Texas Hill Country is already known for wine. Now, Elisa and Chris Jones want to put a little more sparkle into the picture.
The couple's story began long before their first bottle of wine. As children of Air Force fathers, Elisa and Chris met in first grade. A full 36 years after their elementary school friendship, the two reconnected and married.
Wine, however, had already found Elisa. When Elisa helped her father plant his vineyard near College Station in 2007, she realized she couldn't ignore her love for wine. She later completed Texas Tech University's winemaking certificate program, with plans to make wine her second career. Chris joined her in the program after they were together, giving them a shared vocabulary for their new venture.
The first vintage of Elisa Christopher Wines was crafted in 2020. Two years later, the couple purchased 43 acres in the Hill Country. Development began with a tiny-home tasting room. The next year, the 4,000-square-foot production facility came online, including special equipment imported from France. The first acre of Chardonnay vines will be planted this year.
Bubbles can be made in a few different ways, but the traditional method used in the Champagne region of France is typically the most elegant.
Why focus on sparkling wines? Elisa responds, "Sparkling wine really is the thing that goes best with Texas food. It goes with barbecue… Mexican food… Steak. Plus, it's hot here, so having a refreshing wine all summer is pretty exciting."
The winery produces about 2,000 cases annually, more than half of them sparkling. The couple also uses its equipment to add traditional-method bubbles to wines produced by other Texas wineries. They are not making wine for other brands, just adding the sparkle.
For Elisa and Chris, the goal is bigger than making good wine. They are helping redefine what Texas wine can be, one bottle of bubbles at a time, and proving that a little sparkle has a natural place in the Hill Country.
"Sparkling wine really is the thing that goes best with Texas food. Having a refreshing wine all summer is pretty exciting." - Elisa