Dining
BY KATLYNN FOX
Swallow Wines highlights unique wine o erings Gabe Ellis began learning about wine varietals and winemaking practices two decades ago, fascinated by the educational approach to the tasting experience. Matt Ellis later shared the same interest, and the pair has spent nearly 20 years traveling to California to taste di erent wines and make friends on the West Coast. Zooming in In harnessing those connections with California winemakers, Matt and Gabe opened Swallow Wines in February 2024, bringing small-batch wines and winemakers to Round Rock. “We have gamay, we have orange wines, we have carignane—just di erent varietals that you won’t see in a lot of di erent places,” Matt said. On the menu Swallow Wines has a curated selection of wines that changes monthly, featuring sparkling, white, rosé and red wines. Swallow Wines is registered with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission as a winery, though they do not currently make wine, Matt said. As a winery, Matt and Gabe can purchase wines directly from winemakers, instead of going through a distributor with a more limited selection of wines. Swallow Wines works with around 30 small-scale winemakers to bring over 100 wines to customers. “[Each producer is] usually typically under 2,000 cases a year,” Gabe said. “It’s [a] very tiny, limited release so once the wines are gone, they’re gone forever until next year. It won’t be the same wine either—each vintage is going to be completely di erent.”
The interior of Swallow Wines features over 50 years of paintings by artist Don Snell.
PHOTOS BY KATLYNN FOX COMMUNITY IMPACT
35
N
407 Round Rock Ave., Round Rock www.swallow-wines.com
Matt and Gabe Ellis opened Swallow Wines in February 2024.
Round Rock Firefighters
YOUR SAFETY IS OUR PROMISE Your Round Rock Firefighters are proudly committed to serving our community. Protecting your safety is our highest priority LEARN MORE
35
ROUND ROCK EDITION
Powered by FlippingBook