This past Labor Day weekend I relaxed a ton and went on a spontaneous trip to Fredericksburg with some friends, some old and some new. I had never been before but have wanted to make a trip for ages. We got a late start in the day so we had lunch and spent the rest of our time at the Fiesta Winery.There are so many cute German restaurants, wineries, boutiques and shops. I definitely want to go back and spend a full day or even a weekend there. I live in San Antonio, so the drive is only about an hour for me, not bad at all! But if you were coming from somewhere farther I would definitely make it a full weekend trip. We really enjoyed Fiesta Winery. It was recommended to us by several different people so it was a no brainer to stop in. Most of the other places close at 5 on Sunday's but Fiesta is open until 6. The place was crowded and only two ladies were working the bar, but they handled it so well. I wish I could remember the name of the lady assisting us because she was so on top of her work. She gave a tasting to our group, plus others, and was checking out other customers all at the same time. She was so helpful and knowledgable and did not make us feel rushed. She happily answered every one of our (probably silly) questions and gave great recommendations to those of us who were not familiar with wine. We decided to do the wine tasting first to find out what we liked. It was $12 to sample 6 different wines of your choosing, and you get to keep your wine glass too. Here are the wines I tried, between myself and my friends, with their descriptions and my thoughts!
Whites
Trebbiano
A light wine with pineapple and kiwi hints for a fresh taste.Light is right! This was very refreshing but did not quite have enough flavor for me personally. Our guide suggested this as a pairing with fish.
Texas Well Water
Sweet Pinot Gris with a subtleness of white cranberry.This one was dangerously drinkable. It was so yummy and I think I could easily drink a bottle by myself. I usually prefer reds but there were several wines here that had me really loving whites!
Happy Trails
Sweet Chardonnay that is light and full of ripe peach.OH. MY. GOSH. This was the wine my friend had suggested I try, she said I would have no regrets. She was correct. This is bar far the yummiest wine I've ever had the pleasure of drinking. If you are unfamiliar with Fredericksburg it is important to note they are known for their delicious peaches. So it only makes sense my favorite wine was peach flavored. Three out of four of the girls walked out with a bottle of this one, myself included.
Reds
True Texan
Estate Grown blend of Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, & Merlot. This wine is aged in French oak barrels for 12 months. Only available for tasting on the weekends.I'm no wine connoisseur, in fact my palate probably does not extend past $10 HEB wines. So forgive me if my terminology is not correct. This red was really heavy to me, it tasted smokey or oakey (haha rhymes) and it made me want a giant ribeye.
Back Porch Sittin'
Semi-sweet Cabernet backed with blackberry, aged in oak.This was a yummy red that I would love to drink again. Not too dry, just the right sweetness.
I have serious issues because there was not a single wine I didn't like!
Texas Summer Night
Sweet Syrah with distinct flavors of blueberry.Holy yum. If you are a sweet red drinker this is the wine for you! We got a bottle of this to enjoy outside and I think it was gone in less than ten minutes. The blueberry flavor really comes through and give it a really unique flavor. This was my second runner up for favorite!
Blush
Savannah Rose
Sweet White Merlot with bold flavors of strawberry.And that is exactly what it tasted like, strawberry! I felt like I needed to be at a picnic with my girlfriends somewhere surrounded by flowers drinking this. It was a little too sweet for me to want more than one glass of, but ultimately delicious.
Dessert
Sweet Baily Ray
Sweet dessert wine, full bodied with rich chocolate and sweet orange.So from the description I would of never picked this wine. I mean chocolate and orange? Ew. However a guy who was buying a SIX pack of bottles of Happy Trails for his wife (obviously we share the same tastes) suggested the Sweet Baily Ray. I actually switched my choice to this one because he said it was so good. And I cannot honestly say if I am thankful and should be finding this man to hug him or slap him for introducing this sinful wine to my life. Ladies, if you PMS hard like me and want chocolate and wine, look no further girlfriend this stuff will satisfy all your cravings. It was like drinking a chocolate bar but then tasting wine after. This stuff is RICH, a little would go a long way. But it was SO dang good. Oh, and did I mention this one has a higher alcohol content?
Overall I would highly reccommend this winery. The service was wonderful, the scenery is perfect, and the wines are all amazing. It was also very reasonably priced. An added bonus, there are other wineries and shops right next to it. Most of them were closed since we got there so late, sadly. It is off of 290 and kind of in the middle of no where, so it's nice that there are several little options clustered right there. I can't wait to go back and explore more!
Have you ever been to Fredericksburg? Please let me know what your favorite places are so that I can make a list for future trips. We were very disappointed in our choice of restaurant, so I would love some food recommendations, especially German. I also want to explore more wineries and do some shopping! Thank you so much for reading, have a wonderful short, week! Don't forget to suscribe!
XXXX,
Lindsey
