The old-timers thought Glenda and Tom Slaughter were making a massive mistake, but the pioneering pair pressed on to successfully establish the first commercial winemaking operation in Bandera County.
Cradled in a picturesque canyon alongside the clear-flowing Sabinal River, the Lost Maples Winery at Polvadeau Vineyards attracts growing numbers of wine enthusiasts as well as tourists to the Vanderpool area including visitors to Lost Maples State Natural Area 2 miles to the north and Garner State Park 14 miles to the southwest. They converge on the tasting room Wednesdays through Sundays to savor samples of the winery’s output. They also learn about the proper pairing of wines with favorite foods as well as consuming wines for good health and vitality.
The Slaughters thought about growing grapes as early as 2005 on land settled by Glenda’s great-grandfather who migrated from Paris in the early 1800s. Previously the homestead produced primarily hay and goats, and raising the latter really didn’t excite the couple. So they learned about grape cultivation and winemaking through continuing education programs provided by Texas Tech, Texas A&M University and the University of California, Davis.
They planted 3,000 vines on 15 acres at what became Polvadeau Vineyards and by 2009 were producing 30,000 pounds of grapes. The next logical step was to transform those grapes into wine at their Lost Maples Winery beginning in 2014. The state-of-the-art, temperature-controlled facility with 9-inch-thick walls fills French oak barrels with various vintages for an aging process that extends from 18 months to 2 years, then puts the finished product into almost 50,000 bottles a year. In addition to the production facility, the Lost Maples Winery complex includes an open-air special-events venue and the popular tasting room. In essence, the Slaughters have created a new Hill Country destination.
“A lot of the locals didn’t think grapes would grow here,” Tom Slaughter says, “but actually they thrive in a microclimate that provides favorable temperatures and adequate moisture. It didn’t take long before we had to answer the question, ‘What do we do with all these grapes?’”
In 2009, the Slaughters hosted their first “harvest party” for volunteer grape-pickers. The annual event that’s publicized via the winery’s website – www.lostmapleswinery.com – usually occurs in August when the grapes reach peak ripeness. This past year, a hundred volunteers arrived by car and, in one instance, by helicopter to gather 9,000 pounds of grapes. They were treated to continental breakfast, a class on harvesting grapes, lunch, live musical entertainment and a ceremonial grape-stomping by 80-year-old Geraldine Becker of Leakey.
Lost Maples specializes in the growing of Black Spanish/Lenoir grapes, so the vintages tend more toward red, however the winery recently won medals for both its reds and whites at the San Antonio Wine Festival. One of Lost Maples’ popular blended wines – made with 75 percent Sangiovese and 25 percent Zinfandel grapes – pays homage to one of Tom Slaughter’s best buddies, well-known recording artist and former nightclub owner Mickey Gilley. An accomplished guitarist, Slaughter played in Gilley’s honky-tonk band and also served as music director.
A Houston native, Tom Slaughter graduated from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, before opening the Texas Tom’s chain of music stores in Houston. He sold that business in the late 1980s and became head of Star Motor Cars, a Houston dealership specializing in Mercedes-Benz automobiles. There he met Glenda in 1989 when she was buying a car, and they married in 1990. Glenda was born in Joplin, Mo., and grew up in Nederland, Texas, after her father’s employer transferred him to nearby Beaumont. She graduated from Lamar College in Beaumont and the University of Houston College of Pharmacy, and she also earned a finance degree from Sam Houston State.
Always close to her grandparents, Glenda spent summers on the Sabinal River and pledged never to part with the property. Weekend trips from Houston ultimately led to permanent residency at Polvadeau in 2006. “My grandmother used to tell me, ‘Don’t ever sell my mountain,’” Glenda says. “She drew strength from her ‘mountain’ that she called ‘Yellow Bluff.’ It’s an exceptionally beautiful place, so we decided to open it up so people can come here and find peace and strength.”
As a result, the Slaughters now host hundreds of visitors and give them a special and, in most cases, unanticipated-yet-delightful experience. “We try to uplift people,” Tom Slaughter says. “We offer excellent wines in a beautiful environment and seek to educate our guests as to how wine is good for you. Everybody likes to step up in life, and we believe wine brings out the best in people.”
It’s not surprising then that the Slaughters’ positive outlook and passion for winemaking is clearly displayed on a sign over the entrance to the winery’s tasting room – “It’s never too late to start the day over – have a glass of wine.”
