The owner of Texas Heritage Vineyard safeguarded the future of Gillespie County residents while working in the insurance industry for 31 years. Today she’s ensuring those residents are enjoying themselves and having fun.
Susan Johnson, who retired from State Farm Insurance in 2013, said she wanted to do a little gardening upon retirement. Her hobby turned into a 15-acre vineyard, winery and tasting room that is cherished by locals.
A majority of her staff started off as wine club members who made the transition to working in the tasting room like Lillian Martin, a wine pourer. “When I first started working here, I didn’t know if I wanted to because I love this place so much,” Martin laughed. “I didn’t want to ruin it. They needed a little bit of help, so I started helping. This has been the least stressful job I’ve ever had.”
Lisa Farrow, tasting room manager, started as a wine club member in 2019, then began working in November 2020. “I already knew they had great wine, and I like the family atmosphere here versus the corporate,” said the veterans of the wine industry. “I think people feel at home here, they love our staff and they love Billy and Susan. They’ve been in the community for so long.”
Farrow said the tasting room does great local business on Fridays and Sundays with local musicians. Martin, the wife of one those musicians Jake Martin, agreed. “Billy and Susan have been big into the live music industry too,” she said.
“They love it almost as much as much as they love the wine.”
Johnson said the people who come through her doors are what make the job fulfilling for her. “We have people who are happy and relaxed here. They come into our winery, and they have great time,” Johnson said. “I can’t tell you how many friends I’ve made. Through our efforts, we’ve enriched not only their lives, but our own lives.”
She and her husband Billy Johnson, who owns the State Farm Insurance office in Fredericksburg, planted vines in 2015 and had their first wine in 2016 with grapes purchased from other growers. Since 2019, the winery has racked up numerous awards from San Antonio to San Francisco.
Wines
The winery was built in 2017 and opened the following year along U.S. 290 then started making wines with grapes from their vineyard. “It means a lot to be able to take a grape that’s grown right here in Gillespie County and win those international awards,” Johnson said. “It’s fulfilling, and it’s fun to drink it too.”
Part of the enjoyment comes from the numerous accolades Texas Heritage Vineyard wines have won at international competitions. The 2019 Sangiovese won a silver medal at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition and various wines have been winning awards on the west coast ever since, along with the international competitions in Houston and San Antonio.
Part of the magic has to do with Texas Tech enology-trained Susan and with its winemaker Tyler Buddemeyer. The Houston native moved to the Hill Country in 2014 and graduated from the University of Texas Tech’s Viticulture and Enology certificate program. He also worked at local vineyards and wineries. It wasn’t until he started at Texas Heritage Vineyard in 2018 and apprenticed with John Rivenburgh, owner of Kerrville Hills Winery, that he found his groove.
“He’s been with us since the beginning and he’s a great young winemaker,” Johnson said about Buddemeyer. “He’s been called the premier young winemaker in the Texas Hill Country. He recently got married last summer and they just had their first baby a couple of weeks ago,” Johnson said. “We’re really happy for him.”
History
The tasting room, open seven days a week, has a wineshop and neighborhood pub feel with a touch of Texas history. It’s also a favorite with locals in the tourism-heavy region.
Amid the photographs of patrons and employes are historical family photographs. “Part of the reason that we chose this Texas area is that I’m seventh generation and Billy is fifth, so we have a lot of deep family history here,” Johnson said.
Her ancestors, Dr. William Hartwell Pierce and John Washington Rose, have ties to the Civil War and to George Washington. Pierce was a doctor for the Confederacy and was shot and killed for saving the life of a Union captain. On Johnson’s mother’s side was Rose. “John Washington, Rose’s grandmother, was George Washington’s niece,” Johnson pointed at the portrait on the wall.
There is also a photograph of Billy’s father — Raymond Douglas Johnson — on display at the tasting room. “This is my husband’s father, who was born and raised in Austin,” Johnson said. “He was interesting character.” Johnson, a flight officer and glider pilot with the U.S. 17th Airborne Division received the Bronze Star and Air Medal for landing a glider behind enemy lines in Wesel, Germany, during Operation Varsity, the largest single-day airborne operation of the war, according to the U.S. Army Airborne and Special Operations Museum.
This is part of the Johnson family legacy that family, friends and visitors get to enjoy at the local winery.
Texas Heritage Vineyards
3245 U.S. 290 • Fredericksburg
830-992-3323
texasheritagevineyard.com