Traditional-method sparkling wine and a 140-year-old Hill Country post office don’t appear to have much in common. Yet in Hye, the tiny town 10 miles west of Johnson City, old spaces have a way of taking on new lives.
This summer, William Chris Vineyards will open a dedicated tasting room for its sparkling label, Rebecca Caroline, inside the historic Hye Post Office. The opening comes as more Texas wineries embrace traditional-method sparkling wine, the same labor- and time-intensive style used to produce Champagne in France. Wineries like Elisa Christopher, Messina Hof, and Heath Sparkling Wines now all produce traditional-method sparkling wines.
For William Chris co-founder Chris Brundrett, the project offered a chance to preserve one of Hye’s most recognizable historic buildings while continuing its long tradition as a gathering place.
“I couldn’t imagine a better place to share Texas terroir with the world than the Hye Post Office,” Brundrett says.
While the space will receive some modern upgrades, much of its longtime charm remains intact, including the metal ceilings, refinished wood floors, and original P.O. boxes. The former post office counter will serve as the tasting room’s primary bar, while vintage-inspired signage and branding nod to the building’s Americana roots.
The town itself traces back to the 1880s, when Hiram G. “Hye” Brown and his wife, Margaret Ann, established a small store along the Austin-to-Fredericksburg road near the Pedernales River. In 1886, Brown opened a post office inside a general store, giving nearby residents a place to collect mail without making the full day’s journey to Johnson City. Soon, more businesses followed, and the tiny crossroads community eventually adopted Brown’s nickname as its own.
Over the years, the building became home to various businesses, including the beloved Hye Market Restaurant & Tasting Room—where locals gathered over chicken salad sandwiches, cookies, and wine. When the post office faced possible closure in 2011, residents rallied behind the historic landmark, underscoring just how integral it remained to the community. After Hye Market closed, much of the building sat vacant while the post office operated through a side entrance.
Arguably its most famous chapter was in 1965, when President Lyndon B. Johnson swore in Postmaster Gen. Lawrence F. O’Brien on its front steps, placing Hye in the national spotlight. For Brundrett, that rich history made the space a natural fit for Rebecca Caroline. Like the old post office, wine has brought people together for centuries.
“We can make world-class traditional-method sparkling wine here in Texas that can be competitive with anybody in the world,” Brundrett says. “We have some of the most beautiful vineyards that the world needs to see.”
Though locals jokingly refer to Hye as a “food wasteland,” the once-sleepy stretch of Highway 290 is now home to one of the Hill Country’s densest pockets of wineries and distilleries. Alongside William Chris, visitors can stop at wineries like Calais Winery, Pontotoc Picnic Table—which occupies an old, restored gas station—or visit nearby Garrison Brothers Distillery, the state’s first legal whiskey distillery.
“It’s an opportunity to not only share Texas wine history,” he says, “but literally be a part of it.”
