Bella Vista Ranch

We went here twice. The first time we went we had a group of 6 and showed up about 15 minutes before they closed. The guy there suggested we go to another place. He just didn’t want to serve us so we left.
The second time we went there were 4 of us and it was in the middle of the day. While the wine is fine, the server was the single most rude person I’ve ever encountered at a winery. Just astounding how she could be that rude for the duration of the wine tasting. I will never go back and suggest no one ever go there. You cant drink the wine fast enough to over come they workers rudeness.

The Old guy that owns the place is a JERK!!! We sat in the «class» (supposed to be a wine tour) for over an hour and listened to him ramble about the Sumerian culture and a TON of other BS just so he could let us know EXACTLY how smart he is… THEN… Two of the ladies on our tour got text messages during his soliloquy and he called them down like 3^rd graders… He was AWFUL. The tour is AWFUL. Save your money and go to Driftwood Estate Winery.

My wife and I went to Bella Vista Ranch for a 4^th of July tour with lunch, and we found it to be terrific value for the money. There was a nice lunch from a food truck (the name of which eludes me, unfortunately) followed by an interesting talk about the history of olive oil and the origins of the Italian family farm dating back to the second century BCE. The owner explained how he established Bella Vista on the ancient Roman model and described the modifications he has made to make olives grow in Texas. Then we toured the olive orchard and learned about the different varieties of grapes grown on the property. We saw the processing room containing the «frantoio» or olive press as well as the vats where this year’s wines are aging. We then tasted several oils as well as four glasses of wine per person. All this for $ 25 (the regular tour without lunch is only $ 15).
Oils, vinegars, wines and soaps are available for sale. These are pretty expensive (e.g. $ 18+ for 250ml of their basic Texas Blend oil), but I don’t mind paying those prices for high-​quality locally produced specialty goods. This is a fascinating day out, which I recommend wholeheartedly.
Pro tip: If you’re coming from San Antonio, take I-​35 instead of US 281 and the back roads. We were expecting a relaxing drive in the country, but construction and traffic made it a stressful trip. Coming back on 35 was a joy by comparison!

While I thought it was pretty interesting to learn about and taste boutique olive oil (as I’d never been to an olive ranch before) $ 15 per person does seem a little high when the actual tour is quite short and obviously the intention is that you’re going to buy some stuff at the end, and all that stuff is small batch and quite pricey (understandably so.) So it ends up being more like $ 100 for two people when you include the olive oil you will want to buy plus the wine you might want to buy (some people seem to think it sucks, we liked some of it.) But you will leave with a buzz on and some delicious olive oils!
The owners were away so their daughter gave the tour; I thought she was pretty funny and personable but there were some questions she couldn’t answer but it was really no big deal (and she wasn’t super long winded like the owner seems to be but of course some people like that and some people don’t.) It’s also probably better when there are olives on the trees but it was still overall pretty interesting to see the different trees different olives grow up and hear some history and facts about olive oil production. I liked hearing about the process and seeing the machinery. And of course I liked tasting the fresh olive oil, which was indeed super tasty and surprisingly spicy. Most of their oils are made from all different olives smushed together but they have one variety that’s just made with one kind of olive which we got to try. They also had a blood orange infused oil that I’m now obsessed with; we bought some and later made some asparagus on the grill that had been rubbed with the oil, it was the most delicious asparagus ever! We also enjoyed the wine; we are not wine snobs in any way but we enjoyed what we had and bought a bottle just because it’s the polite thing to do. We sat out on the bench in front of the tasting room and enjoyed our wines and just had a lovely afternoon.
I will say that it gets a little hectic in the tasting room when people come in just for a tasting after a tour– I would say if you want just a tasting, don’t come between 1:30 — 2:30 because it’s going to get confusing!

The tour was all talking with a look at a tree or two and a look at some equipment. If you want to hear the entire history of olives then this is for you. Personally I was falling asleep. The tour guide was rude and narcissistic.

I would not recommend this tour. The owner was very rude & long winded.

While their wines were good (we bought 3 bottles) their customer service docked them stars. Most wineries we went to, we were welcomed and questions were encouraged. We just happened to be there with another couple tasting wines at the same time. When my husband asked a question, the lady seemed exasperated at him for asking it. (he asked if all their grapes were Texas grapes). I don’t know if that question offended her, or she was tired of all of us asking her things. When we ran into the couple at another winery, they noticed the same thing we did. It was just like «get in, spend your money, and get out». I think we were there all of ten minutes, when at the many other wineries I have been to, it’s a long leisurely experience. Overall, not too impressed. Although the wine was good, it wasn’t good enough so we won’t be back.

Wow, rude rude rude rude. Very condescending. Horrible service. If you want to be treated like crap, go ahead and visit Bella Vista Ranch.

Take a relaxing drive through the beautiful Texas hill country to Bella Vista Ranch, and make sure you get there in time for the tour. Jack Dougherty gives a fascinating, informative, and entertaining lecture on the history and cultivation of olive trees and the uses of olives and olive oil, followed by a brief tour of the orchard, garden, and processing room. You end up in the tasting room enjoying samples of his fresh pressed olive oil, wines, and other gourmet food items. My husband and I had a thoroughly enjoyable morning here. At $ 15 each, it was a bargain.

Who here likes an hour and a half talk ab everything I ever learned ever? If you raised your hand then step right up, produce $ 15 and hold on to your hat!
It went on so damn long I wanted to ask for a hall pass just to sneak to my car.

Do not judge a book by its cover. Take one look at Jack and the humble grounds here at Bella Vista, and you’d never guess that he has olive friends he emails with back in Italy or that he can tell you all you’d ever want to know about the science and technique behind growing and processing olives.
I would highly recommend the tour — while there isn’t much walking involved in this tour, my husband and I found it to be highly informative. And with Jack’s red-​blooded Texan sense of humor, it was a very entertaining education. Be sure to note the times of the tour (Sat @ 10am & 1pm, and Sun @ noon) since it’s a group setup.
After the tour comes a tasting of several types of olive oil produced on site along with some of their balsamic vinegar offerings. While they also have wine offered, I’d recommend sticking with the olive oil — clearly what they specialize in. If you’re only interested in tasting the oils/​wines (not the tour), it’s probably good to avoid arriving at the tasting room about an hour after each tour start since the tasting room isn’t overly large and tends to fill up easily with the folks coming off the tour.

First time there with my Meetup group and The owners did the tour and husband Jack was very talkative. He told us the whole story of olive oil. All 6 thousand years of it. Well maybe not all of it. The couple have been growing olives in Texas for 13 years and his stories are full of the ups and downs of being the first commercially produced olive oil in Texas.
While I purchased my typical bottles of olive oil — some for myself — I did also indulge in some olive oil based soaps.
The olives and oil are fabulous. I am not as great a fan of their wines. They are not awful, just not with the properties I care for, typically.
The tour is still $ 10 and includes the wine tasting, which is a good deal. Bottles of oil range from $ 16-​$ 27 each, depending on size. Soap is $ 6.99 a bar. They also feature balsamic vinegars (not made there) and jars of olives, which are delightful as well.

Today I went with a Meetup group to Bella Vista Ranch. The owners did the tour and husband Jack was very talkative. He told us the whole story of olive oil. All 6 thousand years of it. Well maybe not all of it. The couple have been growing olives in Texas for 13 years and his stories are full of the ups and downs of being the first commercially produced olive oil in Texas. After the tour we got to taste the oil, which was awesome. Some of the best I have ever had. Better than the tastings I did in Italy. They also had some wines that were not that great. If you are just interested in the wine, I wouldn’t bother. They also had some stuffed olives and balsamic vinegars from where they were from near San Francisco. Their fig vanilla balsamic and raspberry balsamic vinegars were wonderful. They had infused oils which were nice but I am the type who wants to add my own flavors, but others in my group really liked them. If you are a fan of really good olive oil, this is the place for you.

This ranch boasts not only a flourishing olive orchard rivaling those in Tuscany, but a winery as well. That’s a double bonus in the tasting room! Owner Jack has been growing olives for 13 years, and has a good-​sized orchard of 1,200 trees. He harvests by hand, then presses them in the frantoio (Italian for olive press), producing a lush, slightly peppery oil with a fantastic grassy aroma. On weekends, they give $ 15 tours of the orchard, winery and the frantoio.
A tasting of the old-​world style wines is $ 5. Selection varies as they are a boutique winery with small production, so vintages come and go. Definitely taste the Cab if you get a chance. There are free tastings of the olive oils and aged balsamic vinegars. The flavored oils, such as roasted garlic or blood orange, are infused with the actual herbs or fruits during the pressing process for a more intense flavor. Good stuff!
If you want to grow your own, Jack has olive trees of all sizes for sale. But be prepared to wait. The little 3′ ones are five years old, so it’s going to take a while to get trees his size.

Well, I never did the tour, so nothing about this a factor in my review. Besides, the tour is really beside the point since the real reason for going to Bella Vista Ranch is the olive oil. It is all about the oil and everything else is secondary.
The best time of year to visit Bella Vista is when they have fresh pressed olive oil. The owners explained to us that even the best olive oil loses a large amount of it’s flavor withing a couple of months of being bottled. We have always hit this place when there has been fresh oil, and it is absolutely amazing then.

I can’t believe only 5 people have reviewed this ranch. I have been back four times now and each time come away with a little more understanding of the narrative that is offered. While I purchased my typical bottles of olive oil — some for myself, some for holiday gifts — I did also indulge in some olive oil based soaps.
The olives and oil are fabulous. I am not as great a fan of their wines. They are not awful, just not with the properties I care for, typically. The in-​laws found a favorite to take home, though.
The tour is still $ 10 and includes the wine tasting, which is a good deal. Bottles of oil range from $ 16-​$ 27 each, depending on size. Soap is $ 6.99 a bar. They also feature balsamic vinegars (not made there) and jars of olives, which are delightful as well.

A hidden mecca of olives. In central Texas. The Bella Vista Ranch was designed as a traditional Italian family farm and features the first commercially grown olives in Texas. And the olives I sampled are Texas size and Texas good. Apparently the crowd favorite is the bleu cheese stuffed olive. We sampled a garlic stuffed olive that was really good.
The ranch also offers delicious balsamic vinegars and olive oils which go for around $ 17 a bottle. My lips slurped the Fig Vanilla Balsamic over and over again. I am sure I was sample cheating but that stuff is incredible.
This is also a working winery that produces several red and white varieties plus a Natural Blackberry Wine! Yum. Wine tastings are $ 5/​per person. I think the owner has a great thing going for him and a beauty of a property. Tours of the orchard happen on the weekend and include a wine tasting for $ 10/​per person.

DON’T take the «tour» at this place. It is a waste of money. 2^nd, don’t bring a child with you, the old man will be rude to you.
The $ 10 group ($ 15 individual — cmon, $ 15??) «tour» was essentially the old man talking to you under an oak tree for an hour and 15 min. The next 15 min was the part where you «walk out into the olive grove». Well, that consisted of going just inside the gate next to the tasting room and showing us one olive tree next to the building while he talked for about 15 min more. Finally in the last 10 min, they cram 30 or so people into the tiny press room and show you olives being pressed. Then they actually give you sample of olive oil to drink! Drink olive oil!!! I had never drank olive oil ever, and don’t plan to do again. Luckily they did save themselves and brought out some bread to dip in the oils they have.
The wine is just a side show to get people to actually come all the way out there. Their olive trees are the real business, the vines they have are young and just a small vineyard out front. And the wine they do make is bad and way overpriced. Worst Cab I ever had.
I would skip this place altogether unless you really just love olive oil and old grouchy caretakers.

The couple who own this place are fantastic characters. The wife is sweet and talkative. She was delighted to hear that we moved out here from San Francisco (that’s where she grew up but couldn’t stand the fog). The husband is an old curmudgeon, but delightfully so. He worked in high-​tech in Silicon Valley and moved out his last company to Austin in the early 90s, eventually leaving to grow olives and make wine.
it’s not always the case that you visit a winery and the owners pour for you, so that was a treat. They are a very small production and a bit off the beaten path, so it was pretty quiet there too. A small group arrived just as we were leaving, but it was nothing like the bustling tasting rooms at nearby Driftwood Cellars.
The blackberry wine is actually good – you wouldn’t necessarily guess that it’s made of blackberry not grapes. And the other three reds we tasted were also nice.

There are tours of the olive orchard on Saturdays (10am and 1pm) and Sundays (noon). Tours are $ 10 per person and include wine tasting. I don’t know if it was worth it – if you have good weather, it probably is, though be prepared to listen a LOT.
Unfortunately, I visited on a foggy day that turned to drizzle. I was excited to walk among the olive trees and get some nice photographs, but the owner talked his way all through the foggy-​good-​picture-​taking time (at least twenty minutes) and then it started pouring.
He likes to talk.
Disappointingly, we didn’t get to see much of the orchard.
In hopes that the rain would stop, we went inside to see where the olives were processed and then spent some time in the tasting room. The wine was nothing special, but the olive oil was delicious; I purchased a bottle. There are also items from California (where the owners are from) and a range of other products made on the farm: jam, preserves and sauces.
The rain tapered off, but our tour guide showed no inclination to take us back outside; I left feeling disappointed, but with some excellent olive oil.