The floors of the old Boerne Star office are newly sanded, and Andrew “Karate Kid” Missick is joyfully kicking up clouds of concrete dust with childish abandon. Mom and Dad Missick (a.k.a. Chris and Laure) work to corral their 7-year-old boy and little sister Audrey while simultaneously casting a vision for their future tasting room. It is a work in progress, and it is a family affair.
“We want to create a family-friendly space for people to experience high-end Texas wines,” Chris explains as we walk towards a stand of oak trees behind their future tasting room on N. School Street, just off Boerne’s Main Street.
The Missick’s new venture is a far cry from home. Chris grew up in California and fell in love with winemaking while attending law school near Napa Valley in Sacramento. Chris met Laure in her native Toulouse in southern France, where wine and winemaking are a way of life.
After an initial stint in bankruptcy law in California, Chris and Laure took their love of wine to the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. They joined Chris’s parents and brother in the purchase in 2011 of a local winery, Villa Bellangelo, which they rebranded in 2021 as Missick Cellars.
Chris threw himself into the craft of winemaking in a region famous for producing some of the best Rieslings outside of Germany. He took on the role of chief winemaker in 2015, planting new grape varietals like Chenin Blanc and establishing a traditional sparkling wine program. The result was dozens of 90+ rated wines and a 2018 designation by Wine & Spirits magazine for producing one of the top 100 wines in the world.
A Step of Faith
Selling their New York winery and moving to Texas was a literal step of faith for the Missicks. Various challenges got them thinking about a move, but the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic was a turning point.
“I no longer felt a cultural alignment with where we were living,” Chris says. “It happened in big ways and small.” The Missicks began researching and traveling to other American wine-growing regions, and that work included a visit to the Texas Winemakers Symposium in January of 2022. “That was the week I discovered Boerne.”
Moving to Texas was about more than just wine. It was a family decision, including what it would be like to come here with their children. “We prayed about it a lot,” Chris recalls. After six months, a couple of visits, and various “signs of confirmation,” Chris and Laure decided to relocate their family and Missick Cellars to Boerne in 2023.
The Missicks see tremendous opportunity in their new home state. They point to a long growing season and expansive array of grape varietals as part of the exciting canvas of Texas winemaking. “We are excited to focus on making Texas wines. There is so much potential here, so many varietals. We didn’t relocate to Texas to make New York wines.”
Serious, Not Pretentious
The Missicks are excited to bring their heritage and experience to the Texas Hill Country’s vibrant and growing viniculture, feeling like they fit in well. “Our emphasis is first on family and an approachability to wine,” Chris explains. “We want to be distinctive from larger, more commercial experiences that people often have.” Laure adds, “We are serious about wine but without the pretension.” Laure’s French heritage informs this ethic. “What we are as winemakers,” she says, “is really making a wine that complements what’s on the table.”
As a winemaking family, the Missicks also believe there is room to make the wine industry and winery experience more family-friendly. They point to local craft breweries as a model, where families gather and enjoy food and drink in a communal atmosphere.
They are also excited to introduce viniculture to the next generation and offer wine nerds opportunities to get their groove on. Chris and Laure plan to give presentations on sparkling wine production using a traditional method for those who want to explore a niche of wine that many folks aren’t familiar with. “We are an owner and winemaking family. We intend to be in the tasting room regularly to meet with people who want to come and learn.”
Missick Cellars plans to open its tasting room on N. School Street soon, sharing a dream of making and sharing ultra-premium wines without the pretense. “We are excited for our neighbors to come and taste authentic and delicious wines in a family-friendly atmosphere,” Chris says. “We want them to feel welcome, just like we have felt welcome in Boerne.”
missickcellars.com | 941 N. School St.
“Our emphasis is first on family and approachability to wine… We are serious about wine but without the pretension.” —Chris & Laure Missick