![]() Pack a picnic lunch and avoid feeling hungry and frustrated. While many wineries offer snacks like potato chips, cheese, and bread, there are stretches without any substantive food options. Due to the weather, many wineries run out of their white wines later in the summer. Many food and wine options are closed on Monday and Tuesday. Also note that many wineries, restaurants, and shops plan around the peak tourism days of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. For planning purposes, three wineries is probably the ideal number to visit in one day. Hours vary by season, so call or check websites for up-to-date hours before visiting. ![]() There’s really no wrong time to visit Texas’s Hill Country, but spring and fall - when the weather is relatively mild - tend to attract the most people to the region. Here are several things to keep in mind before your next visit to Central Texas wine country. Also expect 20 vintages to stick around for a longer stretch, as those were good weather years that resulted in high yields.Īs with all food and drink travel, knowing what to expect can improve the experience. For those curious about recent vintages, the 2017 selections currently available in tasting rooms represent a high-water mark for quality - try them when you find them. As of September, a new labeling law took effect requiring that all Texas wine using an American Viticultural Area designation, vineyard name, or county must entirely comprise Texas grapes, while those using the generic “Texas” on their labels may still supplement using grapes from out of state. Texas grapes are expensive, and extreme weather events have made yields unpredictable, so some wineries have supplemented their Texas grapes with those from the Southwest or the West Coast, sometimes fueling ire in others who did not. Due to both scarcity and popularity, many of the most-trafficked wineries like William Chris and Lewis reserve certain wines and tasting room benefits for members of their subscription wine clubs. On recent visits, most bottles were priced in the $25 to $50 range, with a handful skewing higher. ![]() The tasting rooms themselves have also evolved from functional to fashionable, with most wineries taking advantage of beautiful outdoor spaces both for the views, and due to COVID-19. This has many secondary effects: Airbnbs in Fredericksburg and the Hill Country are booming, and a handful of wineries now offer cottages or tiny houses to stay at on-site. With 5,000 acres planted and nearly 400 wineries, Texas is now the fifth-largest wine producer in the United States. Tourism numbers are approaching 1.75 million visitors per year, making tasting room sales a large part of local winery business plans - and leading to some gaudy tourist traps along the main thoroughfares. ![]() When visiting Hill Country wineries today, one thing is constant: crowds. ![]()
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