Axis Winery

The Stagecoach Wine Trail grew by a number of wineries earlier this year and Axis Winery was one of the wineries. The winery opened February 14, 2019 in Salado and is owned by Steve and Kim Springer.

The winery is easy to find on Main Street and there were already a number of cars in the parking lot when I arrived soon after they opened. The tasting room is built as part of the William Reed house. The house was originally built in 1850 with oak logs by William Reed. It was protected and preserved by the Reed Family through successive generations. The house was relocated and reconstructed in Salado at the site of the winery in 2008.

When you walk into the winery, a room to the right has a fireplace and you can see the visible logs made to build the house. The tasting room is in the rear of the winery complete with tables and of course a tasting bar. There is a fee for your selection of four wines as two-ounce tastings with a measured pourer. You can do a tasting at one of the tables or at the bar.

These are some of the wines that were available at the time of my tasting:

• Viognier
• Unoaked Chardonnay
• Country Girl (sweet Pomegranate)
• Sunset Sangria (Peach and Raspberries)
• Sweet Duo (sweet red)
• Back Road (70% Sangiovese, 20% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon) – semi-dry
• Salado Red (50% Tempranillo, 50% Merlot)
• High 5 (50% Charbono, 50% Petite Sirah)
• Montepulciano

Also available is a glass of mimosa made with orange juice and their Sparkling Almond wine. All the grapes used are from Texas except for the Chardonnay and Viognier.

Steve Springer is also the winemaker and he started learning about winemaking when he lived in California. Today the winery leases space from Thirsty Mule Winery & Vineyard in Liberty Hill to make their wines.

While you are relaxing with a glass of wine, you can purchase a cheese and meat tray to enjoy. You can also browse the gift shop that contains Axis Winery 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil, wine glasses, serving platters, and other wine accessories. There is a wine club at Axis winery available for you to join.

Live music happens every Saturday and while I was there, the musician was setting up to perform.

There are usually some issues that occur when any business is opening, and Axis Winery received theirs too. They submitted their wine labels to the government (TTB) for approval and the next day (Friday) they got confirmation the labels were received. It would be approximately 3-4 days for approval, but that next Monday, the government shutdown happened.

But all is good now, the winery has opened, and serving wonderful Texas wines to you.