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Texas
Wine Country Dawn breaks over a
dew-crystallized vineyard. Nearby, the vintner arrives for an
early start to the day. In the distance, pickup trucks meander
down the ranch-to-market road, greeted by the calls of onlooking
cattle and goats. The Lone Star State’s
fast-growing wine industry is centered in the Hill Country north
of San Antonio, a region shaped by an earthquake that buckled
limestone and granite into rugged hills and valleys. Today the
area is a favorite vacation getaway, one textured by majestic
live oaks, tinted by wildflowers, and home to wineries, parks,
antiques shops, and historic attractions. Many consider Fredericksburg
the heart of the Hill Country. This community remembers its Old
World heritage with German-style buildings, shops and restaurants.
Those roots are also evident at the downtown Fredericksburg Winery,
where signature labels like the Texas Chardonnay “Adelsverein”
(named for the Society of Noblemen formed by German princes to
help emigrants to the newly-formed Republic of Texas) feature
artwork and a little history. Like many local wineries,
this is a family-run operation, headed by no-nonsense Cord Switzer
(look for the man in the gimme cap), along with his wife Sandy,
brothers Jene and Burt, and mother “Oma,” charged with
labeling each bottle by hand. The Switzers are happy
to give travelers a taste of the fruits of their labor, helping
to assist with wine selection before sending visitors off to explore
Fredericksburg’s over 150 boutiques, many found along Main
Street. Here Homestead offers antiques while Zertz tempts with
items like flattened wine bottles transformed into cheese trays.
Nearby, eateries Altdorf and the Fredericksburg Brewing Company
feature German favorites like schnitzel and sausage in shady biergartens.
Further east stands
Stonewall, home to Lyndon Baines Johnson’s “Texas White
House,” now part of a state and national historic park. Here
you’ll also find Grape Creek Vineyards, where acres of climbing
vines yield the prize-winning Cabernet Trois. You can opt for a tour and a taste at Grape Creek Vineyards or head to Austin’s Restaurant in Stonewall’s elegant Rose Hill Manor. A gourmet menu is accompanied by an extensive wine list showcasing Hill Country vintages, the perfect end to a day of wine country touring. For More Information:
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Lovetripper.com Romantic Travel Guide
If
time allows, take a 14-mile drive north of town to Bell Mountain
Vineyards, located in Texas’s first designated winegrowing
area, or head east where “bouquet” describes not only
wine but wildflowers. On US290, stop and smell the bluebonnets
at Wildseed Farms, the nation’s largest wildflower seed farm.
Nearby, miles of peach orchards produce the area’s top crop.
Just south of this area, a short detour leads to Luckenbach, immortalized
by the country song.
