Pat Brennan is a tall, quiet man who embodies the image that comes to mind when you think of a vintner: part rancher, part connoisseur. It’s a fair bet that he spent a good amount of time in jeans and boots back when he practiced medicine in Fort Worth. It was just a matter of time before retirement led him to a vineyard way out in the country.

It all started with McCrary House. Built in 1879 and a registered landmark with the Texas Historical Commission, the storybook stone cottage came up for sale some years back and caught Brennan’s eye. He and his family were charmed by the property as well as the tiny Central Texas town of Comanche. After their initial excitement passed, however, the Brennans were faced with an important question: What to do with this little house and its 33-acre backyard?

An old friend, Richard Becker, suggested Brennan try his hand at winemaking. The founder of Becker Vineyards may have been partial to the idea of using the land to grow grapes, but Brennan took a shine to the thought nonetheless. He arranged for soil and water analysis on his new land and signed up for the respected Viticulture and Enology program at Grayson County College. With that, Brennan Vineyards was born.

While studying at Grayson, Brennan made the acquaintance of a fellow Texan who had also opened a winery off the beaten path. Tiberia (he goes by one name only) is as energetic and off-the-cuff as Brennan is reserved. Unlike his new friend, this son of Italian immigrants had winemaking in his blood. “I remember growing up and my grandmother having a barrel of homemade wine in the cellar,” he recalls. Flashing a mischievous grin, he admits that back then, he would have rather played kickball than learn how to make wine. As the years passed, however, his interest grew and when the opportunity for an early retirement presented itself in 2002, he turned his hobby into a career.

Tiberia’s Barking Rocks Winery is about an hour northeast of Brennan Vineyards and similarly situated between two of Texas’s main grape-growing regions. The arid High Plains area in the north is a major producer and supplies grapes to winemakers throughout the state. The Hill Country to the south is a tourist mecca and home to many boutique wineries as well as established brand names. Sandwiched between the two, “We have some of the assets of both, and some of the liabilities,” Brennan explains.

For the first few years, both men tended their vines, got to know the land, and put their viticulture training to good use. They advised each other and celebrated small victories together along the way. Brennan’s initial harvests were sold to Becker Vineyards, but soon he was bottling wine under his own label. Tiberia bottled his first vintage in 2004, and has been building an impressive collection of wines ever since. With hard work and diligence, both men have been able to grow quality grapes in Central Texas and craft a variety of unique, complex, and award-winning wines. And they’re not alone.

In 2006 Brennan Vineyards and Barking Rocks banded together with six other small family-owned wineries to attract attention to their out-of-the-way locations. Scattered throughout the core of the Lone Star State, the Way Out Wineries developed a “road trip” format that allows visitors to tour and taste along a meandering route of rolling hills and picturesque scenery. The trip guides travelers from Barking Rocks just south of Fort Worth to Red Caboose Winery in Meridian, Pillar Bluff Vineyards in Lampasas, and various points in between.

McCrary House at Brennan Vineyards now serves as WOW’s home base, and the members meet there periodically to talk shop and plan upcoming road-trip events. So far, they have succeeded in their mission to introduce Texas wine lovers to our newest winemaking region. “It’s just a great connection … being part of something that’s bigger than me,” Tiberia says of WOW. He notes that visiting road-trippers are “more than just curious, they’re interested — they love wine!”

2007’s Mardi Gras event was his favorite so far. Visitors to Barking Rocks enjoyed gumbo from Pearl Street Station restaurant in Granbury along with samples of Tiberia’s reds and whites. He also offered a special tasting of his “Little Red Wine in Hood,” a crisp, spicy blend made with Syrah grapes from Brennan Vineyards. It’s a perfect example of the group’s philosophy of collaboration and mutual support. “We don’t regard each other as competitors,” Brennan explains. “Any Texas winery that does well helps them all.”

Brennan Vineyards has grown to include a freestanding winery and the Austin House event space. The new limestone buildings are connected to McCrary House by pathways lined with Savannah Holly trees. Rows of grapevines dot the countryside in the distance. “I think it’s wonderful,” says Becker of his old friend’s achievement. “It makes me very proud.”

Barking Rocks Winery has remained small, and that’s just the way Tiberia likes it. His intimate tasting room, a converted stone cattle barn, is decorated with original canvases by local artists. You’ll find Tiberia there most weekends, wearing his trademark ball cap, hosting dinners, tastings, and art shows.

Several Barking Rocks wines have medaled at competition, including the 2004 Sangiovese and 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. Brennan’s Viognier is also a stand-out. It recently earned the prestigious title of Top Texas Wine at the 2008 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo International Wine Competition. Judging by the success of these two unlikely friends and the growing interest in the Central Texas wine country, wine lovers can look forward to great things for many years to come.

For more information on these and other members of the Way Out Wineries and a list of upcoming events visit wayoutwineries.org

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Brennan Vineyards
802 S Austin Street, Comanche
(325) 356-9100
brennanvineyards.com

Barking Rocks Winery
1919 Allen Court, Granbury
(817) 579-0007
barkingrockswine.com

Bluff Dale Vineyards
5222 CR 148, Bluff Dale
(254) 728-3540
bluffdalevineyards.com

Rising Star Vineyards
1001 CR 290, Rising Star
(254) 643-1776
risingstarvineyards.com

Alamosa Cellars
677 CR 430, Bend
(325) 628-3313
alamosawinecellars.com

Pillar Bluff Vineyards
300 Burnet County Road, Lampasas
(512) 556-4078
pillarbluff.com

Texas Legato Winery
2935 Hwy 1478, Lampasas
(512) 556-9600 or 817-313-9565
texaslegato.com

Red Caboose Winery
1147 CR 1110, Meridian
(254) 435-9911
redcaboosewinery.com