Texas wine tour questions
How much does a Texas Hill Country wine tour cost?
It depends on your group size and which vehicle you pick. An exclusive wine day, where you choose the estates and pay your own tastings, starts at $42 per person. An all inclusive day with every tasting prepaid starts at $102 per person in Wimberley and $102 in Fredericksburg. Per person pricing falls as the group grows, because the driver and the vehicle cost the same whether two of you ride or fourteen do. Texas sales tax of 8.25 percent applies to tours, and a 20 percent gratuity is added automatically at six guests or more.
Do we share the vehicle with other groups?
Never. Every vehicle we run is private to your group only, on every tour and at every price. We do not sell individual seats and we will not put you in a van with people you have not met. That is the main way we are different from the big Hill Country tour operators, and it is the reason the whole day runs on your schedule instead of a shared one.
What is the difference between an all inclusive and an exclusive wine tour?
An all inclusive tour is already built. The three wineries, the timing and the tastings are set, we hold the reservations and we prepay every pour, so you just show up. An exclusive tour is the same five hour block and the same private vehicle, but you choose which estates you want to visit and you pay your own tastings at each counter. Exclusive costs less because we are not carrying the tasting fees, and it is the better choice if your group already knows what it wants to drink or has kids along.
How many wineries do you visit in one day?
Three on a standard five hour tour. That is the number that lets you actually sit down at each one rather than rushing a tasting and getting back in the van. Four is possible on a longer day, and extra hours are billed at ninety percent of the hourly rate.
Are tastings included in the price?
On the all inclusive tours yes. We prepay the standard tasting at all three stops and hold the reservations, so no cards come out at the counter. On the exclusive tours no, and that is deliberate. You picked the estates, so you pay your own tastings at each one, everybody drinks exactly what they want, and the tour itself costs a lot less.
Do you pick up from Austin or San Antonio?
Yes. We are based in Wimberley and pick up across the Hill Country, Austin, San Marcos, New Braunfels and San Antonio. Austin is about an hour out and San Antonio about an hour and a half, and that drive time counts toward your booking, so groups further out often add an hour.
What is the best time of year for a Hill Country wine tour?
Spring and fall are the postcard months, wildflowers in March and April and harvest through August and September. Summer is hot but the tasting rooms are cold and the crowds are thinner midweek. Winter is the quiet secret, with the best chance of a winemaker actually pouring for you. Peak weekends like F1, ACL and Fredericksburg Wine Fest book out thirty to ninety days ahead.
Can we buy bottles and bring them with us?
Of course, and this is one of the real reasons to hire a vehicle. The van is yours for the whole booking, so cases go in the back and stay cool while you keep tasting. You can also add our sipping in transit kit for twenty five dollars, which brings a cooler, ice, six glasses and an opener for what you want to drink between stops.
Is there a minimum group size for a wine tour?
Two guests, but the price per person is at its worst with two and at its best with a full vehicle. Two to six travels in a premium SUV or van, seven to fourteen moves into a Ford Transit or the luxury Mercedes Sprinter, and our designated driver option runs any group size your own vehicle seats. Above fourteen we run multiple vehicles, and four or more on the same date earns a ten percent discount.
Do we need a designated driver, or is that included?
A professional driver is included on every tour and stays with your group the entire time rather than dropping you and leaving. You choose what they drive. Designated driver means we drive your own SUV or van, which is our most affordable option because you already have the seats. Premium puts you in our SUV or Ford Transit van, and Luxury is the Mercedes Sprinter.
How far in advance should we book a wine tour?
Forty eight hours minimum, and forty eight hours to a week is comfortable for most weekends. Reserve tastings in Fredericksburg need more runway because the estates hold those slots, and peak event weekends need thirty days or more.
What should we wear and bring?
Comfortable shoes, because most estates have gravel and grass, and a layer for the tasting rooms which run cold. Bring a card for bottles, sunglasses for the patios, and eat something before the first pour. We keep bottled water on board all day.