we started rockroom winemaking cooperative with a simple goal in mind: make some great wine for ourselves and our friends. To do this we secure super-premium grapes from talented california winegrowers then we allow that fruit to become the awesome wine it wants to be. 

and where does the rockroom story begin?  In the rockroom of course - a limestone room tucked into a west austin hillside that started as a place to store wine, then became a place to make wine.  cooperative efforts with friends produced numerous tiny batches of wines and so we called ourselves the rockroom winemaking co-operative.  our motto said it all: “e pluribus vinum” - from many, wine!

so what were those cooperative efforts about? mostly about figuring out what went into the wines we loved to drink.  not surprisingly, grape quality loomed large.  the most flavorful and complex grapes produced the most expressive wines.  but balance was important too: overripe raisiny grapes made boring, jammy wines that did not pair as well with food.  not bad wine, but not the food-friendly stuff we wanted.

not being captive to any one vineyard, we sampled from many and found that for each type of grape certain locations and winegrowing approaches hold special magic.  of course careful winemaking matters too, but it is no substitute for simply using only super-premium grapes: the right varietal being grown in the optimal place by skilled winegrowers.  now this is not really new information - the French have talked about “terroir” for generations - but what is new is the ability of small boutique producers (like us) to get access to these fabulous grapes from exciting growing regions.

and so from the winemaking co-operative emerged a few wines to be made in larger batches – still small by industry standards, but enough to be sure that there will be plenty for us to drink… and more to share!  great wine for our fellow texans and others in far flung places that are seeking new wine choices and experiences. we would love it if you would try the wines and let us know what you think.

cheers!

scott collier

founder & winemaker