
Andy & Missy Ivankovich – Co-Owners
Hailing from Boerne, Texas, Andy and Missy Ivankovich are the owners of Singing Water Vineyards and co-lead our amazing team.
College sweethearts, the couple married soon after graduation and began what would be quite an adventurous life in business and family. Prior to Singing Water, Andy was a software entrepreneur and held executive positions at USAA and JPMorgan Chase in San Antonio. Missy was an elementary school teacher before joining in the software business, holding marketing director and COO positions.
The couple first fell in love with wine and the beauty of the outdoors on an anniversary trip to Napa, not knowing their vacation would soon become a reality. Singing Water was an opportunity to combine their passion for not only wine but entrepreneurship and the Texas Hill Country. In addition, having served in the Air Force as a C130H crew chief, Andy was immediately on board with Singing Water’s longstanding tradition of saluting and supporting our veterans.
After 20 years of marriage and some good role models, Missy and Andy have found that the best things in life are done together. Now with their four children, Mia, Joshua, Aaron, and Kyle, plus a very large Newfoundland named Apollo, the Ivankoviches are blessed to spend time together working, and playing, at Singing Water.
Most evenings, you can find Missy and Andy enjoying their craft with guests, members, and loved ones, toasting another fine sunset over the creek with a glass of our Texas Reserve.
Pat Johnson – Winemaker
Winemaker Pat Johnson oversees all wine production at Singing Water Vineyards from vine to bottle. Texas-born and bred, Pat was one of the original winemakers on the Texas-winemaking frontier in the early 1990s when grape and wine production was just beginning in the state. Although he’s racked up more awards than he can count, with Pat’s unassuming and hard-working attitude, you would never know.
After studying at one of the top winemaking programs in the country at UC Davis in California and working for E&J Gallo Winery, one of the largest wineries in the nation, Pat returned to West Texas to run Blue Mountain Vineyards, where he established himself as a reputable winemaker, creating award-winning Cabernets.
Pat helped put Texas wine on the map when his Cabernet beat a French Cabernet in the “Texas-French Shootout” of 1996.
After 10 years at Blue Mountain, Pat eventually made his way to Central Texas where he created even more award-winning blends at Driftwood Winery near Austin.
He landed at Singing Water in the summer of 2019, where he has been maintaining the integrity of our existing wine program while infusing his 30-plus years of experience and wisdom into the process. With his new red blend “Reveille” and a striking Orange Muscat, Pat has already left his award-winning mark on Singing Water by following his straight-forward method of, as he says, letting the grapes speak for themselves.
Pat’s down-to-earth approach has been a key to his success. He doesn’t think wine has to be complicated or overly analyzed. In his words, “Just enjoy the wine. That’s all you need to do.”
Pat has set a goal to create something for every wine-drinker who comes through Singing Water’s gates. Come see what he’s created for you.
Lydia Nida– Viticulturist
Lydia Nida is Singing Water’s resident viticulturist. What is that? Viticulturists are sort of like vine and grape scientists. They are experts at everything that is happening in the vineyard—vines, leaves, buds, soil, grapes, and all.
At Singing Water Vineyards, our vines are our babies, so we would only entrust them to the best and most knowledgeable hands. That’s Lydia.
Hailing from Plano, Texas, Lydia received her bachelor’s in entomology and horticulture from Texas A&M University. She then moved out to California where she received her master’s in viticulture from California State University-Fresno, studying under one of the best viticulturists in the country. She’s worked in vineyards near and far, including Spain, Greece, Italy, and Croatia, bringing her skills and knowledge back to Texas where she and her husband, Robert Nida, own Vine to Vino Consulting, a vineyard and winemaking consulting business. Lydia and Robert have also been making their own wine for several years and launched Pebble Rock Cellars in 2019.
At Singing Water, Lydia keeps her eye on every stage of the vine growth process, determines which grapes should be grown where in our vineyard, and works to create the best possible microclimate for our grapes.
Although her job can be at the mercy of the notoriously undependable Texas Hill Country weather, Lydia loves the challenge. “I’m always having to rethink things and figure out new methods for every year, techniques, and strategies,” she says. “It’s always keeping you on your toes.”