Inspiring Conversations with D. Carl Money of Pontotoc Vineyard Weingarten

Today we’d like to introduce you to D. Carl Money.

Pontotoc Vineyard was established in the unique terroir of the Llano Uplift in the Northern Hill Country community of Pontotoc, Mason County, Texas. Pontotoc means “Land of Hanging Grapes” and the vineyard was planted in the fertile red sand soil of a high valley surrounded by pink granite outcroppings and sandstone hills on a farm originally founded by the German Emigration Company in 1872. The community once promised to be a large town with an institute of higher education and farming, ranching, and mining industries. The establishment of San Fernando Academy in 1882 drew students to the area from throughout Texas and was the pride of Pontotoc. Over the years, however, the community experienced a series of hardships, including a typhoid fever epidemic, which nearly wiped out the population; the defeat of a movement to create a new county called Mineral County with Pontotoc as the county seat; and the fire of 1946, which ravaged the town center. Despite these challenges, Pontotoc persevered and, as a testament to the character of the community, now stands poised to realize the promise of the future with the emergence of viticulture and enology in the Northern Hill Country. Pontotoc Vineyard is truly a family endeavor. Carl, an attorney, and Frances, a pastry chef, own the vineyard along with their four young children, Harper, Ella, Finn, and Welles.

Carl purchased the historic German Estate in 2003, and immediately began restoring the sandstone farm house and clearing the fields with the vision of planting a vineyard. Having first learned about viticulture while studying abroad in the wine district of Vienna, Austria, Carl had long dreamed of establishing a vineyard in his native Texas. Over the course of a few years, Carl, with the able assistance of family and friends, especially Carl’s father, Donnie Money, established approximately five acres of Tempranillo vines. Carl had come to know the Spanish varietal while teaching law in Spain and rightfully thought it well-suited to the terroir of the Northern Hill Country. The entire Money Family has been involved in turning the soil, planting and pruning the vines, harvesting the fruit, and making and bottling the wine. In fact, much of the extended family travels to Pontotoc each year from throughout Texas to pitch a hand for the Annual Harvest. The Money Family is a fifth generation Texas farming family and takes great pride in bringing the fruit of their labor to your table. After establishing the vineyard and refurbishing the farm house, Carl and Frances purchased the turn-of-the-century sandstone buildings in Pontotoc, including what had been the grocery store, hardware store, post office, barber shop, garage, gas station, and movie theater, with the idea of making the town into the center of viticulture and enology in the Northern Hill Country. The buildings form the historic downtown and stand facing the ruin of San Fernando Academy. Over the course of a year, with the help of family and friends, they converted the oldest buildings, the grocery store, hardware store, and post office into the weinhalle and winery. Similar to the heurigen of Vienna and bodegas of Madrid, the weinhalle provides a family atmosphere in an intimate environment with exposed sandstone walls and an arched doorway that opens into the winery. The weinhalle and winery, along with the movie theatre, which provides a venue for film screenings, live music, and theatrical performances, are open for special events and by appointment.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Frankly, it has been a smooth road. We have a beautiful farm to grow our grapes and historic sandstone buildings to make our 100% Texas Hill Country wine.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Pontotoc Vineyard Weingarten?
All Pontotoc Vineyard wines are on offer at Pontotoc Vineyard Weingarten located at 320 West Main Street, Fredericksburg, Texas, on Friday & Saturday from 12-8pm and Sunday from 12-5pm. Pontotoc Vineyard Weingarten is nestled in a quaint cottage with an authentic weinkeller in a stone walled courtyard in historic Fredericksburg, Texas. Similar to the heurigen of Vienna, Austria, the Weingarten provides a family atmosphere in an intimate environment for sharing a picnic of excellent local food and wine. The mission of Pontotoc Vineyard is to make vintage wines of exceptional quality from grapes grown solely in the Texas Hill Country. We are a fifth generation Texas farming family and take great pride in bringing the fruit of our labor to your table.

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I spent the late 1980s and 1990s in Austin, Texas, and think it is one of the best cities in the US. The years I spent in Austin were a time of great hope and opportunity. It seemed that everyone I knew had a dream and vision for their future. Mine took me to the Hill Country to plant a vineyard and start a winery but I have always kept my Austin home with the hope that someday one of our four children will make it their own.

Contact Info:

• Email: info@pontotocvineyard.com
• Website: PontotocVineyard.com
• Instagram: @pontotocvineyard
• Facebook: Pontotoc Vineyard Weingarten
• Yelp: Pontotoc Vineyard