Andrew’s Return to the Hill Country – Part One

My wife and I used to travel to the Texas Hill County three or four times a year, but we hadn’t been in over two years. The birth of our daughter, now 19 months old, quickly rearranged our priorities. We finally got tired of making excuses and decided it was time to head back to one of our favorite parts of Texas with our daughter in tow, along with the mountain of stuff it takes to travel with a toddler. We packed up on a Sunday morning and began our nearly four-hour drive to Fredericksburg from our home in Houston.

We had a pleasant, drama-free drive since we timed our trip around our daughter’s normal lunch and nap times, arriving into Fredericksburg late afternoon. We booked the White Oak cottage at The Hoffman Haus and it worked out perfectly. We’ve stayed at the Hoffman Haus several times before and have always enjoyed our stays. The great service, amenities, proximity to Main Street, and excellent breakfast keep us coming back. The cottage provided everything we needed to set up a home away from home for our five-day trip.

After unpacking and a little break, it was time to hit Main Street. We were able to visit the Becker Vineyards Main Street Tasting Room with time to spare which is located in the old Buick dealership building on Main Street. It’s such a cool building, so I was glad to see Becker Vineyards set up a tasting room that really does the building justice. Tastings are done in the same fashion as at their estate where guests can pick six tastes from a wide variety of their wines. Becker had just released three new wines, and we got to try their new Reserve Cabernet Franc, the standout for us. My wife and I split a tasting while taking turns watching our daughter, a theme that continued throughout our trip. It worked out well, albeit a little hectic at times. It helped us keep our daughter happy while minimizing any distractions to other tasting room patrons.

We began Monday at The Vintage Cellar on Highway 290 just east of town. The Vintage Cellar is located in the original Rocky Hill School building, which was built in 1902, making for a very charming tasting room and boutique. They currently offer wines from Val Verde Winery and Rancho Loma Vineyards. Val Verde is the oldest winery in Texas, established in 1883 by the Qualia family in Del Rio. Providing easy access to Val Verde’s wines is one of the reasons we like to visit The Vintage Cellar, while getting to try their other offerings is an added bonus. This was our first chance to try wines from Rancho Loma Vineyards of Coleman, Texas. The Vintage Cellar also offers a wide variety of Texas craft beers for Texas beer lovers.

We next made it to Narrow Path Winery and Vineyard in Stonewall. We’ve visited their Main Street tasting room before, but it was great getting to see their beautiful winery and vineyard location. The tasting room is a modern space that features lots of windows for guests to enjoy the great view of their vineyard and surrounding hills. We really enjoyed their wines with the Estate Rosé and Spyrock Red blend being our favorites.

After a nap for our daughter and a break for my wife and I, we headed to Bingham Family Vineyards – Fredericksburg tasting room, located a short drive east of town, sharing a building with Yee Haw Ranch Outfitters. The Bingham family did an amazing job with their Fredericksburg location. The tasting room is an expansive modern barn-style building but still maintains a welcoming feel. It had been a few years since we visited Bingham’s tasting room in Grapevine, so we were happy to have an opportunity to try their wines again. We were really impressed with not only the quality of the wines but also the breadth of their wine portfolio. Bingham offers three tasting flights; an all red wine flight, a mixed dry red and white wine flight, and a third option that features some of their sweet/off-dry wine offerings. It had been a long day, so it was time to refuel. What better way than pizza? West End Pizza Company is our go-to pizza spot in Fredericksburg. They have great pizzas, a friendly staff, and a family-friendly atmosphere.

Read Part Two!