William Chris Vineyards

Williams Chris Vineyards is located in Hye on US Highway 290. The winery opened in 2009 and is owned by William “Bill” Blackmon and Chris Brundrett.

The tasting room is located in a 100 year old house which has been renovated and has various rooms where you can do your tastings. The front room has a large wooden bar and is the focal point when you first walk into the winery.

The last time we visited, our tasting guide was Monica. We tasted standing at their large tasting bar. There is a tasting fee for tasting a select number of wines, but the tasting fee is refunded with the purchase of two or more bottles. The wines are poured from the uncorked bottles. Monica was new to being a tasting guide so Andy, who we had previously met elsewhere, helped her answer some questions.

William Chris Vineyards use 100% Texas grapes in their Texas wine. In addition to owning the winery, Bill and Chris own and operate a vineyard management business which oversees over 40 acres in the Hill Country and High Plains of Texas. They also use other vineyards throughout the state. Their philosophy is to do as little as possible to the grapes when making their wine including minimal sulfites and handling, and small batch fermentation. In 2011 they produced 4500 cases of wine.

While tasting or enjoying a glass of wine, you can buy food such as gourmet cheese and salami, soda, and water. A small gift shop is available with clothing and wine glasses.

A wine club called the Hye Society is available which offers various benefits including member only events. When we were at the winery last, they were setting up the adjacent event center with dinner tables for the Hye Society and a private tasting of their new wine.

Live music is held every Saturday in addition to other events throughout the year. An oak grove outside the winery welcomes you to sit under the trees to enjoy drinking their wine.

On our Fredericksburg road trip of days one and three, we were fortunate to meet both Bill Blackmon and Chris Brundrett. We had more time to speak with Chris and had fun conversations with him. We also got to taste a new wine which they had just bottled. We were lucky to get a photo of both Bill and Chris, including getting their autographs on a bottle of their wine.

William Chris Vineyards is on the Texas Hill Country Wine Trail. If you plan on visiting any of the wineries on US Highway 290 near Fredericksburg, definitely stop in and visit William Chris Vineyards. Hopefully you will get a chance to meet Bill and Chris too.