Exploring Fredericksburg, TX Wineries

My friends Len and Carol have family in TX, so they spend a lot of time there. When they got back from their most recent trip, they brought me a bunch of wine information. I was blown away by how many wineries are in TX. I made a comment to Len about how impressed I was with the numbers but how it was too bad that the wine there isn’t very good. Len corrected me. He said that, when they started tasting in Texas, over 30 years ago, he would have agreed about the poor quality. But he said, “Today, the best Texas wineries are now on par with California. Taken as a whole, Texas wine isn’t as good as California wine. However, great advances have been made, along with a huge investment.” Is it time to start trying wine from Fredericksburg, TX wineries? Perhaps!

Len told me that the historic German town of Fredericksburg is well worth visiting. He described the main highway as very touristy. He said it reminds him of Los Gatos. However, the buildings are often built of limestone, and the downtown area is about four times longer than in Los Gatos.

According to one Fredericksburg website, “The Texas Hill Country is home to over 45 wineries and vineyards and Fredericksburg is the epicenter of the Hill Country wine region. There are more than two dozen wineries and tasting rooms located in Fredericksburg and Gillespie County — not to mention dozens more wineries located within an hour or two drive of Fredericksburg. Our Gillespie County wineries have been producing a variety of quality wines that have won both state and national honors. Wine production in Fredericksburg dates back to the original settlers who used the native mustang grape to produce wines.”

According to another Fredericksburg website, “Texas is gaining a reputation for growing high-quality grapes and producing world-class, award-winning wines. With a perfect combination of sun and soil, the central texas wine region is reminiscent of the wine growing regions of central Italy and the Rhone Valley in France.”

Factoids about Fredericksburg and Fredericksburg, TX wineries

Here are some fun factoids about Fredericksburg, taken from the Fredericksburg Visitors Guide 2016 Fall/Winter:

• Fredericksburg was established in 1846, after a peaceful agreement between the Comanche Indian tribes and the German pioneers.
• The parents of Lyndon Baines Johnson were marries in the Gillespie Courthouse. Fredericksburg is the seat of Gillespie County.
• Fredericksburg’s Main Street is incredibly wide. This is due to the settlers wanting a team of oxen pulling a wagon to be able to make a U-turn.
• There are abundant deposits of gypsum and granite, also serpentine, talc, soapstone and limestone. I’m sure this greatly affects the terroir of the area. (Terroir is the growing environment for grapes.)
• Fredericksburg is in the Texas Hill Country AVA (American Viticultural Area) surrounding the town of Fredericksburg.

Factoids about TX wine

Finally, here are a few facts about TX wine, taken rom txwines.org:

• According to txwines.org, TX is the #5 wine producing state in the country, contributing $1.88 billion to the state of Texas.
• TX is the site of the first vineyard established in North America by Franciscan priests circa 1662.
• TX has eight AVAs although many vineyards exist outside the specified AVAs.

Have you tried wine from any Fredericksburg, TX wineries? What did you think? I’d love to hear about your experiences.