Perissos Vineyard and Winery Grower Profile

The Grower Profile this month features a winery that also has an estate vineyard. Perissos Vineyard and Winery is located in the Texas Hill Country. Owners Seth and Laura Martin, along with their family, have built a beautiful winery with the vineyard that you drive through when visiting the winery. The award-winning wines from Perisoss Vineyard are made from both their estate vineyard and other Texas vineyards. We are happy to present Perissos Vineyard and Winery as this month’s Grower Profile, and we would like to thank Seth Martin for answering our questions.

1. What did you do before growing grapes?

I was a custom homebuilder and in the land business in Austin.

2. When did you first plant your vineyard, and how many acres did you start with?

We first got interested in growing grapes as a hobby in Austin and started with five small test vineyards in different soil types to see how they would grow. That hobby has now grown into what is now Perissos Vineyards. You can read more about us on our website.

3. How many acres do you have today, and what grapes are planted?

We have a total of 18 acres planted at Perissos. We specialize in hot climate varietals, as they retain their acidity better than most and are the most heat-tolerant. At our Perissos estate, we commercially grow the following: Petite Sirah, Tempranillo, Viognier, Syrah, Aglianico, Malbec, and Picpoul Blanc. Additionally, in our research section, we have a number of smaller test plantings of Nero d’Avola, Nebbiolo, Touriga Nacional, and four of the Walker clones. When we plant new varietals, we train and test them for 3-5 years in order to determine their viability for commercial use.

4. What first attracted you to growing grapes?

The art and the beauty. Seeing a bud sprout into a small flower and then seeing the grapes develop throughout the season is magical. As I mentioned before, it started as a small passion project, but this “hobby” has kept us engaged in the pursuit of grape farming and winemaking for 27 years.

5. What is the toughest challenge about being a grape grower and winemaker in Texas?

To answer that question would take a bit of time. As Texas winegrowers, we face negative public perception of Texas wines (although that has waned somewhat in the past several years), division among Texas growers and winemakers about what truly constitutes a wine being called a Texas wine, and a host of other things.

As far as the literal challenges of growing grapes and making wine in Texas, the most formidable challenge would be the weather. A perfect season would be defined as having good winter and spring rains and no late freezes. Then, as soon as the grapes start turning purple, we would prefer a good old-fashioned drought until harvest. Once the fruit was off the vine, we would want plenty of rain. That scenario happens rarely – maybe 1-2 years out of every decade. In the not-so-perfect years, there are a lot of decisions to make in our effort to optimize the grapes relative to what the weather is providing.

6. What first attracted you to winemaking, and how long have you been doing it?

Winemaking is alchemy. The grapes are a perishable commodity and start to perish shortly after harvesting. Turning those grapes into wine means you can capture the perfection of that fruit in the form of wine for decades in the bottle. That is pretty cool and fairly unique. And I love that you can never reproduce the same wine from the same vine in the same vineyard from one year to the next. Each vintage is a unique and beautiful expression of what was experienced in the vineyard during that season. That is art!

7. What is the most common question you are asked as a grower or winemaker?

Is my last name “Perissos?” (It is not). But that question is pretty common, and I think funny overall. Other typical questions are: What got you into this? How did you get started? How on earth do you make any money from this? Etc.

8. What advice would you give someone wanting to start a vineyard today?

I would highly encourage this person to be genuine and to craft a business plan like those that were executed 500 years ago. What that means to me is to first find a location and a soil in which winegrapes not only can grow, but in which they thrive. Then, plant your vineyard and build your winery there. In architecture, there is a saying, “Form follows function.” I think, in the grape growing business, it can be said that “Quality wine grapes follow vineyard location.” Soil type and location play such an integral role in growing and ripening fruit. That is how we chose the specific location for our vineyard. Our customers and visitors often testify that they get a sense that this is a genuinely authentic winery experience that is on par with anything Napa or any other world-class destination could offer.

Also, at this specific season in the market, I would probably advise this person to wait a bit, as the current wine market is not thriving like it used to. Thus, it does not seem like the best market timing to start a new winery adventure, unless you have unlimited private capital to burn.

9. After a long day in the vineyard and winery, what do you do?

There is a sense that grape growing is a peaceful and pastoral occupation. It can be. However, from weather events to maintaining enough crew, to fighting insects and disease, to managing people and selling wines, it usually involves a fair amount of stress. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my wife and kids. After a difficult day at the vineyard, though, one of my favorite antidotes to stress is to take long bike rides. These rides decompress me and offer sacred time to just think.

10. If you didn’t grow grapes and make wine, what would you do?

I have always had a huge passion for land development and construction. In fact, we have a few construction and land development projects we are playing with currently. What I’m most excited about right now is working with my wife, Laura, on some cool content and Bible studies centered around scriptural references to John Chapter 15 and the vines.

11. What’s the greatest part about being a grower and winemaker?

You know, there is just something so special about sharing wines – planted, trained, and grown using our own hands — with friends, family, and customers. It is satisfying to observe their reactions to the quality. That never gets old. It is also humbling to think that the wines we craft from this vineyard can live on for decades to come.

12. Anything else you would like to add?

a. Origin and meaning of our name. The land, the grapes, the wines, and the relationships that we currently enjoy are all wrapped up in the name “Perissos.” We chose that name because we were doing a Bible study on Ephesians, and it jumped off the page at us. Ephesians 3:20-21 reads, “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus unto all generations for ever and ever. Amen.

In the original Greek, the word used for exceeding abundantly is Perissos. Even before the vineyard, God had exceeded abundantly in our lives. Thus, the name seemed fitting for our vineyard. Its meaning and the significance continues to this day.

b. We have loved raising our family at the vineyard, growing grapes, and making award-winning wines for the past 25 years. However, we now find ourselves considering that the purpose of Perissos Vineyards far exceeds grape growing and winemaking. I mentioned earlier that we have been working on some content related to John 15. We are excited to say that we will be sharing some of that soon.

 

If you are a wine grower or winemaker, and have not been featured yet in a Grower Profile or Winemaker Profile, please contact us!