Texas Wine Country Visits 2026 – Ron Yates, Ab Astris, and Rebecca Caroline
The wine country in Texas Hill Country, situated in and around the town of Fredericksburg, is booming. Every time I travel here I’m greeted by a new tasting room, fresh vineyards, and more revelers looking to enjoy the state’s rapidly growing (and improving) wine scene.
A recent Saturday took us to three wineries in the region, each representing a very different tasting experience. Thoughts follow, along with top wine picks from each spot.
Ron Yates Wines
Ron Yates has been in operation for 10 years and in its cavernous new tasting room for 2 months. This impressive space (still in the final stages of construction) is unexpected for Texas wine country and would be right at home in Napa. Complete with a full kitchen (with pizza oven), Yates serves up hearty bites alongside pours of its many well-regarded wines.
Top Picks
2024 Ron Yates Spronkling – A sparkler made from muscat and sauvignon blanc, this is clean and crisp with a melony edge. The muscat element builds steadily to add more fruity sweetness alongside a gently bready element. $42
2023 Ron Yates Cabernet Franc – Brilliant chocolate notes lead the way to equally bold cherry and light prune notes on this dense wine. It’s more approachable that it may sound, thanks to its gentle fadeout of a finish, which concludes with a beefy note of tomato leaf. $50
6676 US-290, Johnson City, TX 78636
Ab Astris Winery
Meaning “of the stars,” Ab Astris is probably the most traditional winery of this trio, housed in a tiny tasting room with a spacious outdoor space, featuring live music during our visit. Tastings are brought one by one by a server, each one bearing a creation story. The winery has operated here since 2018, carved out of what was formerly part of the LBJ family property (and now state park), which remains right next door.
Top Picks
2021 Ab Astris Avignon – A Rhone blend with a biting nose of pepper and smoke, almost frontier-like in construction. A cherry and plum-forward palate brightens everything up, offering delightful balance. $44
2022 Ab Astris Tempranillo – Blackberry and tobacco notes are classic Texas, though the way they are layered here makes for a less aggressive wine than this style usually presents. An iconic “bbq wine.” $44
320 Klein Rd, Stonewall, TX 78671
William Chris Rebecca Caroline Sparkling
The newest winery in Texas Hill Country is Rebecca Caroline, an offshoot of the massively popular and successful William Chris Vineyards named after the owner’s two daughters, which is located just down the street. Rebecca Caroline serves sparkling wine exclusively. If you want something still, keep on driving to William Chris.
The tasting room is as charming as anything in this neck of the woods, a converted rural post office that has been renovated into a spot for sparkling wine (and which still houses the P.O. boxes for the town of Hye). We visited for Rebecca Caroline’s grand opening weekend, where four sparkling options were paired with a buffet of fried chicken, okra, and green tomatoes — along with raw oysters. Decadent, to be sure, and while you won’t be able to enjoy such dining during your visit, you will have a chance to try some of Texas’s most memorable sparklers.
Top Picks
2023 Rebecca Caroline Boxing Rabbit Cuvee Extra Brut – Bright and bready, this blend includes 61% sauvignon blanc, which sweetens the experience up a bit and lets notes of lemon and melon jump straight out at you. $65
2024 Rebecca Caroline Pinot Meunier Lekeman Family Vineyard Ultra Brut – 100% pinot meunier, not something you find pretty much anywhere. Bright peach and apricot lead the way here, chased by red berries building over time. A wonderful journey that ends with a taste of brioche. $70
10261 US-290, Hye, TX 78635
