A Favorite Fall Experience is Sipping Wine At These Popular Texas Wineries

This is the closest winery to Austin, and a great place to stop at the beginning of a day-trip with its beautiful tasting room in Driftwood, across the street from the Salt Lick BBQ. This is one of the oldest and most storied wineries in the state with incredible wines that have graced the table of presidential inaugurations. Winemaker, Sergio Cuadra, was recruited to move to Texas from a prestigious winery in his home country of Chile 10 years ago and has made a big imprint on the Texas wine industry. He is an incredible wine scientist, making stellar wines from vineyards in the Hill Country that score high rankings from international wine reviewers. Fall Creek Vineyard’s tasting room in Driftwood has gorgeous grounds surrounded by vineyards with plenty of outdoor seating on covered patios and on the lawn. Guests can enjoy tasty Wine Bites such as charcuterie boards, cheese plates, and other light snacks. Patrons are invited to sit by the pool in the backyard and relax the day away. The Driftwood facility also features a guest house with two suites that people can rent. The winery is located in Tow, Texas on the banks of Lake Buchanan.

This winery has its main winery in San Saba, Texas, a tasting room on the courthouse square in Burnet, and a lovely tasting room on HWY 290 in Fredericksburg right across the street from the Altstadt Brewery. Wedding Oak specializes in Mediterranean-style wines with heavy influences from the Rhone Valley. The winemaker, Seth Urbanek, has worked at wineries in Champagne, Australia, and New York Finger Lakes before moving back to his home state to work at Wedding Oak Winery. His international experience and winemaking talent have elevated Wedding Oak Winery to be recognized as one of the top wineries in the country. They have a semi-private seating area inside and a relaxed patio behind the building. This is a great place to sip!

This winery is located in Fredericksburg, Texas, won the 2020 Readers Choice Award for “Best Wine Tasting Room.” Texas Heritage Winery is a young winery that just celebrated its 4th anniversary this summer. They have a beautiful tasting room in the heart of the Texas wine corridor on Highway 290 in Fredericksburg that has been voted Best Winery Tasting Room two years in a row in the Fredericksburg Standard Reader’s Choice Awards. Last year they completed an expansion and remodel of the outdoor seating area with a new roof to cover its 1,600 square foot deck and have added roofing to cover 3,000 square feet of additional outdoor space. They recently won double gold at the San Francisco International and are gaining national notoriety for impressive wines made with Portuguese varieties such as Souzao, and Italian grapes like Barbera and Sangiovese.

This vineyard in Hye just west of Johnson City is conveniently located on the wine road Highway 290. It is the younger, slightly more upscale sister winery to Spicewood Vineyards. The wines are outstanding and regularly earn accolades such as multiple Double Gold medals from the San Francisco International Wine Competition, and Best Texas Wine at the Houston Rodeo competition. The winery is known not only for its fantastic Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo, but also for its gracious hospitality. The staff treats guests like family as they relax on the beautiful grounds fronted by vineyards, the large outdoor patio, or the spacious tasting room. It is one of the first wineries that you can visit on HWY 290 on the way from Austin to Fredericksburg. This venue offers wine tastings in addition to retail sales. (There are five pours in a wine tasting at Ron Yates Wines.)

This one is located in Stonewall is 17 miles east of downtown Fredericksburg. They specialize in Spanish and Rhone-style wines that are downright delicious. The wines regularly win international awards – including the Viognier beating all of the French wines at a competition in Lyon, France. Perdenales Cellars has a huge deck and spacious grounds with a gorgeous view of the hill country. In addition to serving award-winning wines, this venue offers a beautiful, picturesque place for taking photos.

This winery is located about 20 mins south of Fredericksburg on HWY 16, just north of the town of Kerrville. The winery has a spacious tasting room with a view of the barrel room, and ample outdoor seating up on “The Hill” with picturesque views of the hill country. Texas wine industry luminary, John Rivenburgh, purchased Kerrville Hills Winery in 2019 and has put a significant effort into building a portfolio of top-notch Texas wines. He is well-known for his impressive Semillon, Mourvèdre, and is widely recognized for as a leading evangelist of Tannat. In addition, he transformed Kerville Hills Winery into an incubator where other outstanding wines are made from Ab Astris Winery, Antima Cellars, Fly Gap Winery, Kalasi Cellars and Siboney Cellars. In March, 2022, Kerrville Hills opened a new tasting room on HWY 290 in Hye very close to William Chris Vineyards. The Hill at Hye offers private tasting experiences by appointment only, in a relaxed environment in the heart of the Texas wine country.

Take a wonderful drive out to the Hill Country and do some sipping and see which ones you like!