Tasting Room and the Incubator Project

Old Man Scary Cellars found its home in San Saba, Texas, in a beautifully restored 1924 historic building, re-purposed to house a retail tasting room and winery production facility. Designed with new Texas start-up wineries in mind, the building was transformed into a home for us at Old Man Scary Cellars, and is now open to share with you.

What is an Incubator Project?

Simply put, it’s a plan where an established winery helps provide a new winery the means and facilities to get open and operational, at a much quicker and economical rate. The plan is mutually beneficial; by implementing a new winery in San Saba, the demand, production, quality and traffic will rise for both wineries.

Inspired by similar projects in Washington State and California, Wedding Oak Winery brought the plan to Texas, purchased the building in San Saba, and planned for the future. When Alex and Lily Swift began to look into a way to starting a winery in the very attractive Hill Country location, they were introduced to Mike McHenry and Wedding Oak Winery, and a goal began to form.

Dr. Alex Swift, entered into the incubator relationship with Wedding Oak Winery as a cost effective way to get a new winery open and operational. The on-site production facilities’ capacity will be augmented by the production facilities at Wedding Oak Winery, located just two buildings away. Leasing the bonded space for wine storage, small winery production area, store front retail space, and outdoor courtyard gives Old Man Scary Cellars the attractive Hill Country location without the extensive capital expenses of starting a new winery from scratch.

Wedding Oak Winery winemaker, Penny Adams, will oversee the wine production for Old Man Scary Cellars, making wines to the specifications of the Swifts and providing advise based on her extensive expertise in viticulture and viniculture.