Adega Vinho

There’s a little touch of Portugal to be found deep in the heart of the Texas Hill Country.

Located in Stonewall, one mile south of Wine Road US-290 on Ranch Rd 1623, lies the Bilger Family Vineyards and boutique winery of Adega Vinho. The phrase “Adega Vinho” is Portuguese and translates to “house of wine” or “wine cellar.” Co-owned and operated by husband-and-wife team Andy and Elena Bilger and Andy’s brother Michael Bilger, the vineyard specializes in Portuguese and Iberian Peninsula varieties. Andy and Elena once visited Portugal and named the winery “Adega Vinho” to honor their time in the region.

The Bilgers purchased the twenty-five-acre Stonewall property in early 2016 and broke ground on the vineyard that same summer. Vines were planted the following year with their first harvest of Tempranillo, Mourvèdre, Touriga Nacional, and Sangiovese in 2019. Their first release was a Mourvèdre Rosé in the summer of 2020. An additional eight acres were purchased on a neighboring property in April 2018. The estate now consists of thirty-seven acres, with twelve and a half acres under vine.

The tasting room was designed by Andy Bilger and built in 2019. Opened for business the following January, this trapezoidal structure reflects a modern Scandinavian architectural influence with dramatic contrasting zones of light and shadow. An outdoor patio is positioned near the tasting room entrance where guests can enjoy a view of the vineyard and manicured grounds.

I first visited Adega Vinho on a beautiful Sunday afternoon with blue skies and thin wispy clouds. Upon entering the tasting room, I was immediately struck by the inviting ambiance created through an interplay of warm woods and industrial metals. Seating is arranged in intimate groups scattered around the space with colorful modern-retro decor that visually adds to the inviting character of the room. The atmosphere is relaxed and casual, the perfect place to share an evening of wine and conversation with friends. Artwork from local artists hangs on every wall and adds further color to the space. All art pieces are available for purchase and change frequently.

Choosing a pair of comfy chairs near the entrance, my wife and I were expertly guided through a tasting flight by Jeremy Wilson who explained each wine in detail. Indeed, all of the staff are very well versed in their product and go out of their way to make each guest feel relaxed, welcome, and at home.

Adega Vinho produces small batch wine releases, so turnover is frequent. Wines are only available through the winery and a select number of local restaurants. All wines are made from 100% Texas grapes with nearly half sourced from the estate. The quality of the wine is easily seen by the number of competition medals the winery has collected over its short time in operation. My personal favorite was a bold and smoky Mourvèdre Reserve with notes of dark plum, pepper, and baking spices.

Chief winemaker, Michael Bilger, is something of a maverick in both the vineyard and winery, being guided more by personal experience than conventional wisdom. His approach to winemaking calls for minimal intervention and choosing methods that best express the character of the grape rather than the winemaking process. Preferring natural yeast and spontaneous fermentation whenever possible, he chooses to inoculate only when conditions warrant.

But Michael’s maverick tendencies are more clearly seen in the vineyard.

I had the pleasure of spending time in the vineyard with Michael on a beautiful Monday morning in early May. As I listened to him expound on his approach to farming, Michael’s passion and enthusiasm for the subject were obvious and infectious. Strolling along row after row of vines, it was just as obvious that his approach works very well. The vines looked healthy and vigorous with no visible signs of pest or disease pressure.

The Bilger Family Vineyards are managed according to sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices, but Michael is reluctant to apply that, or any other label, to his methods. As he emphatically states, there is no standard recipe for success. His guiding principle is to cultivate the healthiest soil possible in which the vines can grow and thrive, and he is constantly adapting his methods to meet the needs of the vineyard at any given time. His approach is holistic and includes the use of cover cropping, native grasses, beneficial insects and microbes, and even native weeds, all with the goal of creating a balanced and sustainable ecology both above and below the soil line.

One analogy that intrigued me was his comparing the microbial population in the soil to that of good and bad bacteria in the human body. Simply put, a healthy balance of good bacteria can prevent the spread of bad.

These same principles apply to his use of an integrated pest management system. This centers around the encouragement of beneficial insects (e.g., ladybugs, praying mantises, etc.) by broadcasting them and cultivating plants that draw them and keep them in the vineyard. Tilling is rarely used, and then only low tilling is done in order to propagate specific minerals or nutrients. These are just a few examples of the many tools he currently employs in order to promote and maintain a sustainable ecology.

Of course, there are always conditions that cannot be anticipated or avoided. Such is the life of a farmer. Little did we know that within eight weeks of my visit, the vineyard would suffer storms that would virtually level the vines to the ground. But thanks to the heroic efforts and support of the community, they were able to return the vines upright with only minor damage.

The vineyard is currently planted to the following varieties:

• Tinto Cão
• Souzão
• Touriga Nacional
• Arinto
• Alvarinho
• Mourvèdre
• Tempranillo
• Sangiovese
• Cabernet Franc
• Chardonnay

Chardonnay was just recently planted in the spring of 2023 and is divided into two lots with a different clone in each. Given their previous success with Chardonnay releases sourced from other vineyards, I’m anxiously looking forward to their first estate release.

I find Adega Vinho to be a gem in the Texas Hill Country wine landscape. It offers a unique and charming boutique winery experience with great wines served in a relaxing and casual atmosphere. This is definitely a “must-add” to your Texas Wine Lover app’s Trip Planner the next time you visit the Texas Hill Country.

As the Portuguese would say, Saúde!