Kuhlman Cellars :: A Culinary Experience
Imagine sitting around the dinner table in southern France. The table is adorned with a bottle of wine and small culinary masterpieces. Then imagine you're sitting in the Texas Hill Country, tasting a collection of fine wines and pairing them with bites that would make the Disney character, Ratatouille's, head spin. Oh wait. You don't have to imagine...it exists!
Kuhlman Cellars is a small winery and tasting room that sits off of 290. I would often whiz past their tasting room in my red car and imagine sitting atop the second story patio while sipping on a glass of chilled white wine during the summer time. FINALLY I ventured in for a tasting, and I don't know what took me so long.
Kuhlman Cellars gives a unique wine tasting experience. I've tasted quite a few wines around Fredericksburg, and this experience was definitely one of a kind. You have two tasting options (wine or wine paired with food), but I would highly recommend reserving a tasting with their culinary twist. (Who doesn't love wine paired with food)??
You can reserve tastings ahead of time, but my friends and I lucked out being a walk-in group (walk-ins are welcome). We were ushered into a private tasting room with another couple and were greeted by 5 fresh wine glasses (per person) plus our very own small bites to pair with each wine. The master wine maker at Kuhlman is a family friend, and we were lucky enough to learn about Kuhlman wines from the master, herself!
She explained each wine with such passion and detail, you could definitely tell the creations were near and dear to her heart. We started with the white wines, which were paired with the least "fatty" food pairing, and then worked our way down to the reds (the last red wine was paired with persimmon/date cheesecake tartlet). The chef changes the menu every so often, and I enjoyed everything put on the plate in front of me. Kuhlman believes that wines should always be paired with DELICIOUS food (fabulous life motto), the tasting should be done seated (so you feel welcomed to their table), and each glass of wine is unique and therefore should have their own separate glasses (made me feel fancy and I'm all about it). Subtle differences really switch up the wine tasting experience and obviously have an impact on their customers (AKA me AKA because I loved every second).
Things I learned:
1. The names of their wines are often inspired by the soils in which the vines grow.
2. Merlot wines are actually supposed to be a lighter red of the red family (this blew my mind, because the Merlot blends I'm familiar with are very full bodied).
3. The herb covered almonds they pair with their Alluve wine are addicting (so watch out). The herbs actually come from Provence, France.
4. We received a $5 dollar tasting credit on purchasing a bottle of wine (I splurged on their KanKar wine - saved it for a special occasion)!
5. The only wine not fully Texan is their KanKar. TEXAS FINE WINES, Y'ALL!
I truly enjoyed each wine and thought they were paired perfectly with the crafted bites. If you are looking for a unique Texas wine tasting experience, you MUST add Kuhlman's to your list. Ambiance. Gourmet food bites. Delicious, high quality wines. Small, personal winery feel. Views. You're going to LOVE it.
