The wife and I are looking to do a wine tour this Thursday. We would prefer some bus that would go to couple places? Any recommendation for a shuttle or specific winery?

Also. We will be there Thursday and Friday so looking for recommendations for bars that have live country music (prefer 80 s and 90s) and also fun 4th of July activities around there for Friday during the day.

We used 290wineshuttle dot com and were very happy with the results.

I looked at them but they don't do tours on Thursday

Can't recommend a shuttle because haven't used one, but in general they go to some of the lower quality wineries that are more for just partying and getting drunk. If you're looking for that then that's cool, but If you're looking for higher quality wine and open to driving, here's my list of favorites:

- William Chris - Aggie Owned, great wine, great vibe, good service.
- Pebble Rock - Also Aggie Owned, very small but excellent wine, more informative tasting if you're looking to learn
- Hilmy - Good wine, laid back
- Slate Theory - Excellent cave tour, more expensive and upscale but decent wine
- 12 Fires - Also Aggie owned, more rustic
- Arrowhead Creek - new vintage of estate wines are excellent, veteran owned, starting a fun 'morale patch' brand of wines where each bottle gives you a patch to keep and % of proceeds go to veterans orgs
- Inwood - some of the best wines in TX but on the more expensive side. Cecil77 on TexAgs works there.
- Michael Ros - Newer winery putting out some good stuff

We are club members at William Chris, Pebble Rock, and Arrowhead Creek, and have been at Hilmy and Inwood in the past.

Is Bending Branch still around? That was a very pretty place with good wine, but we haven't been down there in several years now. Used to consider myself an expert on wineries down there back in the day. Not anymore.

They are, albeit down in Comfort. They're making some of the best Tannat in Texas!

YouBet said:

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Is Bending Branch still around? That was a very pretty place with good wine, but we haven't been down there in several years now. Used to consider myself an expert on wineries down there back in the day. Not anymore.

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We "discovered" Bending Branch and Sister Creek about 25 years ago in the greater Comfort area, and I'm happy to see they are both still at it. I think Bending Branch still has the best Tannat in Texas. Sister Creek is more variable, but when they get one right (even a surprising Cabernet), it's very good.

As far as who's making the best wine in the Fredericksburg corridor, it's clearly William Chris. We've been members practically since they opened in the one room shack. Hard to recognize the place now - it's on a par with the best of Napa / Sonoma, in terms of the operation (and wine). Very proud of Chris, and what he's achieved.

For the OP, and a 4th of July setting, consider Carter Creek, close to Johnson City. I won't vouch for their wine so much, but they have a nice covered bandstand (including a big dance floor) with live country music every weekend, and a nice big lawn, and room to relax. The restaurant is decent, and they have a pretty good brewery onsite, as well.

I have a cool William Chris story...we started going there when it first opened as well. A couple of years later on a return visit we wanted to joint their wine club but it already had a waiting list so they couldn't sign us up during our visit.

Well, that night we were eating at Otto's and we were talking to the bartender (she was also the owner with her husband) and telling her how we were disappointed about not being able to join while there.

Very next morning (and pretty early) we get a call from William Chris telling us we were now wine club members. Perplexed, we asked what changed....apparently the lady sitting solo next to us at the bar at Otto's was Chris's sister (or the other owners sister). After hearing our conversation, she had us pushed us to the front of the line. I guess she asked the Otto's owner for our name from bill and then matched it up with our info at WC.

We were members for several years, but I cancelled a few years ago after my wife quit drinking.

Agree on William Chris- we just did a tasting there in April and it was great. Good wines, fantastic service.

Our group of five hired a driver through a car service. That way we could choose what wineries we went to and the timing. That was definitely a great way of doing it!

Would I need to make a reservation for William Chris (or any others y'all'd recommend), or just show up any old day?

Planning a weekend trip for my wife's birthday the last weekend in August/first in September.

William Chris definitely get a Reservation for the best experience. If you show up without one you will probably still be able to get wine but depending on how busy it is you might be relegated to the patio and by the bottle/glass only. If you're wanting to do a tasting you will need a reservation.

ETA: Other recommendations of some good high quality wineries:

Pebble Rock - Reservation required, Aggie owned, just the husband and wife, super great story and amazing wines.
Slate Theory - Get a reservation for their cave tour, pricy but worth it IMO. Wines are good.
Hye Meadow - Take a picnic! Don't need a reservation. Very laid back.
Calais - Reservation required, some of the best wines in FBG but pricier
Arrowhead Creek - No reservation needed, Veteran owned, fun Air Force themed 'Flight Room' tasting room.
12 Fires - No reservation, Aggie Owned!
Hilmy - Probably don't need a reservation, good wines
Ron Yates - Might need a reservation? Been a while since I've been there.

We just got back from a weekend in FBurg/Johnson City.

Siboney Cellars, which is closer to JC, is a great stop. Beautiful tasting room and you can order wine by the glass or do a structured tasting. Been there twice and didn't have a reservation either time, but they were more than accommodating.

If you are looking for a quick lunch/dinner place, try Vinovium in JC. They sell their own wines but also have great sandwiches, charcuterie boards, etc.

I would definitely make a reservation at William Chris.

Also, if you are interested in downtown tasting rooms, Cross Mountain has a beautiful new tasting room on Main serving Italian-style wines. And Signor just opened a new tasting room in an old home on Orange Street, just a block off Main.

Both are worth a visit.

To each their own, but you should do your research on Slate Theory. Very alternative vibe there that doesnt exactly match the rest of the 290 wine trail.

If one is going out all the way from Fberg to William Chris, its an easy add to do Pedernales and Narrow Path in Albert including a cold beer at the Albert Ice House.

Wish Pebble Rock was open more. We had their wine at Cabernet Grill and enjoyed it, but cant ever time it right to be there when they are open in Johnson City.

Slate Theory is definitely a different kind of vibe, and full disclosure I have not been there in a year or two since they have opened their new building. However, they are the only ones in Fbg who have a true napa-eqsue underground wine cave, and it is a pretty neat tour. I also tend to think their wines are pretty good.

Pebble Rock is really only open on weekends to my knowledge. It's just the husband and wife who run it, and he is also a consulting winemaker for a lot of other wineries down that way. He wears a lot of hats. It is worth it to make a trip when they're open!

This is a great little preview for me to look around - thanks!

TheOC16 said:

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Would I need to make a reservation for William Chris (or any others y'all'd recommend), or just show up any old day?

Planning a weekend trip for my wife's birthday the last weekend in August/first in September.

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get a reservation. we've had mixed experience there. first time, no reservation and my wife and I were turned away. The hosts both were very condescending and patronizing. I had zero desire to go back. However, I relented b/c my wife really wanted to go. We got a reservation the second time and had a great experience, even with our 12 month old with us that time.

I've been back there a couple time for work events and its been great as well, but I'd expect it for the cash that was being dropped.

We haven't done a tour with this group, but sat next to the husband/owner on a trip in 2022. Spoke to the wife at the after we landed. Very nice couple, and the husband was/is a deputy in Gillespie County? Or a County nearby....



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Winding Road Wine Tours
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