Kiepersol Estates, located in the Piney Woods of East Texas, is a first-class destination for foodies, oenophiles, and now, lovers of mixology and craft cocktails. It is also a story of one man’s love of farming and family—a story twenty years in the making.
On February 21, 1984, Pierre de Wit caught a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty from the small window of an aircraft as he landed at John F. Kennedy in New York City.
It was his first time in the United States. Newly widowed, he came to America with four suitcases, a couple of thousand dollars, and his two small daughters, Marnelle, age four, and Velmay, age two, one on each arm, to begin a new life.
He also carried a small piece of paper in his wallet with the name of a professor at Texas A & M in College Station, Texas, that he’d met three years earlier. Hoping that the man remembered him and would help de Wet find work, the family boarded their next flight to Houston, Texas.
There was a job, just not in Texas. The family spent the next few years out west where de Wet used the knowledge and skills he’d gained on the South African farm where he’d spent his childhood. But the road kept leading back to East Texas, and the trio moved there permanently in 1994.
1994 was also the year that de Wet became a United States citizen – a process that began ten years prior. In his book, The Power of We, he says, “Looking back, I realize it’s not a piece of paper that made me an American citizen any more than the pages in the Bible make me a Christian. It’s a state of mind. It wasn’t hard to fall in love with the United States.”
Yet, there was still something missing.
de Wet longed to be a farmer again. Even though he was making a good living consulting for other farming operations, he knew that the next step was building his own place in the New World – their own place.
On weekends, he drove the backroads of East Texas, searching for land until he finally found seventy-three acres of dense, uncleared woods, which he purchased and named Kiepersol, after his father’s farm in South Africa.
By this time, both Marnelle and Velmay were heavily involved in the agriculture program at Whitehouse High School – tending to the school greenhouse and irrigation throughout their summer vacation.
“We loved farming,” giggles Marnelle de Wet Durrett. “We’re so nerdy.”
The family took vacations to other farms, and de Wet taught his girls lessons about business using agricultural examples. When Marnelle asked her father if she could grow peaches, he explained the difficulty of selling a perishable product at the exact right market.
“Daddy said that if everyone has peaches and they are all ripe today, you don’t have any demand. If they import the peaches, you have no demand. But if you can that peach, you turn your product into a commodity, and you can sell it when there is high demand.” Durrett explains, “That’s how he taught us about supply and demand.”
Pierre suggested growing grapes to his daughter.
Wine can be made from the grapes, and if it can’t be sold right away, it will only increase in value. “He said the crop would be protected inside those bottles,” Durrett recalls.
The year was 1997, and no one was growing grapes in East Texas. Undeterred, Durrett began her research, and the two planted their first one-acre vineyard to see what would grow and determine how different varieties would react to the hot climate.
While big sister Marnelle went to California to further her education about winemaking, Velmay de Wet Power developed a passion for hospitality and the business side of production. In 1999 a five-star restaurant, Kiepersol Estates, along with a Bed and Breakfast, was built.
“Daddy wanted fine dining without the drive. Nothing fru-fru – those were his exact words,” Durrett laughs, “Just meat and potatoes, an excellent meal, nicely presented with a comfortable atmosphere.”
Durrett arrived back in East Texas full of ideas, and the trio soon planted another thirteen acres of grapes.
They built a small 1,500 square-foot building, purchased a few tanks and some barrels, and produced their first wine in 2000. Since then, Kiepersol has produced a crop each year and now has sixty-three acres under cultivation. One hundred percent of the fruit used in Kiepersol wines is grown on their property, making Kiepersol the largest estate winery in the state of Texas.
Sadly, Pierre de Wet passed away in 2016. His daughters, Marnelle and Velmay, lost their best friend, boss, mentor, mentor, hero, and, most significantly, their dad.
“Imagine a glorious ship with a magnificent captain sailing steadfastly in one direction – the captain was our dad. And 2016 was a huge storm, putting a damaged ship into the harbor.” laments Marnelle. “The hurt was unimaginable.”
Within three hours, the pair made a pact.
They would continue their father’s legacy and do what was right in God’s eyes. With seventy-five employees depending on them and a payroll deadline looming, they immediately got back to work.
“We began fixing that ship in the harbor. Rebuilding it and learning,” says Durrett emphatically.
Another storm hit in 2020, with the outbreak of Covid-19 around the world. They closed the doors to the tasting room and had to furlough seventy-two employees. “We sat in the bar. It was like a ghost town, completely empty. It created such a void not having our staff and our customers. It was so sad.” sighs Durrett.
On FaceTime, the two discussed the future. They briefly considered selling and moving to Mexico. As they took stock and looked at everything they have and everything they love, they agreed that if they were to move to Mexico, they would still be producing, still be growing something, and still be feeding people.
“It’s what we do. It’s what we’re good at,” Power states proudly. “We have to create and build.”
“We started to go from the negative and moved and shifted to the positive. We stopped worrying and decided to give it to God.” reflects Durrett.
The pair reminisced on their father’s plan.
When the family opened the distillery in 2014, de Wet’s vision was to produce everything on-site to have a full bar and the ability to make any cocktail a customer might want. Inspired, the two decided to make the distillery and winery the core of the business.
Production increased in the distillery during the downtime. A blue agave spirit called “Pierre’s Texuila” and Dirk’s Gin were added to the existing family of spirits, consisting of Jimmy’s Bourbon, Pierre’s Rum, and Dirk’s Vodka. Also, during this time, staff attended training and schools, some even receiving certifications in mixology.
The restaurant is now officially permitted as Kiepersol Distillery and Winery.
That means patrons can buy spirits and wine at the restaurant and in the tasting room. It also means that Kiepersol spirits will be served exclusively.
Durrett clarifies, “It’s like when you go to the Nike store, you get Nikes, not Adidas. If you want both, you go to Academy. We’re going to be like the Nike store.”
Excitedly, Velmay adds. “It completes the destination. Coming here is an experience.”
Committed to providing a true-craft experience to East Texans, all products will be distilled and infused onsite, showcasing their dedicated team’s talent. Home-made cordials, creams, fruit infusions, herb tinctures, and bitters are made fresh at the bar and round out the farm-to-table experience.
“Our infusionist, Emily, is making all of our liqueurs, mixers, tinctures, and everything we need to make you all excellent cocktails! It’s a very exciting time.”
Of course, guests will still be able to enjoy Kiepersol flagship wines, and limited production wines found only on the estate, as well as wines from all over the world.
Expert staff will help guests pair wines and craft cocktails with their meals; the team is even working on a menu of cocktails that will appeal to beer lovers.
A few other physical changes will be taking place on the grounds. The tasting rooms have been consolidated into a new building, The Grand Room at Kiepersol. Patrons will be able to taste all of the wine and spirits in this area. Meats, cheeses, and other food options, and all of the new signature cocktails, will be available.
The previous Distillery Tasting Room will now be used exclusively as the Infusion Room. See where all of the infusions, mixers, and delicious cocktails are developed and perfected on one of the tours offered by staff.
The previous Winery Tasting Room is now exclusively The Clubhouse at Kiepersol for the Kiepersol Club Members to enjoy.
Large events will no longer be held at the facility, and the sisters are in negotiations to lease the former event space out.
Power sums it up. “We’re going to focus on what we’re good at. Wine, spirits, and food.”
Thanks for reading! XOXO If you enjoyed this story, you might like to read about the charcuterie class I took at Kiepersol in their Salt Kitchen. Click HERE to check out how to make one of these gorgeous boards for yourself.
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