Water2Wine

I’d never had a wine from Texas before. I’d heard things… I’d heard… things. Some good, some bad. I’m not the kind of person to form an opinion beforehand and then by playing god will it to be, which is why when I showed up at Water 2 Wine, I was genuinely excited to try their product.
Our waiter — server — barista? (though I would have preferred coffee after the first couple of tastings) — was excellent. Talkative and personable, I really enjoyed her company. I told her that I’m cautious but optimistic that the day would be swell and she reassured me by giving me and my three hosts samples of whatever we chose.
I believe her name was Margerie, and like Circe herself she poured ounce after ounce, our ship docked at the island of Aeaea, Texas.
I asked where the specific grapes were coming from — specifically the pinotage, the shiraz and the gruner veltliner (yes, they even had a gruner veltliner!), which are native and most commonly found in South Africa, Australia/​New Zealand and Austria, respectively. She informed me that the grapes are shipped in from all over the world.
Okay, I thought. Let’s see what we’re tasting.
Before me sat the three aforementioned wines, plus their Rattlesnake Shiraz/​Cab blend. Across from that was my good friend D, who previously had told me that all wine tastes alike to him. I threw my arms in the air as if I just didn’t care about his opinion — wine doesn’t taste the same if it’s made properly. I compared it to cake — would a German Chocolate taste like a Black Forest Cherry cake?! It shouldn’t, at least, though there are similarities.
After tasting these three wines — I grew teary eyed. I nearly cried. My friends, who I love dearly, had been right. These wines were all the same, all grapey, all «kool-​aidey» clones of each other. The nose on each seemed to be derived from a pre-​packaged flavor enhancer. I seriously thought she’d poured me the same glass three times.
Another friend had asked for the malbec, which was poured through an aerator. I slapped him from his seat and snatched it from his hands, took a long draw on the nose and tasted it.
What was happening? Had the short flight from California screwed up my tongue? I needed answers, we were running out of time.
I asked Margerie: «What the hell?» in so many words, trying my best not to look like a douche. It’s really hard not to look like a douche when you’re talking about wine, I’ve discovered. The moment you say «pepper» or «terroir» eyes begin to roll and everyone starts drinking dessert wines or «white» zinfandel, then the crying begins.
Margerie informed me that the wines had been bottle aged — for three weeks. Some had been in plastic barrels — which you can see lined up against a wall in the back — for 3 to 6 months. But, here’s the trick: magnets are placed into the wine to age them an equivalent of 2 to 4 years.
Magnets! How do they work? Even if magnets worked the way the owners of Water 2 Wine claim they do, there’s nothing saving these wines. Even the Grenache Trio — which I would have expected to be big, spicy and fruity — tasted like the foxy grapey cousin of a drink served at the children’s table of a backyard bbq.
I tried a few whites with not much of a difference. They were sweet, they were grapey, they were way, way too young to be served like this.
Now, given our excellent service and all of the free pours we were given, we all ended up buying a bottle. I bought a bottle of their Symphony, a white blend that actually tasted different from all of the other whites I’d had. Go figure, it was created by graduates of the USC wine program, but I know if I serve it to my friends back in California they’ll laugh at me, they’ll call me a harlot (I’m just flirty) and never invite me to their clubhouse again.
My friends all bought a white chocolate «port», which is a dessert wine and not a port, but as long as places like Water 2 Wine are teaching people who otherwise wouldn’t have access to proper wineries that yes, a dessert wine can be called a «port» even if it’s made in the deserts of Texas (–insert okay face-​) then the ignorance will continue.
In the end, I spoke to one of the owners in much the same way Columbo spoke to his suspects.
«So, so, so… correct me if I’m wrong… but, ah, aren’t sulfites naturally soaked up from the ground?»
«Yes,» she said, «But other wineries add a lot of them to their wine to keep them from spoiling on the shelf. We add none and our wines have little to none.»
«Oh, I see. Oh, one more thing — magnets?»
I’d really only go back for the waitstaff. Walking to the back of the building to go to the restroom you pass jugs of wine «aging». It was like a war memorial. I nearly cried.
I’m unsure if Texas has good wine. I’ve yet to try any. It was a very short trip and this was kind of a last-​minute thing. If there are good wineries in Texas, please, tell me. Show me. This day trip will haunt me.

While on our honeymoon in San Antonio we used Unilocal to figure out things off the beaten path to try out. One of those things happened to be visiting Water2Wine.
Run by a group of sisters this is a great place to go for a wine tasting. The grapes are purchased from around the world and the wines are made on site. You can actually make some wine and bottle it yourself if you want. We didn’t. But it’s a service that is offered there.
You can taste up to 5 wines for free I think. But we went in said we didn’t know much about wine other than what we liked and we were interested in learning more. She asked what we knew we liked, and I said Malbecs, my husband stated Pinot Grigio’s and away she went. Every wine she chose for us we really liked. She walked us through the proper way to taste, explained what «legs» meant, etc. She was very personable, and the experience was a lot of fun.
We ended up buying a bottle of red that we are going to save for our 1 year anniversary. The bottle was around 20.00 which more than I usually pay for wine, but again I’m not a person who necessarily knows GREAT wine, I know what I like and I really liked these wines. They were also very helpful in giving us insights into other things we might want to do while we were in the area. Great customer service and a really great use of our time.

Great variety of lower sulfite wines! I’ve been unable to drink red wine until I «met» Water2Wine! It’s a nice place to meet people and the staff is just the very best! We absolutely love it!

Don’t have to drive a long way out of town to taste wine. Water2Wine is a wonderful place to find high quality wines made with lower sulfites (take it from someone who’s sensitive to sulfites). Makes drinking wine so much easier and enjoyable.
Very helpful staff, clean, and friendly. Worth a visit.

The hospitality and level of service you’ll get here are bar none the best. All too often it would seem that «wine venues» acquire an air of pretentiousness that I find terribly unsavory. Of this sentiment, Water2Wine is not. They want you to sample and ask questions. They want you to tell them what you DON’T like, so they can find something you will.
The staff on any given day will generally be comprised of some of the more amicable people you will have met that week.
Prices range from low teens to high twenties per bottle, depending region varietal, and awards. Weekly specials posted on sign out front.
Décor is nice, in the back half of the building you can see all the batches of wine fermenting in carboys. Restrooms are kept clean.
Saturdays they will usually have more substantial snacks for the public, provided by the store or other local eateries. On other days, they will generally provide you with nuts, or pub mix if you want to nibble on something while you sip. They hold special events throughout the year for their club members. I personally won a free case of wine during their Winter Olympics Curling event.
Membership affords you discounts on everything they sell, bottles, batches and the like. Includes 2 bottles a month, usually a ‘white’ and a ‘red’, that they guarantee will add to be at least the price of your membership.
As they are a winery, you can purchase wine by the glass, bottle, or you can make your own batches (approx 5 – 6 gallons which is about 2 cases). However, they close at 7 to the public during the week.
They can be booked for special events, tastings, wine making parties.

My friends and I have referred Water2Wine to so many people we ought to get a commission! What a fun experience everytime we visit or make wine! (The greeting is kind of like that on «Cheers») Wonderful wines ~ all of them. Try the Crushed Amarone and tell the Sisters and Dennis that the Construction Chicks sent you! Cheers!

Water 2 Wine is one of my most favorite places in San Antonio. All the wines are made right here, and have low sulfides (you get drunk, but no hangover!). I prefer the NZ Pino Noir, but they have every thing from white to red, and sweet to dry. My partner in crime prefers the sweet stuff and would highly recommend the White Merlot. Also, they allow you to taste before you buy, and can also bottle a batch of wine with a custom label. Make sure you tell Priscilla and Sheila hi when you stop by.

I’ve only been once and I don’t have anything sophisticated to say about wine, but the workers were very cordial and the other clientele seemed a step above most people one sees waddling around San Antonio.
I’m not a big fan of wine, but the wine here is very low in sulfites… In other words, you won’t get a head ache… you’ll just get a wicked buzz in a classy PierOne-​esque surrounding.

Sure, I am in my thirties and have two kids, but mid day Friday, I found myself walking past Water2Wine on my way to the gym. I was kid free and desperate for a good bottle of red wine to go with my Italian dinner prepared for my husband that night.
Even though I was in a tank top, tube shorts, and sneakers, the staff greeted me like I was dressed for a dinner party. Immediately, we starting discussing what kinds of wine I like and the wine tasting commenced. I tried a cranberry Chianti, a pomegranate zinfandel, and the driest of dry red wines (that only my husband would like). The staff (featured in my photo) would not let me leave without making sure I had the right «custom made» wine for my dinner.
Although it was only 12 in the afternoon on a Friday, there was a nice couple there that called themselves «monthly members». They receive discounts and 2 bottles of random wine to try each month for a low cost of $ 35. There they sat, enjoying a free glass of wine (as members) and a bowl of salty nuts. The place was serene and beyond what I ever could imagine. It turns out that they even have movie night and kids are always welcome to come along.
I never realized before that I live five miles from a one stop custom vineyard, made up of the most dedicated wine lovers in San Antonio. Just lovely.