Texas Hill Country is where many of Texas’s best wineries are located. Its west of Austin and considered the beginning or end of the Southwest.
The area is composed of Karst topography, which is formed when soluble rock like limestone and dolomite dissolve over time. Whats left is a rugged landscape with underground drainage systems including caves and sinkholes. The area has a unique fusion of Spanish and German influences. We wanted to explore the wineries, food, music, and the intriguing Texas Hill Country. We did not have time to visit Austin, hopefully on another visit.
La Hacienda RV Park
This was a nice park. We had a long pull through. 50 amp service, 45 psi water pressure, decent internet, and good satellite reception. They had a very nice work out facility, pool, spa, games, and a putting green.
Spicewood Vineyards
Spicewood Vineyards had a nice selection of reds including: Tempranillo, Syrah, and Zinfandel. We sat outside with Jake and talked to some locals, Sandy was busy entering places to visit.
Johnson City
This was the hometown of President Lyndon B. Johnson. He was born in the nearby town of Stonewall, then his family moved to Johnson City when he was 5 years old. He graduated from Johnson City High School. President Johnson visited the city numerous times during his adult life. The city is named after his uncle, James Polk Johnson.
Texas Hills Vineyard
They were established in 1995 and have a large selection of wines. We tried their reds including; Barbara, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and their Kick Butt Cab. Some of their grapes are estate. They purchase grapes from The Newsom and Reddy vineyards in The Texas High Plains AVA. We purchased a couple bottles of Texas Hills Vineyard Kick Butt Cab.
Lewis Wines
They are a newer winery that only use Texas fruit. We met Kyle in the tasting room. She knows a lot about wines and is a French Wine Scholar. Kyle is married to Jorge, the vineyard manager. Although Lewis Wines planted their own grapes, they are only a few years old, so Lewis mostly source their grapes from the High Plains AVA. Their selection is smaller than Texas Hill Vineyard, but we prefer the Lewis wines. We bought a couple bottles of their Mourvedre which was low in alcohol and underwent extended maceration. The process of extended maceration is to leave the fermented grapes on their skins beyond the fermentation period. The purpose is to extract color, aromas, and tannins adding depth to the wine. The risk is that an overly tannic, astringent or harsh wine could occur. When mature, Mourvedre can be very tannic, deeply colored, with significant alcohol and shouldn’t need extended maceration. Although Lewis Wines Mouvedre is good, I prefer Mouvedre that is fully mature with a high brix and low acidity blended with other grapes to offset the tannins.
290Vinery
They are a winery and tasting room in Johnson City. They have a large selection of wines and a very good cheese and fruit board. We met the owner Warren and learned more about the development of the Texas Hill Country wineries. Tastings and purchasing local wines is expensive in the area. This is partly because not enough grapes are produced in the Texas Hill County, so grapes have to be purchased from the High Plains AVA near Lubbock or from California, increasing production costs. The region is also at risk of Pierce’s Disease, making vineyard management difficult. Warren planted Tannat grapes at 290Vinery. Tannat is a red wine grape typically grown in southwestern France near the Pyrenees. It is known for high tannin levels, deep dark color, and high alcohol. It is often blended to soften the astringency and make it more approachable. Some winemakers micro-oxygenate to aid in the polymerization of tannin into larger molecules causing them to precipitate out of solution which is removed during filtration or racking. Micro-oxygenation can also help with fermentation, reduction of sulfides and clarification. The risk of too much oxygen causes oxidation, the awful taste an opened bottle of wine develops after a few days. Purging a bottle of oxygen with argon, nitrogen or a vacuum helps preserve a bottle after it is opened…or just drink it.
Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park
He was our 36th President from 1963-1969. Johnson City is LBJ’s boyhood home. During his Presidency, he spent 20% of his time at his ranch and it was therefore called the Texas White House. The park was authorized in 1969 and is approximately 1,570 acres in size. It contains the family cemetery, Texas White House, his first school, reconstructed birthplace, numerous buildings, an airstrip, Presidential Jet, automobiles LBJ owned, and a lot of cows and deer. Jake loved driving through the property.
He was known for being an incredibly ambitious, tireless, effective legislator. The remarkable number of important legislation signed by LBJ was amazing. Commonly remembered for the escalation of the of the Vietnam War, LBJ accomplished a great deal during his presidency, passing laws affecting civil rights, gun control, healthcare programs, wilderness preservation, and Social Security. LBJ was considered a bully and frequently gave the “Johnson Treatment”. He was not shy, preferred to skinny dip, urinate in public, expose his large genitalia, and frequently had meetings while on the toilet. Some say his behavior was dominance and harassment, others, his country roots. He loved the rural Texas Hill Country.
He rarely slept, smoked, and had cardiac disease. LBJ died at age 64 from a heart attack.
Fredericksburg, Texas
Fredericksburg was founded in 1846 and has a German heritage. It is known as the Peach Capital of Texas, but grapes, lavender, and wildflower seeds are prevalent.
Fredericksburg Brewery
Wendy and Michael met us for lunch at The Fredericksburg Brewery. We really enjoyed visiting with them, catching up and good food. It was fun talking about living in Texas.
Lost Draw Cellars
They have their own vineyards locally and in the High Plains AVA. Overall, their wines are good and they will improve over time. They supply grapes to Lewis Wines in Johnson City.
National Museum of the Pacific War
Incredible! This is a detailed overview of World War II in the Pacific. We lived in San Diego for 25 years, a huge Navy and Marine base, and there isn’t a museum this comprehensive. Admiral Chester Nimitz, a German Texan, was born in Fredericksburg. He played a major role in the Naval history of World War II as Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet.
We spent 3 hours here. Could easily come back daily to absorb all the conflicts/events that took place. We didn’t realize that Japan was as bad as Germany during World War II.
Headquarters Hats
Sandy needed a new pair of boots and had been waiting until we got to Texas. This is a large Lucchese retailer. The owner, Robert Waight, worked with Lucchese to design this pair. They are made of European goat and fit like a glove!
Auslander
There are so many German restaurants in Fredericksburg. We enjoyed their schnitzel and beer.
Grape Creek Vineyards
By far, they make the best tasting wines we have had in Texas Hill Country. They own their own vineyards in Fredericksburg and the High Plain AVA so Grape Creek Vineyards has control over their grapes. We went on a Saturday, so it was very crowded. The tasting fee was expensive, however, their reds were amazing and the pours were generous. The winery caters to their wine club members with events, price reductions, and a large outdoor patio. They have another tasting room in downtown Fredericksburg. We had their Heath Pinot Noir. It was very good. Grape Creek owns a vineyard of Pinot Noir in Paso Robles, California.
Luckenbach, Texas
In 1904, Luckenbach had a population of 492. By the 1960’s it was almost a Ghost Town. Hondo Crouch bought Luckenbach for $30,000 in 1970 so that he could establish a dance hall as he saw fit.
In 1973, Jerry Jeff Walker recorded the live album Viva Terlingua at the Luckenbach dance hall. Hondo died in 1976. Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson recorded Luckenbach Texas (Back to the Basics of Love) in 1977. They did not write it and locals didn’t think it pertained to Luckenbach, but later adopted it. Waylon Jennings was married four times, had a long history of significant substance abuse (amphetamines and cocaine), smoked 6 packs per day, had coronary artery bypass surgery, hepatitis, diabetes, and peripheral artery disease requiring his left foot to be amputated. He died from diabetic complications in 2002 at the age of 64.
Luckenbach is a relaxing location to walk around outside with a cold beer, listen to live country music, and enjoy a pulled pork sandwich.
Kerrville, Texas
Kerrville is about a 30 minute drive from Fredericksburg, Texas. Its by the Guadalupe River and part of Texas Hill Country. The town is named after Major James Kerr who was in the Texas Revolution. The area was first settled by Joshua Brown who started a shingle-making camp and the area was initially called Brownsborough.
Buckhorn Lake Resort
This was another amazing RV resort in Texas Hill Country. Our site was concrete and overlooked a creek. They had a workout facility, 2 pools, 2 spas and a putting green. 50 amp service, 50 psi water pressure, cable, sewer, good satelite reception, fishing, very nice dog park, tennis/basketball/pickle ball courts, and slow internet. Buckhorn has an adult only section, large book exchange, and a huge dog park. The downside is its proximity to Highway 10. There was a Jeep dealer in town, so we took the opportunity to have some warranty work done.
Kerrville Hills Winery
They have a nice selection of reds and have won numerous awards. Their grapes are from Lake County, California.
Texas Hill Country was settled by Germans beginning in the 1830s. German heritage, beer, music, dance, and food are prevalent though out the area.
