Our House is Y'alls House: Fredericksburg, Texas Trip 2023: The New Napa Valley

Amos and I decided to take a semi impromptu weekend getaway to Fredericksburg, Texas. I say semi because even though it was relatively last minute trip we did book stuff in advantage that made it easier during our trip to experience more in a short period. Another planning tool that Amos and I started (and I highly recommended) is we made a sharable list in the Notes app on our iphones where we listed wineries we wanted to visits, restaurants we wanted to try, and other areas to visit and we added a check mark on places we had confirmed reservations. Our list got pretty long (at least for the wineries) and we couldn't fit it all in our three day weekend, but we saw our top priorities, know what we want to revisit, and all the places we still need to see.

Amos and I have been to Fredericksburg a few times now, but it has been years and boy has it changed. We stayed again at one of the cabins at the back of Messina Hof and love it. The first time we stayed there you felt like you were in the middle of no where with nothing around you, now you are surrounded by new and upcoming wineries. On the subject of the number of wineries in Fredericksburg it is crazy now. Texas Monthly recently came out with an article saying its the new Napa Valley and we heard from other wineries that Fredericksburg is the second most visited wine destination in the country behind Napa. The main road that takes you into town now is just littered with wineries with new beautiful buildings, sprawling vineyards, and unique attractions that almost give you the feeling you aren't in Texas. We had so much fun and know that we want to make this a yearly trip and can't wait to try some new wineries and go back to some of our favorites.

Where we stayed: Messina Hof

Where we drank:

Friday

Texas Wine Collective - Had reservations at 2:30 pm and did the wine and cheese tasting. We had the back room to ourselves with a guide and it was so much fun. I got to ask all my silly questions and the wine was fantastic.
Kalasi Cellars - Had reservations at 5:00 pm for their wine tasting. I did the red wine tasting and Amos did the combo of red and white wine tasting. They have small Indian snacks that were sooo good we had the samosas and an Indian pizza dish that was great.
Altstadt Brewery - After Kalasi Cellars we headed to Altstadt. We didn't have reservations and stopped by for dinner and a quick beer in their downstairs lounge that was really cool. The outside areas are really nice as well.

Saturday

Slate Theory Winery - Had reservation at 11 am in their cave/cellar. This was one of our favorites to visit. You have to have a reservation for the tasting; especially if you want it in the cellar. Very cool and reminded us of our time in Napa and we would go back here again for sure. There are building more structures and I'm sure will even be more impressive next time we go back. We even got the back story on the family run business from the siblings involved and the meaning behind the logos and wine names.
Serrano Winery - Had reservation at 1 pm. This is a husband and wife run winery, they are young, but knowledgable and up for experimenting with blends because at the end of the day you drink what you like. This had Amos and mines all around favorite wines. We even joined their wine club because we were buying so many and it was essentially the price of the first subscription so if you signed up you got 10% off.
Garrison Distillery - Amos and I had some the very first time we went to Fredericksburg and this was a must stop on Amos's list. They are in a beautiful spot with the rolling hills behind them. They had a live band, small bites, and alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks. I had to slow down and I had a lemonade with some small bites.
French Connections -We did not have a reservation, but popped in quick because it was close to Garrison and it was recommended by Serrano group. Amos and I split a wine tasting. They have a nice covered patio and outdoor space as well. Staff and people really nice.
Signor Vineyards - This was on my list, we popped in for a glass because we were cutting it close to when all the wineries close (which are around 6 pm). This was the most beautiful all around, the grounds were stunning, like every corner was Instagramable, and we lucked out with such great weather it would have been nice to stay there longer. It did have a bit of pompous flare due to certain seating sections for "members only." They had a cute shop on the grounds and lots of side buildings with cute stuff.
Messina Hof - Ironically this was our first time visiting even though we have stayed on the grounds before. Like Signor we popped in quickly because Amos wanted to try their almond wine he heard about and grabbed a taste and bottle to go.

Where we ate:

Altstadt Brewery - Drank and ate, they have a restaurant that serves German food, we had dinner there Friday night
Fredericksburg Mini Donut Company - it is a little trailer parked in a shopping parking lot, but they are fresh and hot and the flavors they are sooo yummy
Several of the wineries offer food/snacks so we ate there during the day while we drank and didn't have a formal lunch
Jacks Chop House - Dinner reservation on Saturday night

Lessons Learned/Recommendations:

Wineries you want to go to for a wine tasting make a reservation first, if you want a glass you don't need to make a reservation, only if you want a full tasting.
You don't have to finish the whole glass of wine. I did this the first day and it quickly caught up with me. So I recommended drinking the glasses you like and dumping the rest. All places during tastings will give you a dump bucket.
I would like to stay until Monday next time so we get another full day of drinking. Friday we had less than half a day, Saturday all day, and then we headed out early on Sunday. Most wineries are open around 10-11 am and close around 5-7 pm so not a huge window if you want to try multiple places.
I liked how we paced ourselves between reservations, I didn't feel rushed at all. So two-three hours between reservations gave us time to taste, buy merch, and get to the next place.
Every place has a wine club and they will bring it up in each tasting so if you have a tendency to say yes be careful. We didn't feel pressured at any and signed up for only one.
At the bottom of the pics I will share a snapshot of our Notes list that has the other wineries we didn't get to visit, but may next time.