Fredericksburg in the Texas Hill Country
Ground zero for Texas wine tourism — the spine of the 290 Wine Road.
When people drive out for a weekend of Texas wine, this is usually where they end up. The town of Fredericksburg and the stretch of Highway 290 east of it hold the highest concentration of tasting rooms in the state.
- Established
- 1988
- Counties
- 1
- Elevation
- 1,500–1,900 ft
- Acres
- 110,000
- Soil
- Sandy loam, granite
- Climate
- Mediterranean-like
About the region
Fredericksburg is a sub-appellation centered on the town of the same name, nested inside the larger Hill Country AVA. Highway 290 — the "Wine Road 290" — runs east from town through Stonewall and Hye and functions as the main artery of Texas wine tourism. It is the easiest region to visit without a plan and the hardest to visit without a crowd on a Saturday.
History
The Fredericksburg in the Texas Hill Country AVA was established in 1988. The surrounding farmland was peach and orchard country before it was wine country, and several of the early wineries planted on land that had grown fruit for generations.
Geography & climate
Sandy loam and granite soils sit at roughly 1,500 to 1,900 feet under a climate often described as Mediterranean-like. Signature plantings lean Spanish and Rhône — Tempranillo and Grenache — alongside aromatic whites such as Orange Muscat.
Grapes & what it’s known for
Best known for: Tempranillo, Grenache, Orange Muscat, The Wine Road 290.
Weekends fill early. Many tasting rooms here take reservations, and the 290 corridor is busiest March through May and again in October.
Visited by Wines of Texas
Ab Astris Winery
Big skies, serious wine
Adega Vinho
Portuguese varieties + vinyl
Becker Vineyards
Hill Country original
Featherstone Ranch Vineyards
Family ranch, Oreo cows, young estate vineyard
Foyt Winery & Museum
A racing museum that pours wine
Michael Ros Winery
Piazza hospitality off 290
Narrow Path Winery
A garden disguised as a winery
Pedernales Cellars
Tempranillo specialist
Signor Vineyards
The big boy on 290
Slate Theory Winery
Steel-and-glass tasting room, limestone cave, art-forward
William Chris Vineyards
Terroir-driven
Wineries we haven't visited yet (93)
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AVA assignments may include Wines of Texas editorial mapping where TABC permit data does not specify an AVA.