Texas Wine Country

Texas. Is. Wine. Country!

As a native Texan who’s been lucky enough to live on an Italian vineyard for a few weeks, I thought I was pretty familiar with what to expect when in wine country. Turns out I had a lot more to experience and enjoy.

At first blush, while Texas wine may not seem as impressive to some as Napa, Italian, Spanish or French wines, it wasn’t until this spring when Wine Enthusiast named our very own Texas Hill Country a 2014 Top 10 Wine Travel Destination in the world when I became promptly determined to make an in-person visit into our nearby wine country. Oh sure, I’ve enjoyed Texas wines over the years (usually buying them from the market) but this newborn acclaim left me thirsting to learn first hand about why the Texas Hill Country had so much to offer.

Setting The Stage

First off, let’s take note of some interesting stats about Texas wines that may surprise you (they surprised me):

• Texas is the site of the 1st vineyard established in North America by Franciscan priests (circa 1662). Texas wasn’t founded until December 29, 1845, almost 200 years later! 
• Texas is currently the No. 5 wine-producing state in the U.S.
• Texas has 8 AVAs (American Viticultural Area) across 5 distinct regions in the state. The Texas Hill Country alone is the 2nd largest AVA in the nation, boasting over 9 million acres.
• There are 420 growers covering 4,400 Texas acres. Over 270 wineries contribute more than $1.83 Billion of economic value to the State of Texas.

Strolling along a sea of blue at Flat Creek Estate

A Texas-Sized Wine Experience

Day 1 into Texas Wine Country I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but our well-seasoned friends escorted us for our first outing.

We soon discovered that the wineries are as wildly unique as the wines they produce. Some are simple tasting rooms while others are fully operational vineyards that grow, harvest, craft and sell from the same location. My Wine Country cheat sheet:

Vineyard ~ A farm or plantation that grows vines; when a wine is labeled as coming from a “vineyard” it means that the winery and vineyard are on the same property.

Winery ~ A facility for the processing of grape fruits to become wine; it may not always be in the same place as that of the vineyard and it may process grapes from a different vineyard.

Tasting Room ~ Usually a part of a winery where guests may sample the winery’s products.

We experienced live music, great vistas, gift shops, a few food trucks and lots of conversation and drink. People were relaxed, approachable and happy. Hill Country charm is abundant here. I think one of our favorite moments was at Hilmy Cellars when we looked down and saw live chickens at our feet!

What’s all the cluckin’ about? Hilmy Cellers, that’s what! Cluck!

Tastings are a great way to sample the wild assortment of wines, often costing about $8-$12 for 5-6 samples. You may even be able to score a free sample or two if you’re specific about what you want to try. Some wineries will let you keep your etched wine glass, which will likely become a cherished memento and a beacon to return. You can often join a winery’s wine club which offers various perks including discounts, special picks or a “free” tasting or two for members’ friends each year. And of course bottles are available for purchase to enjoy live or to take back home.

You’ll likely find red and white varieties and the selection will vary throughout the year so check online before you go if you’re selective about your wine options.

Jetting along curvy FM 1431

Wine Country Tips

Here are a few of my tips for how to best enjoy wine country.

• Plan Your Visit. With over 40 wineries in the Hill Country alone there is no possible way you can consume them all in a day or in a weekend! Visit TexasWineTrail.com and use their handy interactive map to plan your route. We picked 3-5 wineries per day which allowed enough time to relax, unwind and enjoy the music and scenery. October is official Texas Wine Trail Month but special events are held throughout the year.
• Start Early / End Early. Some vineyards start pouring early in the day – actually the morning – at 10AM or 11AM. They also close shop around 5PM or 6PM, so don’t plan on heading out for a night of wine country.
• Expect Crowds. Wine Country is a communal experience and that means there will be other people around – possibly even cats, dogs and chickens. There’s no surprise that when the weekend weather is nice and in full bloom, so too, are the crowds. If you’re into more intimate experiences try going Monday – Thursday as you may find the crowds more palatable.
• Plan A Picnic. Some vineyards and tasting rooms offer light foods. Many have an open policy with regard to you bringing in food and light snacks (please, no B.Y.O.W.). We made a run to Central Market and grabbed some artisan bread, crackers, cheeses and pestos which everyone really enjoyed.
• Drink Responsibly. Nobody likes a sloppy drinker. If you’re making a day trip to Fredericksburg remember you have to get home safely so don’t put your life or the lives of others at risk in the twisty, curvy Hill Country roads which are sometimes hard to navigate fully sober – especially at night! Appoint a designated driver (and designated drinkers) – Even better yet there are tour companies that range from the fancy limos to the larger tour buses that can whisk you around and return you safely to home base. A super-tip from Home Style Austin follower Marcia from Grapevine: Did you know that Texas deer come out in droves after 5PM and it’s extremely hazardous on the roads? Drive safe!

I hope you have the chance to enjoy the special place that is Texas Wine Country!

~ Joe Paul Reider

Home Style Austin Founder
Austin Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty, Inc.

Email: JoePaul@KW.com
Mobile: 512-222-3302
Web: JoePaul.KWRealty.com

Handy Links

Our Pick For 2014 : Most Romantic Texas Wine
Texas Wine & Grape Growers Association
Texas Hill Country Wineries
When In Texas Wine Country : Wildseed Farms
An Award Honoring Texas + Italian Wines

A little slice of wine life at Becker Vineyards

 

Inspired by wine country? Learn more about how Texas and Italy are connected at our other passion site ForTheLoveOfItaly.com. It’ll make you a better Texan! :)

Grape Creek Vineyards ~ A fun day trip from Austin will land you in wine country enjoying a nice slice of Tuscany under a Texas sunset.

View More Pics Of Wine Country On Our Pinterest Page

Wildseed Farms : One Amazing Adventure

Texas Blooms

Any trip to the Hill Country must include a stop at Wildseed Farms. It’s the largest working wildflower farm in the nation and is located just east of Fredericksburg on 290.

We decided to make a brief stop here to see if anything was in bloom and we were blown away! The farm is over 200 acres largely decorated with colorful blooms that are changing throughout the year. Stepping out of our car we quickly discovered there was much more here than just the colorful fields:

• Lantana Nursery – One of the largest plant nurseries in Central Texas – we scored some great succulents here. They also offer a large selection of pots in seemingly endless shapes, sizes and colors.
• Specialty Foods – Salsas, preserves, hot sauces, pickled veggies – many of which were available for a free tasting. After devouring some complimentary golden caramel corn nuggets we left with an armful of stuff including Bread & Butter Jalapeño Dip Mix, Habanero Garlic Salsa and Five Amigos Fire Roasted Pepper Salsa. Score!
• Apparel and Home Decor – There are tons of things to discover here – you can check out the virtual tour and have a look around.
• Seed Packets – It was hard to narrow down our selection to just a few – you can even buy seeds by the pound for larger landscaping projects.

You can visit Wildseed Farms online in a click – their website is quite extensive and you can even save a tree or two by viewing their digital seed catalog instead of having one snail mailed to you. While the website and digital catalog will quickly please the armchair gardener in you, nothing beats an in-person visit to the farm to enjoy the foods, smells, colors and the countless surprises that await in full splendor.

We’re not surprised Lady Bird Johnson was a frequent visitor here; the farm and folks are incredibly inclusive and easy to get to know – they’re open 7 days a week throughout the year, dog friendly, encourage free photo taking and they even let you stroll among the flowers with your wine and beer from the Brewbonnet Biergarten! What’s not to love about that?

As they say at Wildseed Farms: “Come for the flowers, and stay for the atmosphere!”

Green thumbs up!

~ Joe Paul Reider

Home Style Austin Founder
Austin Realtor®
Keller Williams Realty, Inc.

Email: JoePaul@KW.com
Mobile: 512.222.3302
Web: JoePaul.KWRealty.com

 

 

 

A Shopping We Will Go

A Guide To Shopping Austin Texas – Photo Courtesy Of Flickr User “JustinJensen”

Ladies and Gentlemen – Start Your Shoppers’ Engines!

[ Sidenote from Joe: One of our recent Instagram followers in Australia asked us for our shopping recommendations for her upcoming trip to Austin. We realized we hadn’t yet shared a list of our local favorite shopping spots so here are our local retailers who we think are doing their best to make Austin a great place to shop. ]

First Thing’s First – Austin Bags Bags

As of March 1, 2013, The City of Austin implemented a flyaway plastic bag ordinance designed to help the city be more Earth friendly and reach its goal of becoming a “Zero Waste” city by the year 2040. So what this means for local shoppers is that many retailers who offer single use or plastic bags do so no longer, so let the buyer beware – bring your reusable shopping totes or get ready to carry smaller purchases sans bags. Here’s a fun video about the “Bring It Austin” movement:

The 50,000 Foot Shopper’s View

Austin shopping features many locally owned small businesses that are scattered about town. You really have to explore city neighborhoods on foot, pedicab or your own 2- or 4-wheeled favorite form of transportation to find many of them, which is what really makes Austin unique.

Really love to shop? Better wear your comfy shoes as you’ll likely be making a full day or more of shopping when in Austin. My word of caution: There are a lot more hidden gems to be found in Austin, but below are some of our top picks. We threw in some restaurants too, because what’s a great shopping trip without cocktails and food?!

South Congress Shopping – Picture Compliments Of Barbara Slough (Flickr User “Merbrat”)

South Congress

South Congress – or “SoCo” as the locals refer to it – is the best place to be able to park, walk, shop and eat. In addition to some vintage and thrift stores, there is also a large antique store called Uncommon Objects filled with unique finds. There are also some other cool stores like Tesoros Trading Company and Ten Thousand Villages where you can find interesting folk arts and crafts from around the world. Lucy in Disguise is a fun and funky costume store packed with every disguise imaginable. A must do is Allen’s Boots where the smell of leather makes you feel like an instant cowboy. Several clothing stores and boutiques are also located in this area such as American Apparel and Austin’s home grown favorite By George which was named one of the country’s Top 10 Boutiques by Lucky Magazine [ listen to this heavenly choir sound effect of what receiving this award must have felt like! ].

Eating Soco: There are many dining options from food trucks to sit down restaurants. dog-friendly Italian restaurant Botticelli’s, South Congress Cafe, Guero’s Taco Bar, Hopdoddy Burger Bar, and HomeSlice Pizza are local favorites. Be prepared to wait in line during peak feeding times! There’s no need to get dessert at anywhere other than Big Top Candy Shop which has been satisfying sweet tooth of kids of all ages since 2007. The folks at Big Top have over 2,000 kinds (not pieces) of candies and an old-fashioned soda fountain and shaved ice bar. A must-see-do-enjoy!

Downtown Austin

Centered around the flagship Whole Foods Market World Headquarters at Lamar and 5th and 6th streets in downtown Austin, there are lots of shopping choices including West Elm, Anthropologie, Free People, Paper Source, and others. Nadeau, The Khazana and Jaya Furniture are globally inspired, artisan and eco-friendly furniture stores in the downtown area. Just up Lamar is Whole Earth Provision Company, an Austin original since 1970 with earthy goods and unique gifts – a place Home Style Austin Brand Director Patrick says he can’t walk into without leaving with some fun purchases.

All this shop talk has made us hungry. If you’re in this area try 24 Diner – as it’s name implies it’s open 24 hours daily (except 1 am-6 am on Wednesdays) and it has some of the greatest food we’ve eaten in Austin. A great place for conversation! Better wash down your 24 Diner treat with one of Austin’s favorite ice cream shops – at Amy’s. There are Amy’s scattered around the city (see a list here) and if you haven’t tried their Mexican Vanilla ice cream yet, your life is one maraca shy of a full set.

The 2nd Street Shopping District is also a great place to walk, shop and eat (here’s the official site). Urban Outfitters, Francesca’s and Swatch along with several local boutiques and design shops such as Girl Next Door, Hemline, Prize Interiors and more make for a nice couple hours of shopping. Go to Austin Rocks to score all of your Austin souvenirs and say hi from us to the folks at Serve Gourmet – they introduced the Home Style Austin Team to The Casserole Queens as well as Austin’s finest foodie finds.

Hungry? There are several popular restaurants in the area too. Cru Wine Bar, La Condesa, Coal Vines Pizza, Pasta and Wine Bistro, Malaga Tapas Bar, and Lambert’s BBQ.

The Clarksville neighborhood around Lynn and 12th Street is a nice place to take a stroll. Although there isn’t too much shopping, there are a couple unique stores like Nau’s Enfield Drug, an old fashioned soda fountain, Fresh Plus Hometown Grocer and Sledd Nursery.

Eating Clarksville: There are also several great local restaurants in the neighborhood: Cipollina, Zocalo Cafe, Josephine House and then Jeffrey’s if you are feeling extra special.

North Austin

If thrift shopping and vintage clothing and furniture are your thing, you’ll want this local guide to many of the stores in the area with the Vintage Around Town Guide. Aside from Downtown and South Congress there really isn’t one walkable area where you can see a lot of independent stores at once outside of a mall or strip-mall format. Burnet Road in North Austin has a higher concentration of these types of stores, but not exactly “walkable.”

The North Lamar Central Market location is a must stop if you are in the North Austin area (there is also another location on South Lamar with a Whole Earth Provision and a Cavender’s Boot City next door). Central Market is the most amazing grocery store born in Austin and you could spend hours shopping, drooling, resting and repeating! Delight your inner foodie and have lunch at the Central Market Cafe and sit out on the big deck to enjoy your feast. On weekends you can catch live music. Also in this shopping center there is a neat Hardware Store/Gift Store combo shop unique to Austin called Zinger and a nice pottery and gift store called Clarksville Pottery. You’ll also find a Gap, an Origins and our latest obsession ~ Paper Place Austin, which will surely delight your inner artist with cards, stationery, pens, colorful papers and a wide assortment of unique objects … we left with an armful.

East Austin

East Austin is in a state of change where old multi-cultural neighborhoods are being gentrified with hip urban lofts and trendy nightlife. It’s an interesting juxtaposition of culture, history and an urban vibe yielding a source of local controversy.

The East 6th Street District is a great place to walk and check out a few unique spots. More known for bars and food trucks, there are a few interesting shops to see. Clayworks Studios sells stoneware items made onsite. Green & White Grocery sells a super funky mix of herbals, spiritual paraphernalia and Latin American religious items. The owner is a true ol’ Austinite. If you like gardening, East Austin Succulents is a peaceful place for a stroll among nature’s art for the eyes. There’s a coffee truck on site, too!

West Austin

One very cool shopping experience that is a bit of a drive on the West side of Austin off Highway 71 in Bee Cave named Revival. Revival is a fun architectural salvage and vintage furniture store with a lot of repurposed items and unique home decor items. “Hamlet the Pig” and a few chickens also wander about the outdoor areas of the store so you’ll truly feel like you were in an authentic shopper’s paradise. Also in the area is a retail shopping area called Hill Country Galleria with a Whole Foods, Dillard’s and other major chain stores along with a few boutique shops and restaurants, including another Amy’s Ice Cream Shop!

If you were to keep heading into far west Austin (ok, let’s call it day-tripping from Austin), you’d land in the amazing Texas Hill Country. Beautiful views will treat your senses to a different form of “shopping,” while one of my favorite cities – Fredericksburg – offers some of the best shopping in all of Texas. Wine country? Texas has it and you’re right in the middle of over 35 area wineries scattered throughout the Central Texas hills. More information is here regarding the Texas Hill Country Wineries. A visit to Austin without a visit to this part of the state requires a return adventure! Think we’re bragging? Maybe a little – this year the Texas Hill Country was a Top 10 wine travel destination in the world by Wine Enthusiast Magazine.

Shopping Malls

The Domain is the newest of Austin’s large shopping malls. In fact, a Phase 3 was recently announced and will be anchored by Nordstrom. The Domain is an outdoor urban mall with all of the major upscale retailers and nice dining options like Gloria’s Latin Cuisine, and North Italian Restaurant. There is also a new Whole Foods that just opened here with tons of seating for having a bite to eat with a side of live music, too, so check our their events schedule.

If outlet shopping is your thing, you’ll want to visit the Round Rock Premium Outlets Note: There’s an IKEA nearby which is sure to please your wallet.

Barton Creek Square is a Texas-sized shopper’s paradise with all of the major retailers including Nordstrom and more than 170 speciality shops. No true shopper leaves Barton Creek Square empty handed!

We could go on and on about what to specifically check out or eat at these Austin favorites but if you’re still reading this you can only imagine how much my fingers ache from a blog post this long!

In between power shopping sprints, if you’re looking for places where you can eat and hangout with your four-legged friend, check out our post for Austin’s Dog Friendly Hangouts. It’s packed with our favorite places throughout the greater Austin area.

Please email us with any specific questions – we’re glad to help a shopper out!

~ Patrick

Home Style Austin