Small-Town Dispatches: Fredericksburg Wineries Give Back to Frontline Workers
Fredericksburg, one of the most tourist-heavy small towns in Texas, has understandably been affected by lack of travel and commerce during COVID-19. One of the area's biggest industries, wine, has been hit hard as it's a significant attraction in these parts—more than 50 of the 100-plus Hill Country wineries are in town or the surrounding Gillespie County. Thankfully, wineries are coming up with creative solutions to connect with customers and boost morale. Read More »
East Texas Brings a New Flavor to Texas Wines
At Kiepersol Vineyards & Winery, south of Tyler, a resident flock of guinea hens provides the soundtrack ... Read More »
Tannat Is the New Texas Wine Everyone Will Be Talking About
The growing throngs of oenophiles traveling what is known as Wine Road 290—the winery-heavy stretch of US 290 between Johnson City and Fredericksburg—have become very familiar with once-exotic wines like tempranillo, sangiovese, and viognier that thrive in the Texas heat and soil. Now here’s another one to get acquainted with: tannat, an under-the-radar red wine that’s poised to become Texas’ favorite varietal. Read More »
Sure, You Know the Wine in Fredericksburg, but There’s More to This Place Than Just Great Vino
Just as I enter the city limits, I note the beautiful Hill Country University Center, where Texas Tech University offers viticulture and winemaking education. Soon I’m marveling at the proliferation of new and old buildings housing bistros, coffee bars, art galleries, and herb apothecaries. I spy the occasional shop offering T-shirts, fudge, and German beer steins, but altogether I find a more sophisticated Fredericksburg. What really matters, though, is this: While the town is most famous for its rich German heritage, it has grown into an invigorating destination for all of the pleasures found in the heart of the Hill Country, whether I’m visiting with my mom and sisters, closest pals, or my husband. Read More »
Val Verde Winery, the Oldest in Texas, Has Been Making Wine in Del Rio for 135 Years
In the border town of Del Rio, Val Verde Winery has been growing grapes and making wine near the banks of the Rio Grande for 135 years. To sample Val Verde’s wines, surrounded by thick adobe walls and antique wooden equipment, is to experience a vestige of Texas agricultural history and taste the heritage of the state’s oldest operational winery. Read More »
Camp Comfort Provides an Antidote to Life’s Stressful Moments with Pizza, Bicycling, and Wine Nearby
Comfort’s effect on me during my recent visit mirrored my thoughts on my first trip more than 20 years ago: This ... Read More »
3 North Texas Getaways—With Wine!
Escapes have little to do with flashy destinations and full itineraries. For most of us, the point of a ... Read More »
Waco Wine Shoppe’s Tasting Room Aims to Expand Your Wine Horizons
If you venture to Waco on any given day but Sunday, you’ll find Magnolia Market buzzing with starry-eyed devotees of Chip and Joanna Gaines’ HGTV home-improvement show, Fixer Upper. Waco has seen a steady uptick of visitors since 2015, when the Gaineses transformed two defunct grain silos into home and garden shops, complete with food trucks and a bakery. But blink and you could miss one of Waco’s more understated gems just 5 minutes away, a taupe building emblazoned with two simple words: Wine Shoppe. Read More »
Long and Wine-ding Road
The Texas Hill Country has long attracted visitors for its combination of outdoor recreation and historic towns, ... Read More »
Texas Wines Outshine
Now that the dust has settled from the 4th annual Austin Food & Wine Festival, ... Read More »
Wild West Wine Bar
Imagine yourself in Fort Stockton’s adobe Grey Mule Saloon, around 1894. Sidle up to the bar and order a shot of whiskey, but keep an eye out for trouble while you imbibe. Cowboys, sodbusters, and hot-headed gunslingers—drinking, smoking, cussing, gambling, and spoiling for a fight—pack this Wild West saloon. Read More »
Grape Growers in the Texas Panhandle Combine Passion and Science
On a visit to Lubbock, among undulating fields of tall sunflowers or cotton, you might be surprised to spy neat ... Read More »
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