Kalasi Cellars — Restaurant in Fredericksburg

The newest adventures of Nikhila Narra and Gregg Davis at Kalasi Cellars is their latest endeavor into all things grape and wine in Texas. Having already established themselves as one of the top-quality growers of Texas grapes, the expectations of their own line of wines has been eagerly awaited. Although this is her first big step into the Texas winery business, Nikhila is certainly no stranger to the wine industry. Having experience in wine making at Cakebread Cellars in Napa Valley as well as wine certification from UC Davis AND a Texas Tech viticulture certification, her credentials are only matched by her inspiration and enthusiasm for this big dream. Like his wife, Gregg has jumped all into this new business with enthusiasm and is not looking back. With experience in business management practices, he can help foster growth and success for this new bright star that recently opened. At 3300 feet in the Texas High Plains AVA, the Davis’s have been setting the bar on sustainable and quality grape growing practices for six years at Narra Vineyards. In 2014, they started with 20 acres of Albariño, Roussanne, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and Sangiovese vines. Since then, they have expanded to almost 117 acres including not only Tannat and Tempranillio, but also Malvasia Bianca, Viognier, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Franc as well as some “rising grape stars” like Carménère, Sagrantino, and Teroldego. And as if that is not enough, they have started a new vineyard on their Texas Hill Country estate with freshly planted Teroldego last May. WOW…right? Using low yielding practices, the quality of each grape varietal at both vineyards will continue to be highly sought after by winemakers. Their commitment to a holistic approach to winemaking is unwavering and you can taste the difference in their inaugural wine releases. There are six wines to try in the fresh new hill country tasting room. The first line of wines to try are called the Heritage Collection. This represents the more common and traditional wines that everybody knows and loves. For the 2018 Roussanne, this stainless-steel aged wine does have a deep golden color and a well-rounded mouthfeel. The “newbie” on the rack is a 2019 Sparkling Muscat. This wine has just a touch of CO2 and was bottle aged for 6-months, giving it a pleasant tingling sensation along with honeysuckle notes that dance and delight across the palate. A great wine for spicy foods or a great summer sipper. Moving on to the reds! The 2018 Sangiovese was aged 18 months in neutral oak. It has good depth, character, great raspberry flavors, and is smooth. Got Malbec? This 2017 release is a big pleaser. It has a medium bodied texture, with cocoa, and cherry notes, making this bold wine a winner! The other two reds are part of their Reincarnated line. These seldom seen and grown grapes in Texas may not be so rare once Nikhila and Greg show the Texas wine world how they can be grown and crafted into great wines. You certainly may have had some good Carménère from Chile, but this “lost grape” explodes with beautiful berry structures and a touch of paprika. Have never heard of Teroldego? This Italian varietal has certainly found a new home here at Kalasi Cellars. With vanilla and tobacco notes, this very deep dark rich red wine will certainly rival many traditional well-known reds. Bring on that locally sourced fatty aged steak for pairing! It goes without saying that this 100% estate and Texas grown fruit is working out quite nicely for this new winery. On the wine horizon will be a Rosé Tannat and a Sagritora – yum and YUM! It was great being there for their opening weekend and we hope to visit again and enjoy spending a bit of time on the patio. They are a great young couple to chat with and they certainly have their hearts and passions in the right place. Do plan to stop by! They have a kitchen, so stop in for lunch and a tasting or snacks and a tasting. We think you will be incredibly pleased with the wines and glad you...

I have given this review 3 stars . Not because the wine wasn’t good , it’s not because of the amazing young man named Louis who served us . He was not only nice he was very knowledgeable about the wine and answered all of our questions. The property was also very nice . All of those previously mentioned categories deserve 5 stars. My concern was the older lady who also was working on Dec 31 at 11 am when we arrived . There were only 4 other people in the tasting room when we arrived. Louis greeted us very nicely and we were asked if we had a reservation and we did not . We understood we were a party of 10 we would not have expected to be given anything special . We would have been fine with bottle service alone. However the lady quickly told us (and not in a friendly tone)since we were a party of 10 we would have to pay on one ticket and would be charged an automatic 20 % gratuity charge . We were not very happy with her tone or her rude attitude . We were going to leave and just go to another winery . Louis stepped in and took care of us . At the end of our visit each couple probably payed $100. + But to add to our encounter with this particular worker . One of our party asked if a military discount was offered ( He is a retired Marine) and she said we only offer a discount for active military personnel. With a finger gestures as quotation “”.Is this your policy ? If so I think it needs to said to the public so they can make the decision to patronize. Your winery or not. I am sorry to go on about this but as a business owner . I think it is important that you know what goes on in your winery. We will not be returning . With the quality of your wine . We may have considered being part of your wine club. However to have to deal with the likes of her .. no way! Thank...

This turned into an unexpectedly wonderful part of my and my partner's trip to Fredericksburg. We'd planned to go hike Enchanted Rock and then grab lunch, plus, just for fun, do a wine tasting. After hiking a few hours, I felt grubby and a little foxed, but we decided to go anyways.

I can't say I'm an expert on wine, but I do know what I like. In looking for places to visit, I stumbled across Kalasi Cellars and the tag on their website drew me in: "Where Tradition Meets Innovation with a Touch of India". Why wouldn't I give that a try?

There's plenty of parking on site, and the tasting rooms are a short drive from the Old Downtown of Fredericksburg. I was a little hesitant going in because we were the only people there on a grayish Tuesday afternoon... might it feel awkward? How wrong I was!

We were given a great greeting from Dana, who was working tastings that day, and sat and enjoyed and learned about Kalasi's wine. The different wines we enjoyed were all great, and Dana's expertise and accessibility helped us to understand not just what we were drinking but why it made sense. She was the best salesperson ever: because she was zero pressure, I absolutely wanted to buy some wine, and I did. It's good enough that when time permits, I think I'll join their membership program.

My partner and I felt very welcome indeed - more like old friends than a customer, and I can't recommend this...