Texas Wineries Tips and Tricks

In my opinion, traveling by car is the best option, but obviously that limits your drinking ability, so be responsible, or bribe your bestie/significant other to drive you around and be the DD. This gives you the most flexibility, so you can stay longer, or add an impromptu pit stop whenever you like.

You can book a private wine bus or limo – but you’ll need to plan in advance. Fetii or Uber/Lyft are also an option but on demand rides can be extremely risky – not many drivers will just happen to be in the area, so if you do use these options, rent them for the whole day.

There are also lots of local private driving services where you can take a limo, van, or bus depending on your group size. A quick google search will provide you with lots of options (including this pink mini cooper limo which I’ve seen a quite a few times in the wild).

Wine tours also exist – Austin Detours and Texas Winos are a few examples which leave from downtown Austin and will take you for a day trip, although they have specific routes, so allow for less flexibility.

If you’re tasting with a larger group, or know your plans and want a specific tasting or experience reach out in advance. Some wineries will not take same-day reservations online, only by phone. But depending on the day and time of year, there may be limited staff available to help you (or even to answer the phone). Walk-ins are usually fine too, especially if there are just a few of you, but you may not be able to do the full tasting experience. If they know you’re coming, they’ll probably be all set up for you so you can get straight to the fun part.

Tastings (usually start around $25), where you can try several wines – but if you’re in a hurry or know what you want – buy a glass (or bottle and take the rest to go). Each winery will have their own rules for tastings: some you choose exactly what you want up front from a list, others will provide set tastings like reds only, sweet wines, or classic vs interesting wines. If you’re tasting with another person, and don’t mind drinking from the same glasses – you can always choose two different tasting options and get to try them all!

You never know, with so many options, you might just find your new favorite wine!

Don’t forget that you can take wine to go, if you want another glass, consider buying a bottle, and taking the rest home or sharing together with your group. Often if you buy a few bottles, your tasting fees may be complimentary, so if you enjoy what you’ve tried consider taking some home for later. There are also wine club memberships, but we can delve into those some other time.

It’s easy to forget how hot cars get in the sun, so for the best wine experience later on, remember to pack your bottles in a cooler, or bring them along with you in a bag so they don’t overheat while you continue with your day.

I learn something new every time, whether its trying a type of wine I’ve never tried before, or finding out where that specific winery gets its grapes, or even the story behind that specific year. There’s a lot of method, but also a little bit of magic that goes into making wine. So many factors can make a difference to your experience, so ask away and take notes or a photo about what you like.

I’ve had the privilege of meeting some winemakers and hearing their stories: what got them into wine, why they love what they do, and just listening them talk about their passion – you can’t help but have a little rub off on you too.

Last but most importantly, don’t forget to hydrate, ask for water if it’s not offered and pack a small cooler with some non-alcoholic drinks and snacks, some sunscreen, bug spray, and a hat. Texas is hot, and with not many options in the hill country it’s always good to be prepared – just in case!

I hope my top tips ensure you have the best trip exploring all the best wineries that Texas has to offer.

Cheers!