When friends tell me they're coming to Fredericksburg for a weekend, I don't send them a list. I send them a plan. I grew up here, I run Absolute Charm Wine Tours from our office on West Main Street, and I have eaten my way through this town more times than I can count. This is the weekend I'd plan for my best friend.
The short version: Friday is for settling in and a great dinner, Saturday afternoon is for the wineries, and Sunday is slow. Book your dinners before anything else, because the good tables go first.
Before you go: book these three things
- Your wine tour. Our shared Classic tour runs 1 to 5 PM and books online up to 24 hours ahead. A Private tour books online 7 or more days out.
- Friday and Saturday dinner. Fredericksburg is a busy visitor town, and weekend tables fill up.
- A place to stay in town. Stay inside the city limits and tour pickup and drop-off are included.
Friday: arrive, walk Main Street, eat well
Try to roll into town by mid-afternoon. Check in, drop the bags and go for a walk. Main Street has around 150 shops, galleries, museums and bakeries, and it's made for an evening stroll.
A glass before dinner: Calivence
Calivence, at 419 West Main Street, is in a historic Sunday house, and it is one of my very favorite places in town. The wines are Bordeaux varietals from the owners' estate in California's Santa Ynez Valley, poured as flights with small plates. My order is a glass of their sparkling rosé. If you come back for lunch another day, get the croque monsieur.
Friday dinner: Bottega Salaria or Cabernet Grill
For Italian, go to Bottega Salaria on East Austin Street, a Roman-style osteria from chef Valerio Lombardozzi. Think cacio e pepe, carbonara and amatriciana done the traditional way. Bottega is where I discovered I love cantaloupe with prosciutto, and their pistachio gelato is my favorite. There's a little market inside with house-made pasta, sauces and imported Italian goodies, so you can take some home.
For a steak and a celebration, book Cabernet Grill at Cotton Gin Village, 2805 South State Highway 16, a few minutes south of downtown. It's our favorite steak in town, the grounds have gardens, koi ponds and historic log cabins, and the wine list is one of the best collections of Texas wine anywhere. Chef Ross Burtwell's menu blends Texas ingredients with a little international flair. Reservations are a must on weekends.
Saturday: Main Street morning, wineries all afternoon
Breakfast: Emi's on Austin
Emi's on Austin, at 318 East Austin Street one block off Main, is owned by a good friend of mine, and I send everyone there. It's locally owned Fresh-Mex with breakfast tacos, scratch-made pancakes and homemade horchata, and the Chicken Tinga Bowl is their signature. Breakfast ends at 10:30, so don't sleep in.
Morning: shop, or go see the Nimitz
Spend the morning on Main Street. I love our boutiques, and Felt and Velvet Lounge are two of my favorites. Walk over to Marktplatz, the town square with the octagonal Vereins Kirche, which is the heart of downtown. History lovers should give the National Museum of the Pacific War a couple of hours. Locals still call it the Nimitz, after Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, who was born in Fredericksburg.
Lunch: eat a real one
Pickup is around 1 PM, so have a real lunch first. Charcuterie at a winery is a snack, not a meal. Los Tios is the Houston Tex-Mex favorite that opened its first location outside Houston right here in 2025, and their famous puffy queso is a great base for a wine afternoon. My usual is a skinny margarita with Tajín, but on tour days I save the drinks for the wineries.
1 to 5 PM: the wine tour
This is the main event. On the Classic tour, we pick you up at your in-town lodging (or you meet us at 709 West Main Street) and visit three handpicked wineries, with every stop reserved. Our list includes Signor Vineyards, Slate Theory, Kalasi Cellars, Airis'Ele, Bingham Family Vineyards, Texas Wine Collective and Untamed Wine Estates. It's $99 per guest Sunday through Thursday, $115 on Fridays and Saturdays and $125 on peak holiday and festival weekends.
Tastings are your choice. Add our Tasting Pass for $89 per guest and your tastings at all three stops are reserved and prepaid, or just order a glass or a tasting as you go. We keep water and snacks on board and a cooler for the bottles you will definitely buy.
Traveling as a group? A Private tour gives you the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and a driver-guide to yourselves, for up to 11 guests. It's $850 per van Sunday through Thursday and $1,095 on Fridays and Saturdays, and it usually runs 1 to 5 PM too. Pick your three wineries or let us choose. Want a longer day? Extra time is $175 an hour, like a noon start.
Savannah's tip: You'll be back at your door around 5 PM. Give yourself an hour to rest and freshen up before dinner.
Saturday dinner: Sushi Tiki
After an afternoon of Texas reds, I love something lighter. Sushi Tiki is in a cute craftsman house at 507 West Main Street, with sushi, creative small plates and island-style cocktails. It's casual and fun, and the music is upbeat. If you didn't do Cabernet Grill on Friday, Saturday night is the time.
Sunday: slow morning, fried chicken, one last glass
Sleep in. Then go to Vaudeville for lunch. It's part boutique, part art gallery and part restaurant, and it's my favorite lunch with the girls. The best time to go is Sunday lunch for their famous fried chicken. Upstairs you can shop for hostess gifts and pretty things for home.
Before you leave, stop by Signor Vineyards' downtown tasting room at 107 North Orange Street, just off Main. The estate on Highway 290 is one of the prettiest in Texas, and the in-town room is just as lovely and so easy. It opens at 3 PM on Sundays, which makes it perfect for a late afternoon glass if you're staying another night, or for picking up a bottle to take home if you're driving.
Driving home in summer? Bring a cooler for your bottles. A hot trunk is hard on wine.
Where to stay
Stay in town, ideally within walking distance of Main Street, so you can walk to dinner and your tour pickup is included. My B&B, Bubbly, is one block from downtown, with two suites, Champagne and Prosecco, and a tiled patio made for morning coffee or a nightcap. It's adults only, and you can book one suite or the whole house. For more options, our sister company Absolute Charm has cottages, B&Bs and homes all over town.
Make it your own
- Couples: Book Private for Two, $595 Sunday through Thursday, or $695 on Fridays and Saturdays by request.
- Girls' trip: Go private, choose wineries with patios and lawns, and book Vaudeville for Sunday.
- Bigger group: A Private tour fits up to 11 guests in one Sprinter.
- Not a big drinker? Skip the Tasting Pass and order one glass at each stop. Designated sippers are welcome.
Falling for Fredericksburg?
Plenty of our guests leave dreaming about a Hill Country home of their own. I'm also a local luxury REALTOR® with Absolute Charm Real Estate Group, and if you're curious what it would take, my real estate site is a great place to start.
I hope you have the best weekend. Cheers!
Savannah
Quick answers
How many days do you need for a Fredericksburg wine weekend?
Two nights is the sweet spot. Arrive Friday, spend Saturday afternoon on a wine tour from 1 to 5 PM, and keep Sunday slow with lunch downtown before you head home.
What time do Fredericksburg wine tours start?
Our shared Classic tour runs 1 to 5 PM with pickup at your in-town lodging. Private tours usually run 1 to 5 PM as well, and extra time is $175 an hour if you'd like to start at noon.
Where should I eat on a Fredericksburg wine weekend?
A few local favorites: Bottega Salaria for Roman-style pasta, Cabernet Grill for steak and Texas wine, Emi's on Austin for breakfast, Los Tios for puffy queso, Sushi Tiki for a fun dinner, Calivence for a glass on West Main and Vaudeville for Sunday fried chicken. Reserve dinner on weekends.
Make it easy on yourself
Pickup at your in-town lodging, every stop reserved, and a local driver-guide at the wheel. Rated 4.9★ from 299 Google reviews.
