Peaches on the Prairie: Jenschke Orchards and Jenschke Cellars

Jenschke Cellars adjoins Jenschke Orchards

by Andrew Chalk

Travis Jenschke has seen US-290 transform since his youth.

I recently visited Steve Newsom, owner of English Newsom Cellars, at his tasting room on US-290 in the Hill Country. You might drive past this at 65 mph because the sign reads Jenschke Cellars. There is a story behind that.

Steve was growing peaches in the Texas High Plains. He would periodically contact the Jenschkes for advice. The conversation would turn to Steve’s belief that the Jenschkes needed a tasting room. They always declined, saying that they “grew peaches”. 

One day, an out of the blue phone call from Travis Jenschke came in to Steve. They had decided they wanted a tasting room. However, they did not want all the hassle of running it. Long story short: The Jenschkes and the Newsoms came to an agreement for English Newsom Cellars to have a tasting room at the site of Jenschke Orchards. Steve would operate it and employ the staff. He would make a line of fruit wines for them, to sell under the Jenschke Cellars name. English Newsom Cellars wines would be available as well. Originally, the shingle out front had both names on it, but people could not read it driving past at  65 mph, so the English Newsom name was dropped.   

Now, three generations of Jenschkes live at the orchards. Travis is the oldest. His son is Barrett, and Barrett’s daughter is Ava. The family history in this area goes back to Travis’s grandfather who would ride across the road on his horse to fetch his mail. So much has changed. An acre in 1948 sold for $90. Now US-290 frontage is the prime real estate in the area. Copilot cites two properties for sale today, one at $66k/acre and the other at $87k/acre. Of course, location, water access, and proximity to wineries affect prices.

The Jenschke Orchard is best known for peaches, and people can buy or pick-their-own in season. But they also have several other fruits (see list below). The planted land totals several hundred acres and stretches back, long and thin, almost to Luckenbach. As well as the orchards, the property also has a shop selling a lot of local produce. Recently, as well as welcoming English Newsom Cellars, the property has added an increasingly popular Tex-Mex BBQ place named Leroy’s.

On my earlier visits to US-290 between Johnson City and Fredericksburg I thought of it as just a place for wineries. However, peaches are important here as well and part of the rich farming tradition. Jenschke Orchards is an example of that. Visits are recommended. Park once and harvest peaches, taste wine, and eat Tex-Mex BBQ -- ideally in that order.