Texas has a long history of wine production. The sunny and dry climate of the major wine making regions in the state have drawn comparison to Portuguese wines. Some of the earliest recorded Texas wines were produced by Spanish missionaries in the 1650s near El Paso.
The Texas Hill Country is a sprawling wine region across the Edwards Plateau in central Texas, anchored by the German-founded town of Fredericksburg and known for warm-climate Mediterranean and Rhône varieties like Tempranillo, Viognier and Mourvèdre. Established as an AVA in 1991, it is now home to 100-plus wineries and one of the state’s most popular tasting routes, the Wine Road 290.
At roughly nine million acres, the Texas Hill Country is one of the largest AVAs in the United States, spanning limestone, sandstone and granite soils across the plateau.
Lost Draw Cellars
Andy Timmons is revered across the state for his grape growing abilities and is considered one of the pioneers for the exponential growth of vineyards in Texas over the past decade. As a multi-generation farmer with ...
Explore Lost Draw Cellars →Know the wines of Texas Hill Country
Wineries to visit
Best time to visit Texas Hill Country
Fredericksburg, founded by German settlers in 1846, offers a walkable Main Street of shops and German cuisine, while the Wine Road 290 links 25-plus wineries between Johnson City, Hye and Fredericksburg. Spring brings the Hill Country’s famous bluebonnets and mild weather; fall brings the harvest.
More about Texas Hill Country
Wineries to Visit in the Texas Hill Country
- Becker Vineyards (Stonewall) — estate wines and famous lavender fields, established 1992, pouring 100% Texas-grown fruit with 300+ gold medals.
- William Chris Vineyards (Hye) — a “grown, not made” estate founded 2008, the first Texas winery named among the World’s 50 Best Vineyards.
- Pedernales Cellars (Stonewall) — a sixth-generation Texas family known for Tempranillo Reserve and Viognier.
- Grape Creek Vineyards (Fredericksburg) — a Highway 290 estate with 25 acres of vines and 90+ point wines.
Texas Hill Country Wine Tours
Wineries stretch along a ~45-mile corridor, so guided and shuttle tours out of Fredericksburg make winery-hopping easy: