Angelita Vineyard and Winery

Saturday, November 2nd, 2019

If you’re headed south on I-45, be sure to take exit 225 just outside of Corsicana where you’re only a couple of miles away from Angelita Vineyard & Winery. Located on the Cien Fuegos Ranch, Rodney and Beverly Spahn started their vineyard in 2010 with 200 Blanc Du Bois vines. From that first half acre of grapes harvested, they were able to produce 60 gallons of an outstanding wine. By early 2014, Angelita Vineyard covered five acres having more than doubled in size with the addition of another 1600 Blanc Du Bois and 200 Ruby Cabernet vines.

With the success of the vineyard, which was named after Rodney’s mother, Angelita, the couple opened an onsite winery in June of 2014. Designed and built by Beverly and Rodney, the winery had always been part of their vision. While neither of them had prior experience in operating a winery, their success with the vineyard had taught them that careful planning, education and an eye for detail would reduce a lot of the risk in staring a new business. Although both still have professional careers in the airline industry where Rodney is a commercial pilot and Beverly a head flight attendant, they made the time to attend training events that included the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association – Grape Camp, which is a two-day event filled with educational sessions and vendor demonstrations focused on Texas grape growers.

From the challenges they had encountered starting and growing the vineyard, they knew the Navarro College SBDC was a great resource for assisting them with issues related to state and local licensing and name registration. Beverly stated, “When we needed to find out who to contact for trade name registration, licensing or filing permits, the SBDC either had the information or quickly found it.”

After the successful soft opening in June, Angelita Vinyard & Winery had its official grand opening on July 19, which included a ribbon cutting with the Corsicana & Navarro County Chamber of Commerce and was a well-attended, all-day event. The winery is open Thursday through Sunday, noon to 8 p.m., with scheduled monthly entertainment such as live music, holiday and seasonal events, and a new wine introduced in the tasting room every quarter.