Fredericksburg wine tasting
I have lived in Texas my whole life, but just recently took my first trips down to Fredericksburg in the Hill Country for a couple of girls weekends.
On my first trip, we had a group of seven and stayed in this cute AirBnB, the Sweet Pea Cottage, that was conveniently located just five blocks off Main Street. We walked several times to Main Street and enjoyed exploring the cute shops and restaurants.
A few months later, eight of us stayed in the Grape Arbor House, another AirBnB that is just two blocks from Main Street. The house was built in 1891 and is decorated in the Victorian style.
We went clothes shopping at Cross Cultures, grabbed some drinks at Velvet Lounge, enjoyed a cozy German dinner at Der Lindenbaum, went to happy hour at Martini’s, danced at Pioneer and got some traditional German pastries at the Old German Bakery.
Fredericksburg is the center of Texas Wine Country with more than 60 vineyards, wineries and wine tasting rooms in the area. We took the 290 Wine Shuttle to check out some during our stay. The first winery we visited was Slate Theory, which offers a really cool cave tasting experience in its underground active wine cellar. Be sure to make a reservation in advance because it is popular.
We also did tastings at Signor Vineyards and Rhinory, where they have a rhino habitat on their 55-acre ranch. Unfortunately, it was too cold when we were there for the rhino to be outside.
The next day, we visited Barons Creek Vineyards for a tasting. They have villas so you can stay right there on the property. I enjoyed their rosés and sparkling wines. We also shared a charcuterie board that was yummy.
We finished our day out with a delicious dinner at Chase’s Place in Fredericksburg. I enjoyed this Chilean sea bass with a lobster hash and Brussels sprouts. The mushroom risotto was also very good.
On my second trip to Fredericksburg, we checked out some different wineries. After dinner the first night at The Club at Barons Creekside, our first stop the next day was Grape Creek Vineyards, where we did a wine tasting. It was a lovely setting and you could tour the vineyards.
Next, we headed to Texas Wine Collective, where we enjoyed a cheese and wine pairing. I really like having something to eat with the wine!
Our next stop was Wildseed Farms, the nation’s largest working wildflower farm. I loved walking around and seeing all of the flowers.
They also have a tasting room and shop. I did the sweet wine tasting and we shared a charcuterie board.
Our last winery to visit that day was Barelle Vineyards, which features women winemakers. They also offered both sweet and dry tastings.
For dinner, we headed to Bankersmith, population 0. There is a saloon and dancehall and not much else! It’s a fun place to have a drink and listen to some music.
The next day, we headed to Grapetown Vineyards for a full day of events for the Kentucky Derby.
They had a polo match and wine, but unfortunately we didn’t have the best weather and the hot air balloon rides were cancelled.
We were able to go on the safari tour, where we saw camels, zebras, bison, longhorns, goats and horses. We got to feed a camel and the zebras which was fun!
Our last day in town was Cinco de Mayo, so we had brunch at El Milagro Twenty Twelve and visited the Becker Vineyards tasting room on Main Street. They had some of my favorite wines of the whole trip!
On our way out of town, we made one last stop at Jenschke Orchards to pick blackberries and strawberries. They are known for their peaches, and we enjoyed peach cobbler and peach ice cream.
President Lyndon B. Johnson was born near Frederickburg in Stonewall, Texas, home of the LBJ Ranch. It’s open for visitors to tour with stops at his birthplace, the family cemetery and the ranch house, known as the Texas White House.
There is also a lot of natural beauty to explore in the Hill Country. Enchanted Rock is close by and great for hiking. In the springtime, see the bluebonnets in bloom. For another side trip, head over to Luckenbach for some live music.
Check out more to do around Texas in Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, South Padre Island, Waco and College Station.
