Best Spicewood Wineries For The Perfect Day From Austin, Texas

Spicewood is about a 30-45 minute drive north-west of Austin Texas, near Lake Travis. Home to Willie Nelson’s Luck Ranch (I highly recommend trying to snag tickets for his annual music festival, Luck Reunion, usually around St Patrick’s Day). It is also home to multiple parks including Muleshoe Bend, where you can camp out, fish, mountain bike, and enjoy the lake.

You’ll find some hidden gems tucked away in the winding scenery, and this wine itinerary is a perfect day trip with lots of options for delicious food and lake views too.

Don’t forget to check out my tips and tricks blog to make the most of your day.

Cheers, the Lone Star Lass

Starting your day off with Argentinian wine may seem unusual, I mean you can here for Texas wines right? But hear me out… first, you have to try El Gaucho‘s empanadas, second, you have to try some Torrontes wine – but that’s if you can get your hands on some.

I stumbled upon this winery by accident, on a drive one Sunday, it’s tucked away off the main road, you’ll drive up a long gravel incline to get there but it’s worth the bumpy ride.

Grab a table outside and enjoy the views while sitting under the trees. AND if you didn’t hear me before try the Torrontes! The tasting notes describe it as “Sweet floral aromas, with crisp tropical fruit flavors” but for me, this is the perfect summer white wine: light, refreshing, slightly sweet; it makes my mouth water just thinking about it. They often sell out, and I’ve been lucky enough to snag the last bottle in the past. Alternatively, if bolder reds are more your thing, the Malbecs do not disappoint either, and are great with steak, – so if you’re feeling like a baller – why not both?

El Gacho offers tastings too, but my personal recommendation is to go straight to a bottle. (don’t forget you can cork it and save the rest for later too). With a belly full of empanadas, it’s a great start to your day.

This winery stands out from the rest in the area because of the grounds and the views, while most of the wineries in Spicewood have scenic farmland views, Stone House Vineyard has lake views and numerous tasting options for you to choose from.

This is an adults only vineyard (21+), woman owned, and notes itself for “creating wines of distinction from California, Australia, and Texas, while providing a place of exquisite beauty and exemplary service”. A quick look at the tasting options shows Shiraz on the menu, a common bold red Austalian wine (also known as Syrah) so I’m really interested to see how these hold up.

With a restaurant and special events, such as getting to take part in the annual grape harvest (August), it seems worth the visit.

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The drive up to the Spicewood Vineyards is picturesque, you drive right past the grapes on the vine as you make your way up to the tasting room.

Make sure you do the tasting here, there’s lots of choice, too many delicious wines, and lots of family history to go along with it. I love their big Texas reds: perfect for pairing with BBQ or a steak, you can’t go wrong with their Good Guy Red Blend, a nod to Ron Yate’s grandfather. It’s really versatile, and a great dinner partner.

If you haven’t had the opportunities to try, what I consider, a classic Texas wine – then you’re in the right hands – try their Tempranillos (pronounced tem-pra-nee-yo). These are great as an everyday wine: sipping while watching a movie, or with dinner. Dress it up, dress it down – it’ll work for any occasion. A tiny bit of wine trivia here: Tempranillos are most commonly produced in Spain, but Texas puts its own twist on it – remember, everything’s bigger in Texas.

With a few more bottles to go for later, it’s probably about time to head back towards Austin.

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