On April 1, entrepreneurs Errica Henke and Anita Ortiz Lubke will launch The Vind — and completely change how you experience the Hill Country Wine Region
In the limestone hills of Central Texas, there is a place where grapes grow, wine flows and memories are made. Boasting over 50 wineries, and nearly as many distilleries and breweries, the Hill Country Wine Region has no shortage of places to imbibe locally produced libations while gazing out over juniper speckled hilltops. All you have to do is pack up your car, head west from Austin on Highway 71, and then…
Well, therein lies the problem. Then what?
If you’ve ever taken a trip to the wine region between Blanco and Fredericksburg, you know the feeling. There are so many wonderful options, yet no real way to curate a personalized trip — whether you’re there for the day or the weekend, a family vacation or a bachelorette getaway.
It was a problem that Errica Henke, property manager of the iconic Stonewall Motor Lodge, ran into again and again. “Guests were coming to us day in and day out but weren’t very clear on what to do when they arrived,” Henke says. “The number one question we always get is, what do we do now?”
Anita Ortiz Lubke, who bought and renovated the Stonewall Motor Lodge (SML) in 2019 with her husband, Lance, quickly learned that because of their location, they would have to educate and excite people about what the area has to offer. The SML sits just 15 minutes east of Fredericksburg, right on the popular 290 Wine Trail. Needless to say, their guests had a lot of questions. Ortiz Lubke started with a map showing different wineries, breweries, restaurants and the like, but found it lacked something. “[Guests] want that personal connection to somebody telling them ‘here’s my favorite place’,” Ortiz Lubke says.
Henke and her husband Tim, who co-manages the SML, found they were often acting as a personalized concierge service. They had the knowledge and desire to help, but not the time. And guests knew the kinds of experiences they wanted, but were overwhelmed with so many choices. It got Henke thinking.
“I had an idea for a customized date night app that was always living rent free in the back of my head,” Henke says. Until, one day a visit from an Austin VIP changed everything. “I spent a total of three to five days curating an itinerary for her, and I remember thinking ‘there’s got to be a better way.’” That’s when Henke realized that idea in her head might be the solution they’d been looking for.
When Henke brought up the idea to Ortiz Lubke, they both knew they were onto something. “It was like aha! You’re taking the map and taking it to a whole other level,” Ortiz Lubke remembers. “And that got my brain working — how do we make this happen?”
Drawing on Ortiz Lubke’s background in product development, and Henke’s in marketing, they got to work. It took a while to iron out the details, but eventually, The Vind was born.
What is The Vind?
The Vind is an app that, at its essence, is a trip planning tool. The app’s website says, “It’s like having a smart, personal concierge in your pocket!”
Unlike the endless lists, directories, travel sites and virtual travel agencies you can find online, The Vind app not only saves you time on the planning, but it also curates a trip that is perfectly suited for you and what you want to get out of your trip.
How The Vind works
Beyond just the vineyard, The Vind app puts together and delivers customized trip itineraries built toward your specific needs and wants, so you can get the most out of your visit, however long you plan to stay.
“This app is for everyone of every age. If you can use your phone, you can download this app,” Henke says. “We tried to simplify the process as much as possible, make it fun and engaging.” They’re hopeful that, because of this, they’ll see a diverse set of people using The Vind.
And it really couldn’t be simpler.
First, you create an account and log-in. Easy.
Then, you’ll start planning your getaway with the “Create a Trip” feature. After giving your trip a name, inputting your dates, and answering a few questions about activities and the area you’d like to stay — voila! You’ve got a custom itinerary and map.
Each of your recommendations are categorized according to type, like wineries (obviously), food, lodging, entertainment, and more. You can use the app to learn about each business, contact them, and make reservations. And once your perfect trip has been created for you, you can easily share it with fellow travelers via text or email.
With its creators being cornerstone members of the Hill Country Wine Region community and actively involved with the many small businesses there, The Vind is always up to date with special events and the newest offerings.
Even if you’re not feeling up to forging your own path through wine country, The Vind offers “Vind Recommended Itineraries” with ready-made trips for you to follow. Or, if you want to see how some of the best travel bloggers and industry influencers tour the region, you can find their itineraries featured on the app as well.
As of April 1, The Vind will be available for iOs, with the Android version to follow later in the year.
Henke and Ortiz Lubke were looking for a more efficient way to provide the concierge service of a five-star hotel to anyone who stays at the SML, or anywhere else for that matter. And that’s exactly what they’ve created.
Partnering with The Vind
Because The Vind is, at its heart, guest-centered, Henke and Ortiz Lubke decided that all the breweries, wineries, distilleries, outdoor activities, eateries, parks, shopping needed to be included in the directory.
“It’s everything that you could possibly get your hands on in that area,” Henke says.This was important to them both because, rather than have only a select group of businesses as some directories have done, they didn’t want visitors’ options to be limited. They went back and forth on it for a while, before ultimately deciding that user experience trumps monetizing businesses’ inclusion.
“There’re a lot of people that come to our area multiple times a year,” Henke explains. “So, if they’re taking that quiz with different parameters each time, they’d love to see a fresh itinerary with a variety of businesses.” And the only way to do that, they concluded, was to include everybody.
Each business starts with a basic profile which includes their name, contact information, photos, relevant links, and a little blurb about them. But soon, The Vind will be coming out with marketing and branding tiered packages that will allow them to support businesses in different ways.
Because they’ve worked so hard to ensure their brand is aesthetically pleasing and the app is highly functional, Henke and Ortiz Lubke have already been approached multiple times by businesses interested in extending their outreach and visibility.
“So many wineries either don’t have the capacity to do this type of promotion on their own, or really could use the expertise,” Henke says. And that’s one of the ways they’ll not only monetize the app, but also support these businesses, taking them to the next level. “We just want everybody to be included,” she adds.
As “keepers of information,” Henke says they’re “really just trying to help people get funneled to the right place with the right information.” This directly addresses a common issue with a lot of the businesses out there — being so busy that guests can visit by reservation only, and who are at times booked a month in advance. Additionally, exclusive clubs or nights when establishments close to the public for pickup parties can be a huge pain point when visitors aren’t aware in advance.
Pain points Henke hopes The Vind will minimize. “We’re trying to funnel that important information that someone who’s planning a trip would need to know to make sure the experience is seamless and exciting,” she says.
In addition to offering bespoke itineraries, The Vind has an “Explore” page that serves as a small business directory. Users can search by categories like spirits or restaurants, and all local businesses are listed alphabetically.
According to Ortiz Lubke, she and Henke are “small business champions,” but at the end of the day this app is for the traveler.
“Yes, it’s a great outlet for business … but, this is for the user,” Ortiz Lubke says. “That’s the whole purpose of the app.”
What’s in store for The Vind
You might be asking yourself, “how did this not already exist?” Great question! The Vind fills a niche in the Hill Country Wine Region that very much needed to be filled. Even with just the phase one features available on April 1, this app is a game changer for travelers to the area.
But Henke and Ortiz Lubke aren’t stopping there. They have big plans for phase two, which include things like group planning and social networking.
“Groups will be able to get on, and each can edit their shared itineraries and see in real time what their favorites are,” Ortiz Lubke says. A feature that further simplifies the trip planning process and allows group members to co-create their getaway right there on the app.
Ortiz Lubke hopes to eventually create a little social network where people can share their trips and itineraries. Say, for example, “Sally” creates a wonderful little trip for her girlfriend’s bachelorette party. Well, Sally can then share her trip on The Vind’s social network and become an influencer on the app herself.
Ortiz Lubke wants the app to facilitate that kind of sharing between members. “So it’s not just the bloggers and influencers who have 100,000 or 15,000 followers,” Ortiz Lubke says. “It’s all of those who’ve found really great things in the Hill Country to share with others and be able to become an influencer themselves.”
Beyond the initial launch and phase two, Henke and Ortiz Lubke have been toying with an idea called “The Vind Club,” taking the wine club format and giving it their brand twist. While nothing is set in stone, Ortiz Lubke says it could include things like lodging or dining discounts, priority seating at wineries, and invites to special events.
“Being part of the club would let you access interesting things to do that may not be available to just anybody using the app,” Ortiz Lubke says. While that’s still in the “idea” stage, it’s something Ortiz Lubke says they’re absolutely trying to make happen.
In addition to expanding the app’s capabilities, Ortiz Lubke and Henke also dream of expanding its reach to other Texas wine regions, and eventually beyond.
“We really want to focus on heavy tourism areas, especially ones that connect to wine and spirits,” Ortiz Lubke says. “I think that’s the heart of what draws a lot of people to some of these Texas destinations. But the ultimate goal would be to even get outside of Texas as well.”
Wherever the wine trail leads them, for Henke, launching The Vind is top priority right now.
“We’re really excited for people to download it and experience it and play with it,” she says. The idea is that, with the help of the app, visiting won’t feel as intimidating. Especially for Austinites, because although Austin is so close to the 290 Wine Trail, it’s one of the places they get the fewest visitors from.
“One of my hopes is that people who do live just a hop, skip and a jump away feel more inclined to explore our area and use the app,” Henke says, adding that after one visit, people will want to return more than once.
Ortiz Lubke’s vision for the app is equally as grand, seeing the possibilities far exceeding the wine region which inspired its creation. “This is a small business marketing machine, and we really see it for tourist-heavy areas,” Ortiz Lubke says. “Austin could be one, ski resorts, Napa. We’re looking to where to go next. Where does it fit?”
Wherever The Vind finds itself, these two entrepreneurs are excited to see where the journey takes them. “It’s been a fun ride,” Ortiz Lubke says. “But everything changes for us on April 1, and we’re ready!””
