In Contrada Vineyard and Kitchen is the rare Bexar County winery that serves a full menu of food and drink among its vines. 

Tucked in the Hill Country, on the county’s northern edge, the vineyard features live music on weekends, remains open until 10 p.m. Thursday through Sunday and shields guests from the sun with fans and misters.

The vineyard also boasts a new, state-of-the-art kitchen, an expanded menu, a European chef and an owner attempting to turn the winery into a taste of Italy. 

“I wanted to make this a little bit of Tuscany under the San Antonio sun,” said In Contrada owner Ed Sullivan, whose vineyard spreads across nearly 4 and a half acres off Smithson Valley Road. “I wanted to give people who’ve never had a chance to go to Italy a little bit of the experience.” 

Since opening in 2021, In Contrada’s location, aesthetics and wine have drawn visitors surprised to find a vineyard in Bexar. 

“We make and sell about 25,000 bottles a year,” Sullivan said. “We import the best juice from around the world.” 

Live music, late hours (for a vineyard) and striking vine-side tables have heightened In Contrada’s appeal.

The vineyard’s downside was a limited menu. Guests loved the meatballs, pizzas and chef’s board, but wanted more offerings.

Now they’ve got them. And they’ve got a chef with experience in prestigious California kitchens who, at last, is free to create some magic.

Until six weeks ago, Claudio Marchesan operated out of a kitchen he likened to a cooking space in a submarine. Thanks to a massive renovation, he likens his new space to a dream.

“The new kitchen is four times bigger,” Marchesan said. “What we had before was smaller than a small kitchen in a small house.” 

After years of serving a limited menu, Sullivan decided it was time to spend approximately $400,000 to improve the food side of the winery. 

“The new kitchen has everything Claudio has ever wanted,” Sullivan said. “He has a walk-in refrigerator. A six-burner stove. A griddle. Serving stations for salads. Prep stations for pizzas. Claudio is deserving of this kitchen.”

Marchesan grew up in Grado, a holiday resort in northern Italy. On the advice of his father, he attended a culinary school in Rome run by the acclaimed chef Giovanni Caruso. Marchesan moved to the U.S. and worked in Restaurant Prego in San Francisco, Beverly Hills and Irvine.

Sullivan brought his Italian-trained chef to South Texas to open In Contrada. Three years and eight months later, Marchesan has the space he’s been wanting. 

A larger kitchen allows for a larger staff, which in turn, has produced a more expansive menu. 

The most popular items: a fennel pollen sausage pizza, griddled calamari, focaccia rustica, lemon pasta with garlic shrimp and tagliatelle alla bolognese with a slow-simmered beef ragù.

“I challenge anyone in San Antonio to make better bolognese,” Marchesan said. “I only know how to cook Italian food the way we make it in Italy.”