Thursday, February 6, 2025

Local business wines again

Posted

AZLE — The first of its kind, Azle’s very first Main Street winery promises “we will make you wine.”

Though it was originally located in Lakeside, its product is no stranger to Azle consumers, having twice won the title of Azle’s best winery in a public contest held by the Tri-County Reporter.

“One of the decisions is based on simply, if we got ‘Best Winery in Azle,’ why don't we go park our butts right in the center of it? They have a wine crawl with no winery,” co-owner Eloy Rodriguez said. “So the opportunity just presented itself with an open door.”

Married couple Eloy and Becky Rodriguez moved to 147 West Main St. from their original location at 8601 Jacksboro Highway, Lakeside. The business, named 199 Winery, had its soft opening at the new location last Thursday, Jan. 16.

While getting a haircut next door, Rodriguez inquired about the empty space that used to house the Glow Bar. The owner of the building was excited about the couple’s interest, telling them it might have ended up becoming a smoke shop instead.

While the space is smaller than its previous location, the couple is excited to be in a more visible and manageable space. Rodriguez said his previous wine making room alone was the size of the entire current building.

“We looked lonely up on that hill,” Rodriguez said of the former location. “We looked abandoned. No matter what we did, it was more word of mouth that we couldn't stay afloat that way ... There was a lot of hurdles. We had a lot of resistance in Lakeside. It's been an interesting journey, and we're very fortunate that we have landed here in Azle. They expedited the processes for us. We never thought that would happen. We didn't get any resistance.”

Until this fall, wineries hadn’t been addressed by city ordinances at all. Upon hearing the Rodriguezes were interested in moving their business to Azle, the Azle City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission pursued a code amendment adding wineries to the permitted use schedule and zoning ordinances. This effort passed unanimously in the P&Z and then later in a November council meeting.

While the business itself has condensed, its goals and ambitions have not. The handcraft winery still carries each step of the wine making process, from robust fermentation to bottling and labeling. It purchases its pre-mashed grapes from suppliers around the world in order to create a wide variety of authentic wines. Its license  allows it to manufacture wines, meads and ciders, and head winemaker Brandon Melton hopes to possibly introduce handcrafted beers to the menu as well.

“We're excited that Azle gets to be a part of our manufacturing process,” Rodriguez said.

While 199 Winery is still working out the details for this new location, it hopes to expand its patio area and create an inviting outdoor hangout. If it can succeed in such a small space, Eloy Rodriguez said that may open the door to introducing small handcraft wineries to other locations and downtowns.

“We hope that this is a good thing for Azle,” Becky Rodriguez said. “We want people to have places to go. We just hope that the small businesses are able to make it down here in downtown Azle because there's so many small businesses shut down, bigger small businesses even, so we're just hoping it brings a bright light.”

The Rodriguezes were originally high school sweethearts in Haltom City. In their 20s, they split up but eventually found each other about a decade later and have been married for the last 20 years. Eloy Rodriguez said his wife first introduced him to wines and she has been the main advocate for the project.

“She always wanted to work for herself and I can't be mad at that,” Rodriguez said. “We’re very motivated people. She does her thing, I do mine, but we always do it together.”

At the soft opening, Rodriguez saw many regulars who had previously frequented their Lakeside location. He said the business had gained a loyal following as a place to have parties, bridal showers or just a place for people to sit down, sip wine and relax.

“It's just kind of giving the community something that they really don't get in other places and just give them a cool experience on what an introductory wine would be to people that really don't drink,” Rodriguez said. “It's a new opportunity and a change of scenery. We want to give them a good experience when they're tasting, when they're having wine, when they're having cheese trays. It’s just a place where they can come to let their hair down and be themselves and not have to dress up to go to a winery. We want to maximize your experience when you come in and taste wine. We don't want you to lift your pinky. We want you to enjoy the flavors and enjoy the aromas.”

Eloy Rodriguez hopes to decorate the walls with historic Azle photos to give people something to talk about and to show their appreciation for the community that has given so much support to their business. In its Lakeside location, 199 Winery offered more than 20 different varieties and styles of wine, most named after popular songs. While they’re still working out their process in a smaller location, the Rodriguezes hope to expand their selection based on Azle’s palate and preferences.

While still finding out what works for its potential new consumers, this week 199 Winery will be open from 3 to 9 p.m. on weekdays while opening earlier on the weekends. The Azle Area Chamber of Commerce plans to introduce the business with a ribbon cutting Jan. 28. Eloy Rodriguez hopes to soon bring back the winery’s popular “Wine-O” bingo nights Thursdays.