Video: Welcome to Texas Wine Country: The Texas Hill Country Wine Trail Awaits You
This week’s video episode features Katy Jane Bothum from Hill Country Wineries as she talks about the Texas Hill Country Wine Trail in the heart of Central Texas. The group of 24 wineries stretches from Lampasas to New Braunfels, creating the second most popular wine destination in the country, second only to Napa/Sonoma. It is a short drive from both Austin and San Antonio.
You can also follow my multi-day tour on the Texas Hill Country Wine Trail through my blog posts and links given below:
Texas Hill Country Wine Trail – Day 1 [The Time Machine]
I left Houston this morning to tour the Texas Hill Country Holiday Wine Trail (http://www.texaswinetrail.com) . The tour requires a two and a half hour drive due west of Houston on I-10. But it is worth it as this region is likely the most picturesque parcel of Texas land I know.
While driving, I got to thinking…..Going west on I-10 out of Houston is like having my own time machine. As I drive towards San Antonio I am actually going back in time. Really! I just did it. Starting in Houston and by the time you are around San Antonio you are surrounded by limestone outcroppings that date to the Cretaceous Period some 60 to 140 million years ago. They were once sea bottom deposits that were thrust upward about 10 million years ago. The scenic, eroded edges of this high central Texas plateau are what we know as the Texas Hill Country. This attraction to limestone also helps to explain some of the attributes of this region that result in premium wines and why we are starting to refer to this region by a new name – The Texas Wine Country. More at: https://vintagetexas.com/?p=283
Day 2 – On the Texas Hill Country Wine Trail: Back in the Saddle Again
The air was cool, but the morning sun was warm on my face. I saddled up my farm truck to leave Fredericksburg and head up to Lampasas at the very top of the Texas Hill Country. Like yesterday, it was time to turn on the time machine again going to and from Lampasas. Yesterday’s travels from Houston brought me to the uplifted Cretaceous Hill Country limestone and backward in time about 60 to 100 million years. Today I crossed river cuts in this formation by the Pedernales and Colorado Rivers that expose rocks that are 400 to 500 million years old or older. This geological action all makes for a complex mix of soils that helps to support grape growing in this area. We have a range of terroir possible here depending where the grapes are grown and we are going step-by-step learning what this all means for Texas wines. Someday….won’t it be glorious to have sorted it all out.
Texas Legato Winery – I started my tastings at the two Bledsoe family wineries – Texas Legato and Pillar Bluff, just outside Lampasas. These wineries are owned by two brothers (Gill and Bill) that are just around the corner from one another. More at: https://vintagetexas.com/?p=291
Day 3 On the Texas Hill Country Wine Trail: New Faces; Old Friends
The last day of the wine trail did not start until noon. This gave me an opportunity to post my article from the Day2 trail “ride” that stretched from Lampasas round the back side of Lake Buchanan and on to Spicewood. Once this was complete this morning, I had time to fill the deer feeder at our cottage and close it up until next week when we return. Then, I packed the car and Paco (our Hahn’s Macaw) and I hit the trail. We saved the southern Hill Country path for this last leg of the trail that started with the wineries west and in downtown Fredericksburg. We then traveled then down to Comfort then east to New Braunfels and then back to Houston in the evening.
I started the day driving west out of Fredericksburg on Rt. 290 and saw outcroppings of the Glen Rose and Edwards limestone formations that rise from the older, weathered Hensell sandstone. Also part of the landscape are the quaint, old stone houses and fences handbuilt with stones cleared from the fields over 150 years ago by the German settlers in this region (See Honenberger Homestead above).
Chisholm Trail Winery – My first stop today was at Chisholm Trail Winery (Named for the famous Texas cattle drive trail) just about 10 miles west of Fredericksburg. I was the first to arrive at their western, ranch-style tasting room. I almost wanted to hitch up my trusty steed with the “BMW” brand. More at: https://vintagetexas.com/?p=298
This is awesome coverage of one of the most amazing places to spend your time. Be on the look out for New Wineries emerging in the Hill Country this year. William Chris and Bending Branch Vineyards!