After years of working in corporate America, winemaker Brandie Jewell said she was ready for a change. She turned over a new leaf in her career when she took over ownership of Water 2 Wine in New Braunfels, located at 185 S. Seguin Ave. The establishment celebrated its 10-year anniversary in January.
“We have people who have just started drinking wine here, and we have people who are beer drinkers who we convert to wine drinkers,” Jewell said.
At any given time Water 2 Wine offers 30-40 different types of wine that are made using imported grapes from around the world. Guests can enjoy a glass in the winery’s warm environment or do a tasting to discover what suits them best.
“You’re never going to leave with a bottle you don’t like,” said wine expert Johnny Reinhart, who has been serving guests at Water 2 Wine for four years.
The winery produces small, 28-bottle batches that allow it to ferment several different kinds of wine at a time. Smaller batches also tend to be lower in sulfates that can cause headaches or hangovers, so “you can maybe have a couple extra glasses and still feel good in the morning,” Jewell said.
Water 2 Wine also provides guests the opportunity to make and bottle a batch of wine following a five-step process. The batches take 45 days to ferment in the winery’s 2,000-square-foot cellar. Guests can also adorn bottles with custom labels that are ideal for gifts or commemorating a special event.
Jewell, whose family immigrated to Comal County from Germany in 1854, takes pride in Water 2 Wine’s historic downtown location. She said the building is one of a handful of downtown spots with a basement, which was part of an underground tunnel system used to move alcohol during prohibition.
Currently a cabernet that is aged in whiskey barrels from Balcones Distilling in Waco is among the winery’s most popular offerings.
“[The wine] absorbs some of the whiskey essence and gives it a smoothness you don’t find in a typical red,” Jewell said.
