A 55-acre winery with one rhino-shaped purpose.
Rhinory is what happened when two people from a Hill Country family 150+ years deep watched two rhinos go down to poachers in South Africa and decided to do something with the land they had. Today, on 55 acres above the Pedernales, a working winery funds a working sanctuary, and the only resident of both is Blake.
Two rhinos went down. Two years later, they broke ground.
The Rhinory story does not begin in a vineyard. It begins on a safari in South Africa in 2016, on the morning after two rhinos were poached within earshot. What came next was a question: what do you do with that?
We started our rhino journey after visiting South Africa in 2016. While we were on safari, two rhinos were poached nearby. It was quite traumatic to the rangers, the patrons, and the surrounding community that relies on tourism for their local economy. Before this experience, rhino poaching was just something you heard about, not been there when it happened and can see the consequences of. Our family decided we wanted to assist rhino conservation in any way we could. We looked into importing rhinos into Texas, where they would be safe, and we could have a “reserve population” if rhinos are poached to extinction in Africa. Bringing them to a private reserve is more complicated than we imagined. We needed money and land to support that effort, so we hatched the idea of combining a winery with our desire to save rhinos.
A family operation, 150+ years in the Hill Country.
The wife-and-husband team behind Rhinory. Their family has worked the Hill Country for 150+ years. Today they run Rhinory as a working winery that also serves as a private, AZA-aligned rhino reserve, a model they hope to grow into a Texas-based reserve population of Southern White Rhinos.
Right on Highway 290. Backed up to the Pedernales River.
Rhinory is 55 acres of Hill Country beauty. A creek meanders the property where the wildlife goes to socialize and sip their drink. The rhino pen is designed for guests to view and observe Blake while enjoying both the wine and the natural beauty of the land. Next to it stands a grove of large oak trees that provide shade and great viewing, right next to one of Blake’s feed stations and watering hole.
There is not a bad seat in the house.
From 55 acres in the Texas Hill Country, we set out to become America’s Conservation Winery, a working winery where the wine pays the rhino’s rent, not the other way around.
Four tons. Monthly pedicures.
Blake is our resident Southern White Rhino, about 4,100 pounds of him, and he came to us from Fossil Rim in 2019. He looks formidable. Mostly he grazes, scratches against the log chimes Mary built him, and lines up for his monthly pedicure.
Blake is part of a rhino survival and breeding program, which makes him an ambassador as much as a resident. His species and the four behind it are up against poaching and habitat loss. Spend an afternoon with him and you’re helping fund the fight for all five.
Here he’s got spacious pastures, a watering hole he treats as a full-time mud wallow, and three keepers with more than fifty years between them: Christine Bobko, Kristen Rockey, and Mary Fields.
Blake’s 2019 transition from Fossil Rim to Rhinory, his adoption-day anchor.
Same day as Rhinory’s grand-opening anniversary, one cake, two reasons.
The keepers, the office, the cellar, and the cellar door.
Rhinory runs in three layers: a Rhino Program team with more than fifty years of combined experience caring for rhinos, a core team that keeps the lights on year-round (operations, marketing, wine club, analysis), and a Wine team headed by a Level 3 Sommelier with a Michelin-starred restaurant background. Together they make the model possible: working welfare on one side of the property, working wine on the other, and a steady office in between.
The Rhino Program team
Christine Bobko.
32 years at the Denver Zoo with Black and Greater One-Horned Rhinos, plus everything from koalas to Asian elephants. Field work in Africa and Indonesia for Sumatran and Javan rhinos. Retired from Denver in 2022 when Craig and Chesney called; her retirement, in her words, would now be wine and rhinos. Founding board member and President of the International Rhino Keeper Association; has personally raised $250,000+ through fundraisers.
Kristen Rockey.
Originally from Sayreville, NJ. In the zoo industry since 2014; favorites are big cats and birds. Strong educational background; taught environment and animals in Utah schools. With Rhinory since Blake arrived. Hosts the new Beyond the Horn tasting program: five wines, five rhino species, first held May 2026.
Mary Fields.
Originally from Houston. Keeper since 2014; rhinos longest. First internship 2011 at the Houston Zoo with three southern white rhinos: Blake is Mary’s 10th southern white rhino. Conservation-event organizer, animal-behavior and positive-reinforcement training focus. Built Blake’s log chimes as enrichment.
The Core team
The always-there layer. Operations, marketing, wine club, analysis: the office that keeps Rhinory running between guest-facing shifts. Portraits and three titles are pending confirmation.
Nicole Rosenstiel.
Runs the operation day-to-day. Press and partner liaison; the contact behind most coordinated inbound at Rhinory.
Portrait pendingStacy Geary.
The named voice behind member service and the operational rhythm of the floor. Where the wine club promise meets daily execution.
Portrait pendingKatelyn Corrigan.
Owns Rhinory’s outward voice: campaigns, channels, the editorial calendar. The reason the conservation message lands the same way twice.
Portrait pendingBryce Gamage.
The numbers and reporting layer, the side of Rhinory that turns thousands of visitors into a line item the Foundation can deploy.
Portrait pendingMatt Ward.
A name guests ask for by first name. Walks the floor with the cellar in his head.
Portrait pendingHeather Pipkin.
A long-standing presence at Rhinory and part of the recognizable Rhinory voice guests come back for.
Portrait pendingRyann Dover.
Core team. Title and bio sentence pending confirmation; placeholder so the cell holds its shape until canonical copy lands.
Title & portrait pendingThe Wine team
David Bradbury.
Level 3 Sommelier with a Michelin-starred restaurant background. Curates the cross-continental cellar, Texas High Plains and South African Stellenbosch side by side, and hosts the new Inside the Glass with David members-only program.
Greg
A steady weekday anchor; guests come back asking for him by name.
Portrait pendingBecky
Anchor of the weekend rhythm; quietly steers groups through Signature flights and the property.
Portrait pendingDale
Known for the kind of warm, unhurried host-craft that makes Hill Country tasting rooms work.
Portrait pendingKristi
Part of the consistent floor voice, often paired with Sara on busy weekend shifts.
Portrait pendingSara
Part of the frontline voice that guests ask for the next time they come back.
Portrait pendingTyler · Phil & the rest of the floor.
Additional named hosts plus the wider team that rounds out daily service; portraits and full roster pending.
Roster pendingThis is what makes us America’s Conservation Winery.
Every figure below is from the 2025 Rhinory Impact Report: public, PR-cleared, customer-facing. The conservation thesis isn’t a tagline; it’s an audited line item. The wine pays the rhino’s rent.
Through 2025, Rhinory has deployed $1.5 million-plus to rhino conservation, across the International Rhino Foundation, Care for Wild, Ol Pejeta, and the cost of caring for Blake on property.
Annual cost to keep Blake on the land: operations, keepers, vet, food, enrichment, habitat.
In critical rhino habitat via IRF reforestation: the part of conservation that does not have a face.
Raised by Blake’s skin-painting program since 2022. A rhino with a tail brush turns out to be a productive collaborator.
Raised for IRF at the third annual Illumination Gala, Sept 20, 2025.
An institution, not a novelty.
USDA permitting
Bringing a rhino to the property meant the correct facilities, staff, and a full USDA permitting process. Start to finish, it took about three and a half years.
SSP species & subspecies
Blake is on loan through the American Species Survival Plan, the AZA program that maintains healthy, genetically diverse populations across 478 species and subspecies.
Co-founder on staff
Our lead rhino keeper brings decades of direct rhino experience and is a co-founder of the International Rhino Keeper Association.
Source · San Antonio Current · 2022 launch coverage
Three rooms full of writers made the same trip.
From Texas Monthly’s prestige editorial to Axios’s three-bullet brevity to Texas Highways’ golden-hour feature, thirty-eight publications have visited Rhinory, with three Texas-tier pieces anchoring the press lane. This is no gimmick.
The wines could surely draw visitors on their own, particularly if sipped during the golden hour. And Napa doesn’t even have a rhino.
My new favorite Texas Hill Country winery, and it isn’t just because you get to hang out with a rhino while you’re there… this is no gimmick.
Few wineries are blending wine and wildlife like Craig Stevens and his wife, Chesney Castleberry.
Visitation, hours, kids, groups, food. Read before you book.
Eight Q&As from our live FAQ. Rhino encounter specifics live on the Visit page; these are the operational questions about coming to the property.
Q · 01 Do we need reservations for tastings?
Friday through Sunday reservations are HIGHLY recommended. We have limited seating and staff, so a reservation will make sure that you have a table and appropriate staff in order to do a tasting. If you do NOT have a reservation, we may be able to accommodate you for a tasting, depending on seating availability and staffing.
If we are unable to get you a tasting, you are welcome to get a glass or bottle of wine and enjoy the scenery and Blake, our rhino! There’s generally plenty of open seating in our Grove area.
Monday to Thursday we still recommend a reservation, but those are generally slower days where the likelihood of us being able to do a tasting without a reservation is higher.
Q · 02 Can you see the rhino if you do a tasting?
Yes, absolutely! He is hanging out on the property and is easily visible most times of the day. He loves people, so is generally not very shy.
Q · 03 Does it cost to visit Rhinory?
No, there is no mandatory entrance fee to visit the Rhinory grounds or our Tasting Room. However, we do request a suggested donation of $10 per guest. 100% of these contributions go directly to the Rhinory Foundation, providing vital funding for rhino conservation efforts across the globe.
Q · 04 Are kids allowed?
Yes, absolutely! We have a 21+ age minimum for the rhino experience. However, children of all ages are welcome to visit the property, but please adhere to the following rules:
- Children must be accompanied and supervised by an ADULT at all times.
- Please keep kids off all fences, tables, trees, dirt mounds or anything else that could be dangerous.
- No running, ball throwing, rock throwing, mulch throwing and gravel throwing at any time.
Q · 05 Do you need a reservation for a rhino experience?
Yes. Those are done Friday to Sunday and require a reservation. You can book those on the reservations tab. The maximum group size is 4.
Q · 06 Do you accept large groups?
Groups of 8 or more: We require advanced notice and direct coordination for any group of 8 or more guests. Parties of more than 20 are considered a private event. Please contact our concierge at [email protected] or 830-992-9526 to discuss your visit.
Tasting Room & Encounters: Large groups often require a private host or specialized booking to ensure a high-touch experience.
Glass & Bottle Service: While our outdoor Savannah seating is open, large groups are encouraged to reach out ahead of time so we can better accommodate your party’s footprint.
Transportation: If your group is arriving via a shuttle, limo, or bus, please notify us in advance. We have specific parking and arrival protocols for commercial transport.
Q · 07 Do you host special events or private functions?
Yes! Rhinory offers a one-of-a-kind backdrop for mission-driven celebrations, corporate retreats, and private gatherings.
Advanced Coordination: All special events must be coordinated in advance with our events team. Please contact us at [email protected] or 830-992-9526.
Intimacy & Scale: We specialize in intimate, high-touch events that respect the quiet nature of our conservation estate.
Customized Experiences: We can often bundle private rhino encounters or technical tastings into your function to create a truly memorable “Wine with a Purpose” event.
Q · 08 Do you offer food?
While we do not have a full-service kitchen on-site, we offer a curated selection of charcuterie boards and small bites designed to perfectly pair with our Texas and South African wines. These seasonal offerings are available for enjoyment in our Tasting Room or while overlooking the Savannah.
Q · 09 What are your hours?
We are open 7 days a week from 11:00 AM to 5:30 PM. To ensure you have plenty of time to enjoy your selection, our last pour is served at 5:00 PM.
Q · 10 How many rhinos do you have?
We currently have 1 rhino: Blake. He is a serious star!! We are hoping to get many more rhinos in the coming months and years. We are actively working on it!
Sip Wine. Save Rhinos.
A 55-acre Hill Country reserve, a working winery, a 501(c)(3) Foundation, and one rhino who started it.