Turtle Creek Olives & Vines

The Turtle Creek Olives & Vines tasting room is located in downtown Kerrville. Dan and Sue Schulse started Turtle Creek Enterprise in March 2016 after traveling to Italy in 2013 and experiencing tours through olive groves and vineyards. They located in Kerrville and built Turtle Creek Olive Grove which is eight miles from the downtown tasting room in Kerrville. The Grove has an olive orchard, vineyard, and the winery production facility.

We had previously visited the tasting room years ago, but it was at the end of the day, so we didn’t have a chance to taste anything. Upon looking at the wine menu at the time, it did not seem like there were any wines of their own and it was a wine bar instead of a winery. Since that time, I attended the 2022 Hill Country Wine Symposium and saw several Turtle Creek Olives & Vines wines including meeting the owners and other staff members. It was time for a repeat visit.

Even though we visited the winery near the end of the day this next time, we made sure we had enough time to do a tasting. We sat in a cozy corner of the tasting room and Todd helped us. The menu was large, and we needed some time to determine what each of us wanted to do. Two of us decided to do a tasting of their private label wines, one decided to get a glass of Cava, and another chose a glass of the 2017 Turtle Creek Olives & Vines Red Blend.

The four-wine tasting included the following wines:

• 2019 Rosé (85% Sangiovese, 15% Muscat Giallo) – Texas High Plains
• 2020 Estate Montepulciano – Texas Hill Country
• Red Blend NV (45% Tannat, 40% Merlot, 15% Zinfandel)
• 2017 Red Blend (80% Tannat, 15% Mourvèdre, 5% Grenache)

The winery also has a 2020 Estate Red Blend (70% Montepulciano, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot) available. There are also many other non-Texas wines available giving something for everyone. A large food menu will complete your stay.

We learned from Todd that the winery does have its own olive trees, but the freeze in 2021 caused damage. They are trying again, but until then, they are offering an Umbria, Italy, olive oil and they are the only distributor for that olive oil.

They are planning on opening a tasting room at the production facility sometime in the future and I am sure that will make for a nice visit. Until that is open, the tasting room in Kerrville is definitely worth a visit.