Driving down the beautiful East Texas country roads, I found this charming little winery located in the unique, eclectic town of Ben Wheeler that you will not want to miss. Vintage Cork is located on FM 279 in a rustic wooden building that has a small porch with outside seating and wooden swings that can’t help but remind you of your childhood days.
Once inside, all your senses are brought to life with the sights of wine racks, the eccentric dining room, the amazing smells of coffee and food cooking, and all the artwork on the walls, each telling a different story. After sitting down with KaLynn Johnson, the winery owner as well as winemaker, I discovered the paintings were hers, completed mostly during the COVID shutdown.
KaLynn grew up in nearby Martin’s Mill, later on moving to Brownfield near Lubbock and the Texas High Plains. She worked on a farm as she attended South Plains College. After moving back to Martin’s Mill, she landed a job with an established East Texas winery as their Tech/Marketing Director. This is when she also learned more about the wine industry and fell in love with the vineyard and winemaking process, making her want to make and bottle her own wine. She decided to attend Texas Tech University and earned her Viticulture and Enology Certification in 2021. After leaving the winery, she did not think she would be back in the wine industry, however, that did not last long. A few weeks later she found herself and her mom at Vintage Cork having a glass of wine when the owner offered her a job on the spot and she accepted. That was in 2019 and in 2022 she bought the business, and since then has made many changes.
KaLynn’s winery carries two of her own vintages: Six Shooter Sangria and a semi-sweet Gewürztraminer that she produced and bottled at Sugar Ridge Winery. She designed the labels for both of these wines.
KaLynn Johnson
Vintage Cork also carries a number of Texas wines from other wineries that are primarily located in East Texas. On the day of my visit, wines were available from the following wineries:
- Messina Hof Winery
- Red 55 Winery
- White Fox Vineyards
- Moody Family Winery
- Los Pinos Ranch Vineyards
- Cannon Creek Vineyard
- Castle Oaks Vineyard and Winery
- Enoch’s Stomp Vineyard & Winery
Tastings are available for five wines you pick.
In 2023, Vintage Cork owner KaLynn Johnson and Joe D’Alessandro of Terra Sana Farm + Kitchen partnered together to make this the perfect evening out or date night spot. Terra Sana is an Italian farm-to-table restaurant where Joe grows all organic produce and uses them in his amazing Italian dishes. I couldn’t resist staying for dinner and chose the Special of the day which was Lasagna that was amazing and like none I’ve ever had. The dish was light and fluffy and not heavy like most lasagna. I paired it with a Messina Hof Dry Rosé. I couldn’t pass up the dessert of the evening which was a homemade Limoncello Tiramisu that was to die for, and was treated by the chef Joe to a taste of the Limoncello liquor that was also handmade and infused into the Tiramisu.
KaLynn also spoke of her love of coffee and has recently released her own line of coffee beans called Flying Pig Coffee. She currently offers three different roasts: Guatemalan Antigua, Mexican Chiapas, and Sumatra Mandheling. KaLynn is also working on some signature coffee drinks. While they sell their coffee, they do not yet have coffee shop hours, but are working on it, so stop by during their current hours and enjoy some Flying Pig Coffee.
If you are looking to get away and relax and enjoy some very good local Texas wines and maybe even a lovely Italian dinner as well, make a visit to Vintage Cork.
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