My Day As A Texas Wino

Recently I took a much-needed mini vacation with some girl friends on a winery tour. At 8:30 a.m. on Saturday morning my friend Aby and I set out for Austin. Thanks to Groupon we’d found an excellent deal with the Texas Winos touring company, and took a charter bus from downtown Austin to Fredericksburg Texas to visit 3 different wineries.
The bus was a lot of fun. You’re allowed to bring food and alcohol for the drive, which is about an hour and a half long. We packed our cooler (What to Pack on a Wine Tour) and started to party.

The Bus
Without counting the seats I’d assume the bus sat about 60 people. Top 40’s music was playing as our cruise director, Steve, introduced himself. If all of the tour guides at Texas Winos are like Steve, it is no wonder why their tours are so popular. He was funny, personable and entertaining. He passed out complementary Texas Winos wine tasting glasses and a free recyclable wine bag.

First Stop- Woodrose Winery
As we walked into the winery we received passports. Each page listed a food item, the wine you would sample and a place for the server to stamp. The room was set up into 8 stations. You went to each station with your passport and wine glass, got a small container of food and a sample of the corresponding wine.
The Good Things: The Meat Lasagna was amazing. It may have been the long bus ride and lack of breakfast, but I was ravenous!
Now the part you really care about, the wine. I had two favorites here. The 2009 Blanc de Bois, described as citrus with honeysuckle and mandarin flavors. It was a bold and tasteful white. I also enjoyed the 2008 Seven wine, this is described as fruity with notes of vanilla and cherries. When I tasted this smooth red I felt like I’d connected with my inner Olivia Pope.

Things that could be better: First, when I’m told that lunch will be provided I expect a full sit-down meal, not a large quantity of samples with no wiggle room. This was frustrating for me, being a bit of a picky eater, but heaven forbid you have dietary restrictions or some sort of food allergy. It’s hard to get your fill (which is important on a 7-hour wine tour).
Secondly, while I didn’t expect to like every single wine I tried that day, I was just unimpressed with a few. The 2009 Texas Ruby Port and 2009 Zinfandel tasted about as good as the wine you pick up at a gas station for $6.

Second Stop- Fast Ass Winery
I will start by saying this was by far my favorite stop. There was a live band and just an amazing layout and feel.
The Good Things: The wine was amazing! I think we tried 5 different wines there, each with a unique and bold flavor. I purchased the Semi-Sweet Wine. Also the staff was fun and very helpful.

Things that could be better: My only issue with this winery (and it’s a minor one) was the way the tasting was set up, two people behind a table pouring you samples. You got your first sample then back to the end of the line…. while the line did move swiftly, I feel like stations could have been better.

Third Stop- Hye Market
This was undeniably my least favorite place. It seemed to be one of those businesses that was a little too laid back and too confident. It would be the kind of restaurant to kick you out if you complain that they got your order incorrect.
The Good Things: The historical location and buildings are a big selling point for the winery, but for me it ended there.

The thing that could’ve been better: Once again I was unimpressed with the selection offered. I was happy I hadn’t decided to wait until we got there to purchase a bottle of wine because I would have gone home empty handed. Also the staff wasn’t very friendly.

All in all I totally recommend taking a wine tour. It was nice having someone else plan the itinerary and drive so we could just enjoy ourselves. If you are looking for a mini getaway this will do the trick, be it a girl’s weekend or romantic getaway. Whatever the doctor ordered, this will hit the spot.