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War and Wine in Comfort (12/17/2022)

Today was our last day in Comfort. The day started in the high 30s at running time (about 5:30ish) but warmed to a brilliant, sunny 60, which made for a lovely day out.

We traveled by car today as we ventured further afield. We started with a quick photo of a cool Comfort sign before moving onto a war memorial unique to this community.

Town sign for Comfort

The Treue der Union Memorial is a limestone obelisk that was dedicated to the German (mostly) Free Thinkers who were loyal to the Union during the Civil War and who died in battle in 1862. In 1865, friends of the slain union loyalists recovered remains and buried them at the site of the memorial. Much props to Comfort for honoring these men, as much of Texas still doesn’t appear to like the Union.

The historical marker about the event
The obelisk memorial. Along with the names of the victims,
it also has a time capsule inside.
Three crosses near the memorial

After the memorial, we did an inexpensive driving and photo tour of the three wineries closest to Comfort. No drinking was involved, which made it easier on the wallet as well as the driving on the narrow, windy roads. First stop was Sister Creek Vineyards in nearby Sisterdale, Texas. We had been to this winery before so just snapped a couple of quick pics outside.

Sign with the Texas flag. The winery is located between the East and West Sister Creeks.
The tasting room housed in an 1885 cotton gin. The winery opened in 1988.

Then we headed back past Comfort about 5 miles to a much newer winery, Singing Waters, founded in 1997. The drive was beautiful among the rolling hills, and the winery wasn’t hard on the eyes either. This stop combined both wine and war, as the owner is a veteran, and they have lots of service stories and memorabilia on the walls of the tasting room.

Sign for the winery, tasting room, and guest houses.
One of the winemaking buildings on the property.
One of the war items. This is a blood chit given to airmen in case they were downed behind enemy lines. It states, in various languages, that the individual is an American in need of assistance.
How gorgeous is this property! And it was hopping.
Looking back from the seating area towards the tasting room.
Overlooking the creek in back of the property.
A goat on the property looking for some food.

Finally, we headed towards Bending Branch Winery, owned by the same person who owns California-based Ursa Winery with the Comfort tasting room that we visited last night. We learned from an employee in the tasting room that they lost their entire crop in 2014 due to a grape disease. They now have 56 acres of grapes planted in a number of different areas across the state.

Sign for the winery with a glimpse of the beautiful Hill Country in the back
The tasting room

Just a side note for future reference, the price per person for a tasting at the last two wineries was $30, and it was $18 or more to buy a glass of wine to drink on site.

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