Geraldine’s Natural Wines

 

A Return to True Winemaking:
Geraldine’s Natural Wines

By Elizabeth Bobbitt | Photography by Lynn Yao

 

When owner Travis Higdon returned to San Antonio after working in the corporate tech industry for twenty-five years, he noticed a significant gap in San Antonio’s wine market.

 

“When we moved to 78209 from Los Angeles, I noticed that we didn’t have a neighborhood wine shop. Back in LA, we had several super cute wine stores that had curated selections of wines that you didn’t often see in the grocery store. I really missed that, so I decided to open Geraldine’s,” Travis says.

 

Located at 5005 Broadway in one of Alamo Heights’ most historic shopping centers, readers will know Geraldine’s Natural Wines by its blue, Alamo-shaped parapet that crowns one of 78209’s busiest thoroughfares. With Broadway Daily Bread next door and Cappy’s Restaurant nestled behind, Geraldine’s is the latest addition to a network of local businesses looking to foster 78209 community.

 

“A couple of weeks ago, I organized a retail block party, where we all got together to cross-promote our businesses. Cappy’s servers were sending people in here, and I had a wine tasting. It was a really successful event, and we aim to do it more often,” Travis says.

 

This month, Geraldine’s will be celebrating its one-year anniversary with a day of specially selected wine tastings, craft beer offerings, and charcuterie boards.

 

“Our anniversary is on Saturday, November 15th. We are going to have a big, all-day party. The wine tastings will be hosted by several of my importers, who are very knowledgeable about their wines,” Travis says. 

 

 

A Welcoming Boutique of Natural Wines

 

It was not until Travis was unexpectedly laid off from his job in the tech world that he decided to pursue his passion for locally-sourced, natural wines.

 

“It took being laid off to realize that I didn’t want to go back into the corporate world of Zoom meetings and performance reviews. I wanted to interact with people face to face and to be in charge of my own destiny. When I found this space right next to Cappy’s, I knew I was going to make Geraldine’s a reality. I couldn’t think of a better place for a wine shop,” Travis says.

 

Travis is most passionate about sharing his ethos of “natural wine” with the wider 78209 community. “Natural wine” is produced using sustainable, organic, or biodynamic farming practices. Some of Travis’s labels are locally sourced, while others come from winemaking regions across the globe. Most of the wines that customers can find at Geraldine’s are not available anywhere else in San Antonio.

 

“In comparison with the mass-produced wine available in grocery stores, the wine in my shop is authentic and clean with no additives such as artificial coloring, added sugars, or lab-cultivated yeasts. These wines have been made the exact same way that wine has been produced for thousands of years,” Travis says.

 

The Alchemy of Winemaking

 

Walking into Gerladine’s shop feels like coming into a knowledgeable neighbor’s wine cellar. Travis hosts weekend wine tastings in order to introduce his customers to new labels, and he can often be found sampling importers’ latest vintages. One of Travis’s most recent purchases is a Georgian wine aged in a “qvevri,” a specially designed clay pot that is one of the oldest winemaking vessels on earth.

 

“I don’t want the shop to feel dark and masculine like a steakhouse. I want it to be airy and welcoming, because it’s important to me that people aren’t afraid of coming here. I’m trying to make it as easy as possible for people who are learning about wine to feel like we will take care of them,” Travis says.

 

When asked about the allure of working in the wine industry, Travis is fascinated by the natural process of winemaking itself and the opportunities for conviviality that a bottle of wine presents to customers.

 

“There’s an alchemy to winemaking that is really interesting. It’s a natural product that undergoes a biological transformation, and I love how it’s a beverage that only grows more beautiful with time. As a resident of 78209, I’ve been able to meet so many of my own neighbors who have come into the shop, and we have made connections through our shared interest in wine. That’s been the best part of opening Geraldine’s,” Travis says.

 

Geraldine’s offers delivery services to Alamo Heights, Terrell Hills, and Olmos Park. Free delivery over $100.

 

Order online, or register for Geraldine’s Wine Club at www.shopgeraldines.com.