Banff Vineyard Grower Profile

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Kurt & Kathy Banff

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Kurt & Kathy Banff

Not all vineyards are large, but they are still vital in Texas to grow grapes and provide them to wineries. One such vineyard is Banff Vineyard located in Lago Vista near Austin. Kurt and Kathy Banff own the vineyard, and Kurt provided the answers. They currently are contracted with The Austin Winery. We are happy to feature Banff Vineyard as this month’s Grower Profile!

What did you do before growing grapes?

I was in the airline business from 1978 to 2020. After retiring from the airline business, I turned the part-time grape growing into full-time grape growing.

When did you first plant your vineyard, and how many acres did you start with?

We planted an experimental vineyard of 300 vines in 1996. We planted five different varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chenin Blanc, Ruby Cabernet, Vidal Blanc, and Syrah. We wanted to see what would do well in our rocky limestone and crazy climate. It turned out that the Syrah did really well, so 100% Syrah is what we went forward with after 1999.

How many acres do you have today, and what grapes are planted?

Today we have 2600 vines on two acres.