The Best Wineries in Fredericksburg, Texas

In 2025 William Chris became the first Texas winery named to the World's 50 Best Vineyards, landing at No. 31. Bill Blackmon and Chris Brundrett founded it in Hye in 2008 on a grown, not made philosophy, which in practice means Texas fruit from Texas growers and as little intervention as the vintage allows.

The main tasting room was built in 2012 out of repurposed homestead materials, so it reads as a farm rather than a chateau. The judges singled out the oak groves, the views and the hands on tour and tasting program, which tells you which visit to book.

Julie and David Kuhlken founded Pedernales in 2006 on the vineyard their parents, Larry and Jeanine Kuhlken, planted in 1995. The family has farmed in Texas for six generations and the winery has stayed with Spanish and Rhone grapes that handle Hill Country heat, rather than chasing the Cabernet that sells.

Texas Monthly has profiled David Kuhlken as one of the state's leading winemakers, and the Viognier and Tempranillo are the bottles other Texas producers measure themselves against.

Richard and the late Bunny Becker planted here in 1992 and opened the tasting room in June 1996, which makes Becker one of the original stops on what is now Wine Road 290. In 1998 they put in 10,000 lavender plants and named the field Clementine's Garden after their daughter.

The lavender is why a lot of first timers come, and the annual Lavender Festival fills this stretch of highway, so plan around it in either direction.

Erik Hilmy picked the site in 2008, planted Sangiovese in 2009 and opened in March 2012. Everything under the label is produced and bottled on site in small lots from Texas raised fruit, and the estate block beside the winery is hand harvested at dawn and carried in small containers straight to the cellar.

Guinea fowl patrol the vines for insects, which is why the vineyard runs without pesticide. The patio looks directly at the block those birds are working.

Ned and Nel Simes opened Grape Creek in the mid 1980s, making it one of the first wineries on this road. Brian and Jennifer Heath bought the property in 2006 and built the Tuscan villa, the terraces and the fountains that most people now picture when they picture Fredericksburg wine country.

It runs like a resort rather than a farm, with cellar tours, patio dining and 25 acres under vine. That is the appeal and also the reason it is the busiest stop on the trail.

Billy and Susan Johnson planted their first Tempranillo and Tannat in 2015 and have since added Alicante Bouschet, Malbec, Souzao and Viognier. Everything is made in house from Texas grapes, which is not a given on this highway.

The scale is small and the tasting is unhurried. It works best as a first stop, before the larger estates down the road fill up.

Signor sits on a large property off Livesay Lane with room to walk between the buildings, the lawn and the vines instead of standing at a bar. Joanna's Market on site sells snacks, sweets and gifts, which stretches a visit past the tasting itself.

This is the stop for a group that includes somebody who wants to sit outside more than they want a structured flight.

Augusta Vin opened in 2019 on a 60 acre vineyard, with a timber framed two story tasting room and a chef driven food menu built to run alongside the flights. It is one of the newest builds on the trail and the space shows it.

Come for the view from the upper level and for the fact that you can eat a proper meal here rather than work through a cheese board.

The Switzer family released their first wine on May 8, 1996, the town's 150th anniversary, after a year spent running a wine shop and collecting equipment. Three brothers and their families still run it and the wines are made from Texas grapes.

This is a working winery inside a Main Street storefront, not a satellite pouring room, and you can reach it on foot from most of the lodging downtown.

Rhinory pairs a tasting room with a rhino conservation project on a 55 acre property, and a keeper walks visitors out to meet Blake, the resident rhino. The wine list runs to Texan and South African bottles, which points back at where the conservation work is aimed.

It is the one stop on this list that still works when half your group is not drinking.