This past weekend, my husband and I decided to take a trip to Fredericksburg, TX and sip some wine in the Texas Hill Country! This was the perfect time of year to visit because the flowers were BEAUTIFUL and the weather was a dream!
We didn’t make any reservations, aside from our rental for the weekend, which actually worked out really well. We got in town late Friday afternoon, stopped by the grocery store to get a few snacks, dropped our bags off, and started our adventure.
LODGING
We spent almost zero time looking into where to stay because we decided on the destination only a few days before and since it was a holiday weekend, we ended up with only a few options that were in our budget and close to town. We chose the cutest cottage which happened to be about 1 block away from Main St and situated near restaurants, shopping, and plenty of tasting rooms. It was perfect for our long weekend! We saw so many cottages and B&B’s near Main St when we walked around that would also be ideal for being close to everything and each one had their own charm. They have a little bit of everything: hotels, villas and cabins at the wineries, houses and cottages sprinkled throughout town, and homes a little further out in the country with incredible views!
RESTAURANTS
Our first night in town we stopped in at Lincoln Street Wine Market. They had wine, beer, cheese, and cigars. Their patio was a great place to grab a snack and listen to live music. The owner and staff were the friendliest people and made you feel like you had known them forever. They had an extensive menu of cheeses to select for a cheese board…well, I panicked and picked 4. A Spanish manchego, Danish blue, brie, and white cheddar. Oh, and a side of olives because wine not (sorry, had to)? Every bite was delicious and paired with a little bubbly it was definitely the best way to spend a Friday night relaxing on a patio!
Coffee was calling us Saturday morning. Or the sound of cement trucks going back and forth down our street starting at 6 AM. Goodness. We strolled down to Main St and stopped into Java Ranch Espresso Bar & Cafe. They had a breakfast menu and croissants/pastry type foods so we ordered potato, egg, and cheese breakfast burritos before wine tasting started. A solid decision on our parts. My iced chai was great and we snagged a table by the window while we enjoyed our breakfast. They had a decent selection of baked goods but somehow I resisted. I regret that a bit!
Saturday night we needed something a little more hearty for dinner after a day of wine tasting so we headed to Pasta Bella. I had the Ravioli Pasta Bella style…y’all…my only regret was that I ordered the small. It was SO good. I soaked up the basil pesto with bread. No shame. I couldn’t eat another bite but I’d be willing to bet their desserts are great, too! They had a decent selection of pasta, low carb options, salads, and some good looking lasagna.
We spent Easter Sunday at a brunch spot just a few minutes from town. The Farm Haus Bistro at Fredericksburg Herb Farm was such a cute place to eat and wander around! We had a cinnamon roll that had raisins inside and was drizzled with a warm glaze that was delicious. There was a short wait for a table so we sat at the bar and I gave their mimosa sampler a try. Most of the juices were too sweet for me, but it was a fun tasting and their drink menu had something for everyone! The eggs benedict (without the ham) had a really good hollandaise sauce. The best part about Fredericksburg Herb Farm is walking through the garden behind the restaurant! The flowers were beautiful and it was such a relaxing space with so many herbs, succulents, statues, and water features.
WINE
Tasting rooms off Main St:
Pedernales Cellars
This was the first tasting room we wandered into and I sampled their Viognier and Viognier Reserve. I ended up liking the Viognier the most, and got a glass to go! I prefer a crisp dry white or bubbly in general so most of what I tasted throughout the weekend was too sweet for me. Side note – you cannot take wines into other establishments that sell alcohol but you can take your wine into the shops and for a sidewalk stroll.
Cross Mountain Vineyards
This was my favorite tasting room we visited in downtown! Why?! Because of winery dogs. A few people had brought their dogs with them so I obviously spent a significant amount of time petting them and fawning over them. I can’t help it. I see a dog and I HAVE to pet it (with permission, of course!) The wines were sweet but the atmosphere was beautiful! They also had screens around the tasting bar with scrolling photos from Tuscany so I could have stayed there all day reminiscing.
Vino Andreucci
I had a glass of prosecco here and we sat on the patio. Clean, crisp bubbles but again, this was all about the atmosphere. We people watched, chatted with some ladies sitting next to us, fawned over every dog that walked by, and just enjoyed the perfect weather.
Wineries off 290:
We bought a day pass for the 290 Wine Shuttle and this is an absolute MUST if you don’t want to flip a coin for who is DD or have to rely on a ride share from place to place. We bought the tickets online and then met at the pickup place on Saturday morning. The shuttle pickup was about a 10-minute walk down Main St from our little cottage and started running at 10 AM. We were given a wristband and a pocket guide of the wineries the shuttle runs to and headed out. There are definitely some wineries/breweries/cideries that are not on this route but for our purposes, this was SO easy and we enjoyed the ability to get on and off where and when we wanted throughout the day. They will even hold your purchases for you until the end of the day when you head back to town. The last bus runs around 6 PM so there is plenty of time to adventure to as many or as few wineries as you want over the day. We waited for a max of maybe 5 minutes for the shuttle each time we wanted to head to the next location so I highly recommend this as an efficient way to get around!
I didn’t keep a list of my thoughts on all the tastings, so short and sweet summaries will follow! Plan to spend about $15-$20 per flight at each tasting. Some places will allow you to share a flight as well.
Thankfully, the sweetest people ever that we met up with are PROS. They brought so many good snacks which were perfect to sit and enjoy throughout the day. They had fruit, nuts, cheeses, dips, etc. While some places will not let you bring in or eat your own snacks, a few will! Those places get high fives.
Barons Creek Vineyards
This place was absolutely beautiful, has villas on the property, and I tried a Cava that was decent! Our wine ambassador read to us from the bottle…I prefer a bit more insight during a tasting but it was early so I’ll give him a pass.
Sweetbriar Rose
If you need a morning coffee, or a muffin, stop here! They also had wine based jello shots. You. Are. Welcome. You can choose from red wine, white wine, or craft beer flights. So if wine isn’t your thing, there are definitely a few options for you here! Perfect to get you all sorts of caffeinated before you head out to more wineries.
Mendelbaum Cellars
This place was hands down my favorite tasting because they had an entire rose flight! They have Israeli and Texas wines and we tried 4 different olive oils as well. Feed me bread and rose…yes please!
Inwood Estates
We did the Reserve Tasting Room at this location and tried 5 Texas Reds. I liked most of the wines here and would consider visiting their Dallas tasting location in the future!
Grape Creek Vineyards
This was another one of my favorite tastings! Their patio was also packed out and full of life. It was such a beautiful day and people were everywhere just enjoying the weather, wine, and good company. If you are planning to visit, check their website ahead of time for their Saturday visitors guide!
Woodrose Winery
First things first. There were 2 winery dogs here. So probably just go to this winery and hang out with Cork and his buddy all day and your life will be complete. I ended up petting 4 dogs here. Was there even wine?! We sat on the back patio which was surrounded by a lot of trees and reminded us more of East Texas than the Texas Hill Country but it was a great view either way.
Fat Ass Ranch & Winery
Hands down this place had the most character and was my favorite spot that we stopped! They had a live band, a food truck, and tons of picnic tables to sit outside and just enjoy the day! Easily the best vibe and atmosphere and we bought a bottle of wine for our group and just sat outside listening to the band. Plus, it’s called Fat Ass Ranch & Winery…we had to check it out and it did not disappoint!
The Wine Garage
This was a really unique setup. You walk in and there are classic cars and a tasting bar. While I loved the cars and the setting, the wines were too sweet for me. If you like cars and/or Texas wines, definitely stop here and check it out!
We didn’t make it to all of the wineries on the 290 Wine Shuttle route, but we gave it our best shot! It was a perfect way to sample multiple wineries without worrying about driving/getting from place to place.
Our Fredericksburg trip was a perfect long weekend getaway! There are also a ton of little shops along Main St that sell everything from jewelry and clothing, to fun gifts and Stetsons. A little something for everyone to do in this charming town! Next time, we are planning to head to some of the breweries and distilleries in the area. Send your recommendations!
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Thanks for stopping by!
Taryn
YOGA MATS & HARD HATS 