally, some of the stuff is available for a week and then it’s gone. It takes more skill and time this way,” he said.
Wagner grew up in Houston and began working as a busboy at the age of 12, working for his sister and her husband, who managed a Waffle House. He continued working in restaurants through high school and college, eventually working at The Gristmill in Gruene. That’s when he began to consider a career as a chef. He apprenticed under a German chef at the Woodlands Conference Center for five years. “I got good exposure to different sauces, different styles of cooking, doing things the proper way. It was a full brigade kitchen setting,” he said. After that he worked his way up to running his own kitchen, eventually working as executive chef at conference centers and running his own catering business.
At Halter Ranch, he enjoys cooking with Halter Ranch wines — both from California and blends created in partnership with Bending Branch Winery in Comfort. “There are a couple of items on our charcuterie — we’ll do cherries with our Ancestor wine. Apricots with our Grenache Blanc. It’s another talking point,” Wagner said. “I’m always thinking about menus and thinking what wine will this menu item go well with?”
Halter Ranch
8561 US 290 East, Fredericksburg
Wednesday–Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
(830) 362-1455
halterranch.com/texas