Bending Branch Winery announces Departure

COMFORT, TX – Bending Branch Winery announced today that co-founder and grapegrower/winemaker John J. Rivenburgh will be leaving to pursue other projects. He will remain at Bending Branch Winery through the transition over the next few months.

“It has been an inspiring time working together with John over the last 9 years. His creativity and innovation in all areas of the wine business are exceptional. He is already an important leader in the Texas wine industry and he will continue to make great contributions in the years to come,” co-founder and winemaker Robert W. Young, M.D., said.

Young and Rivenburgh made the first Texas wine under the Bending Branch label in 2008 and co-founded the winery in 2009. They’ve made wine each successive vintage, growing the program from 1 to 27 wines and producing approximately 15,000 cases in 2015. Together, they have pioneered new grape varieties for the state, including Tannat, Sagrantino, Souzão, Charbono, and Picpoul Blanc. They’ve employed groundbreaking technology in winemaking, including using flash détente, and Bending Branch Winery is the world leader in cryomaceration. In the past year, the winery began offering custom crush and vineyard management contract services.

“Bending Branch Winery will continue to make premium world-class wines building on our foundation of great vineyard partners and cutting-edge winemaking techniques,” Young said.

Rivenburgh is very active within the wine industry. He helped lay the groundwork for the Texas Hill Country Wineries Association. During his three-year tenure as Member at Large, Vice President, and President of the Texas Hill Country Wineries, the group doubled in size and matured from a small wine trail to a large industry organization. Rivenburgh was integral in developing the Hill Country Growers Committee and increasing education and research to establish more grape growers within the state.

He was Member at Large and Treasurer for the Texas Wine & Grape Growers Association and has served on the Texas legislative committee for three years. During that time, Rivenburgh has been instrumental in furthering growth of the state’s wine industry. He helped develop the bill that re-established the Texas Department of Agriculture Commissioner’s Advisory Panel on which he serves for the Texas wine industry.

“To all my friends, colleagues, and family, I’ve had a great 9 years growing and developing this brand. I truly love these wines and the foundation they have created in the Texas wine industry. At the same time, I’m excited to be working toward creating new wines and services for the Texas wine industry,” Rivenburgh said.

John has been very helpful to Texas Wine Lover over the years. He has participated in a podcast featuring the Flash Détente system at Bending Branch Winery in addition to giving a guided tour of the entire winery. Best of luck to John in his future pursuits!