The First-Timer's Guide to a Fredericksburg Wine Tour

When friends visit Fredericksburg for the first time, they always ask me the same thing: "Where do we even start?" I get it. Our winery guide lists more than 80 wineries and tasting rooms, from Main Street out along Wine Road 290 to Hye and Johnson City. Here's exactly what I tell them.

Plan on three wineries

A seated tasting usually takes 45 minutes to an hour, and you'll want time to wander the grounds, buy a bottle and maybe sit on the patio with a glass. Three stops fill a relaxed afternoon. Four starts to feel like a race. That's why every Absolute Charm tour visits three.

What a tasting looks like

Most tastings are four to six small pours, often about an ounce each. At Airis'Ele, for example, the standard tasting is five one-ounce pours. Your host walks you through each wine, and nobody expects you to finish every pour. If you love one, ask for a full glass.

What tastings cost

Standard tastings at the wineries in our guide mostly run $20 to $35 per person. Bingham Family Vineyards is $20, and the standard tasting at both Kalasi Cellars and William Chris is $30. Food-paired and private experiences cost more, like the $95 Chef's Table at William Chris. A few wineries credit your tasting when you buy bottles: Hye Meadow refunds its Signature tasting when you buy three.

On our tours, tastings are your choice. Add our Tasting Pass for $89 per guest and you get a reserved, prepaid tasting at all three stops. Or skip it and order a glass, or use your wine club perks.

Reserve ahead, especially on weekends

Saturdays fill up, and groups have their own rules. Signor Vineyards asks groups of six or more to get approval ahead of time, and Heath Sparkling Wines does too. I wrote a whole post on how winery reservations work if you're planning on your own.

Let someone else drive

Wine Road 290 is busy on weekends, with visitors slowing down and turning into winery driveways all afternoon. Three stops is roughly three glasses of wine over four hours. A driver means everyone in your group gets to enjoy it, including the person who would have had the keys.

Little things that make a big difference

• Eat a real meal first. Many wineries offer cheese and charcuterie, but that's a snack, not lunch.
• Drink water between stops. We keep cold water and snacks in the van.
• Bring a light layer. Tasting rooms run cool, even in July.
• Plan for your bottles. We keep a cooler on board, so your wine isn't baking in a hot car.
• Bring your ID. Everyone tasting must be 21 or older.

Shared or private?

Our Classic tour is a shared afternoon from 1 to 5 PM with three handpicked wineries, every stop reserved and pickup at your in-town lodging. It's $99 per guest Sunday through Thursday, $115 on Fridays and Saturdays and $125 on peak holiday and festival weekends. It's perfect for couples and small groups who like meeting new people, and you can book it online up to 24 hours ahead.

The Private tour is your group only, in your own Mercedes-Benz Sprinter with your own driver-guide. It usually runs 1 to 5 PM as well, and you choose your three wineries from our list, or let us. It's $850 for the whole van, up to 11 guests, Sunday through Thursday and $1,095 on Fridays and Saturdays, so for a group of eight that's about $106 to $137 each. Just the two of you? Private for Two is $595 Sunday through Thursday.

Savannah's tip: Make your dinner reservation before your tour. You'll be back in town around 5 PM, and the favorite spots fill up on weekends.

I hope your first Hill Country wine day is the first of many. We'd love to show you around.

Savannah

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