Fly Gap Winery – Mason, Texas

It’s always a great opportunity to check out an up and coming winery during its early starting period.  One gets to see “how it all began” and listen to the owner’s dreams and visions for the future business.  This is Brock Estes dream and story unfolding in Mason County, Texas. The hometown boy started a few years ago with other wine businesses as well as interning at Sandstone Cellars under Don Pullum.  As it turns out, it was a natural fit for Brock to start his own line of wine branding along with help from Adam Nelson.  He has traveled to Portugal and studied their winemaking and grape growing techniques including vertical planting.  Most Texas Hill Country wine lovers should have at least heard of their Dank (aka the good stuff) wine brands like Vox Populi, Transition, Lights Out and Johnny Rojo (all 100% Texas fruit).  The quality of each wine release is only matched by the uniqueness of wine's label art work.  Brock & Adam have taken a stab at concrete fermentation methods in wine making as well.  This process allows a bit more control over tweaking and adjusting the wine making process than other classic methods.  Concrete fermentation is the signature method that Brock wants Fly Gap to be known for.  The current release, Mason Punch, is a 2010 vintage blend of Tempranillo and Touriga.  You’ll notice the crown on the fly on its label of this latest release which signifies the fruit coming exclusively from Mason County. You’ll definitely enjoy sipping this red wine.  It has good character and a nice pleasing finish. It pairs nicely with an afternoon cheese and meat plate yet likewise is enjoyable on its own. We look forward to a more in depth posting on this particular wine release in the future like what was posted for their Lights Out wine last May.  Brock is already working on his next future red wine which he envisions as a blend of Tempranillo/Tannat.  We’re sure that will be a great one to look forward to!  Work continues to progress on the tasting room and fermentation room in Mason.  It will be exciting to compare the before and after progress on another future visit.  Talking with Brock, he does have many great ideas, dreams and visions for what kind of wine he likes to see coming out of Mason County.  He definitely has a strong passion and believes in what he’s doing.  Texas needs more young wine innovators like Brock and Adam.  Visions like theirs are an assurance that millennials will catch on to the future of winemaking.  So take the plunge off of HWY 29 and head down the dirt road and check this place out sometime.  It's a cool winery worth your sipping time!

www.flygapwinery.com