The Bar — A Piece of Texas History
The History
While you enjoy a wine tasting at our bar, you're touching 130 years of American history.
Our full-length wooden bar was manufactured by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company — the most celebrated bar maker in 19th century America. Patented on April 17, 1894, this bar is one of the finest surviving examples of the craftsmanship that defined the golden era of the American saloon. At the time, a Brunswick-Balke-Collender bar was so prestigious that when a saloon installed one, it made the local news.
Look closely and you'll spot the original patented beer slider mechanism — a hallmark of Brunswick-Balke-Collender craftsmanship still attached to the bar today. In the saloon days, bartenders would slide drinks down the bar with effortless precision. That same hardware has been right here, unchanged, for over 130 years.
As Seen in a Willie Nelson Film
This historic bar found its way into Texas film history when it was featured as a filming location in Willie Nelson's movie, The Red Headed Stranger. If these boards could talk, they'd have quite a story to tell — from 19th century American saloon culture, to the silver screen, to the heart of the Wimberley Square.
Come See It For Yourself
History this good deserves to be experienced in person. Come into Hill Country Wine Shoppe, belly up to our 1894 Brunswick bar, and let us pour you a taste of the finest Texas Hill Country wines. Open daily on the Wimberley Square — walk-ins always welcome.