The Perfect Place for a Vineyard

To say the Texas Hill Country has had a bit of a wine renaissance would be an understatement. In fact, for most people, the wine alone is worth a weekend trip or daycation. So it was only a matter of time that the town of Goldthwaite jumped on the wine wagon with Fire Oak Vineyard.

The Story Behind Fire Oak

Fire Oak is the long-term vision of Sheila and Billy Busch. Sitting on 30 acres surrounded by the iconic hills that give the region its name, including San Saba peak, Fire Oak boasts 23 acres of vines with 2 white grape varieties and 6 red grape varieties. Like any successful vineyard, Fire Oak’s location features optimal dirt and climate conditions for growing grapes, but it has the added benefit of an underground river. This means all the water that is used on the grapes is pumped from underground, and last year alone they were able to irrigate 5.2 million gallons of water without using any outside sources.

Meet The Owners

Along with producing the best grapes the Hill Country had to offer, Sheila and Billy wanted the project to be an all Goldthwaite affair. Everything from the contractor that built the housing for on-site staff, to Adrienne Freeman, the Vineyard’s Manager, is local to Goldthwaite. The result is something that the town of Goldthwaite can be proud of from an agricultural standpoint, as well as a community standpoint. 

The Fun of Stomping Grapes

To mark the beginning of a new era in Goldthwaite, Fire Oak put on a blessing event at the vineyard. Inviting all the people involved in getting the project up and running, the event consisted of kids rides, a train, food prepared by a local chef and caterer, a tie-dye station, and of course, no vineyard event would be complete without a grape stomp. Much like the vineyard itself, the grape stomp is an age-old tradition that objectively, is just the beginning of the wine-making process, but at Fire Oak, it was a reminder that when communities come together to achieve the same goals, something beautiful can be created. Guests of all ages joined together to reap the rewards of years of work. 

The Future is Bright For Wine in Goldthwaite

The long-term goal of most vineyards is to be able to produce their own wine, but Sheila and Billy are well aware of the road to that goal. By leveraging the tight network of vineyards across the Hill Country, the aim is to provide grapes to a multitude of local wineries that want to create 100% made in Texas wines. By having a well-functioning winery so close to Goldthwaite,