Wine Dogs Get a Taste of Texas

Texas Hill Country AVA, TX

Your favorite Virginia Wine Dog is reporting from deep in the heart of Texas where the wine is flowing in a region that "feels like Napa in the 1960's" - growing fast and producing some really good wine according to Dave Bryant, 4.0 Cellars new General Manager who comes from the vaunted California region. Sound familiar, #VAWine fans?

Similarly situated to Virginia’s Monticello AVA, the Texas Hill Country AVA begins just west of Austin where the University of Texas is located and spreads across 22 counties. At 15,000 square miles, it is the second largest AVA in the country. Wine Enthusiast named it one of the Top 10 Wine Travel Destinations in the World in 2015.

Wineries line the highway along U.S. 290 (aka Wine Road290), where Ecco’s tour began. There are some 88 wineries between Fredericksburg and Johnson City, not to mention the breweries and distilleries.

Ecco managed to take in four during her two-day visit:

Becker Vineyards, the big dog, produces more than 100,000 cases of wine a year. Check out the vintage log cabin and the estate’s lavender field (the Lavender Festival is the first weekend in May).

4.0 Cellars represents the marriage of three solid High Plains producers who combine forces in a tasting room in Hill Country. The modern facility showcases wines from McPherson Cellars, Brennan Vineyards, and Lost Oak Winery.

Barons Creek Vineyards opened in 2016 by Chase brothers Mike, Chris, and Marc. The dramatic tasting room opens onto a spacious back courtyard framed by villas which are available for rent.

Duchman Family Winery lies off the 290 Trail in Driftwood. Founded by Drs. Lisa and Stan Duchman in 2004, the winery showcases Italian varietals and was featured on HGTV as one of the one of the 20 most picturesque wineries in the country. Ecco was enchanted by the 2015 Tempranillo, recently awarded a double gold and honored as the Best Tempranillo at the San Francisco International Wine Competition.

The Virginia Wine Dogs left with a few observations.

• Most Texas Hill Country Wineries use grapes grown in the Texas High Plains. Tempranillo shone among the reds; Roussanne was a favorite white.
• Pets are generally welcome on the patio but not in tasting rooms (seems that Texas law is behind Virginia, where a 2018 law made it the winery's choice on whether dogs can visit tasting rooms). 
• Don’t want to drink and drive – take the 290 Wine Shuttle from downtown Fredericksburg or one of 18 wineries on the loop. 
• Many wineries also operate storefront tasting rooms in the town of Fredericksburg. 
• Tastings tend to be pricier than in Virginia.

No visit to Texas Hill County could be complete without a stop in Luckenbach, Texas. 

Feeling no pain!