Not sure if this is the right forum for the question but thought I'd try.

We're heading down the weekend of the 15th. We have tix to Randy Rogers at the Backyard Friday night but then want to hit multiple vineyards on Saturday. We're looking for more of a fun/lively/party experience. We've toured a few spots along the main road in the past but I'd like to not have the responsibility of driving around.

Friend of mine, owns Reserve Tours in FBG. Try him at 830/998-7990 or Austin@reservefbg.com

Look into the 290 wine shuttle. I believe they only run on Saturdays though. It is a shuttle service and not a tour but they have vans come around every 10-15 minutes or so. They stop at a lot of wineries and it's $30/person. If your looking for something nicer and more private you might not go this route.

Shuttle buses, whether Napa or Texas, typically take you to places they have deals with or where they have friends, and pretty much all go to the larger belly-up-to-the-bar places. Also, if you are hitting more than 3 places, you are going to have palate fatigue by the time you finish the third.

IMO -- get a driver (or Uber), find 2-3 places that have wines that interest you, and book tastings. You'll get better treatment, learn about the wines, and hopefully come away with a few good bottles.

Austintm said:

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IMO -- get a driver (or Uber), find 2-3 places that have wines that interest you, and book tastings. You'll get better treatment, learn about the wines, and hopefully come away with a few good bottles.

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This is what I actually prefer doing but if you want to go to 5-6 different wineries and drink a lot and don't care which wines the shuttle is a good option.

Brandon Moon, a good 'Ag, as is Megan.

Moon's Vineyard Voyages

I'll be at Inwood Estates, we're more fine wine than a party atmosphere, but Brandon will set up whatever you want!

The only issue with the 290 Wine Shuttle is that they don't go everywhere. But, no, they don't have any "deals" with anyone...

And lastly, at most tastings you will consume at least a glass of wine. That means at about 4 wineries you've consumed an entire bottle. Just be careful...

Another recommendation for Reserve Tours and it's Aggie owned.

"But, no, they don't have any "deals" with anyone..."

Sorry, but you are just wrong on this. They have favorites and steer business to them, make trades, etc. I know you are out there, but that is a common practice in that industry.

No, they don't. It's a get on/get off shuttle that stops at every winery on it's route, and any winery that wants to can sign up on the route. So, unlike many tour operators to which you're referring, there are no "deals" or favorites. Individual drivers may recommend wineries or stops in response to questions, but it varies by driver. They would kill their business is they'd show'd any kind of favoritism.

cecil77 said:

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No, they don't. It's a get on/get off shuttle that stops at every winery on it's route, and any winery that wants to can sign up on the route. So, unlike many tour operators to which you're referring, there are no "deals" or favorites. Individual drivers may recommend wineries or stops in response to questions, but it varies by driver. They would kill their business is they'd show'd any kind of favoritism.

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I assume you are referring specifically to the 290 wine shuttle. I am referring to the "tour" buses/shuttles that can pick where they go. If you want to maintain they don't do this, I will file it in the same place as I file your comments that you can plant vines on the moon and produce the same juice as Howell Mountain

Yes, as someone else mentioned above, I'm referring to the 290 Wine Shuttle.

Your other snark is not particularly appreciated. Yes, grapes can grow to their genetic potential (genetics defines possible phenolic development, not soil/climate) in a wide range of growing conditions. Each of those growing conditions will require specific farming to allow the grapes to achieve their genetically defined potential, and many growers will fall short in the attempt. Those failures, along with the myriad clones (many of which are unresearched and undefined) result in a case of "correlation w/out causation" which lead many to believe that specific vineyard locations lead to specific phenolic development. However, the moon is not one of the possible growing conditions. . Neither is the jungle, nor even the gulf coast (too humid), or the desert, or places that freeze 10 feet deep, etc. The salient point is that growing conditions do not (and indeed physiologically cannot) DEFINE specific phenolic development.

cecil77 said:

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Yes, as someone else mentioned above, I'm referring to the 290 Wine Shuttle.

Your other snark is not particularly appreciated. Yes, grapes can grow to their genetic potential (genetics defines possible phenolic development, not soil/climate) in a wide range of growing conditions. Each of those growing conditions will require specific farming to allow the grapes to achieve their genetically defined potential, and many growers will fail in the attempt. Those failures, along with the myriad clones (many of which are unresearched and undefined) result in a case of "correlation w/out causation" which lead many to believe that specific vineyard locations lead to specific phenolic development. However, the moon is not one of the possible growing conditions. . Neither is the jungle, nor even the gulf coast (too humid), or the desert, or places that freeze 10 feet deep, etc. The salient point is that growing conditions do not (and indeed physiologically cannot) DEFINE specific phenolic development.

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You need to get over yourself. And I know you think that the growing conditions in Texas can produce the same juice as the growing conditions in Napa, so I won't try to argue with you. But you are flat wrong.

I'm just gonna drop this right here...

https://vinepair.com/articles/the-4-levels-of-wine-snobbery/

There's probably a couple more levels!!

In my experience, the more "lively/party" the atmosphere, typically the ****tier the wine is. The places that have better wine are typically much more relaxed.

I really like Inwood, but its not a party atmosphere.

Uber was not a good option in FBG last time I was there. Driver could never find us etc.

HTownAg98 said:

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Austintm said:

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cecil77 said:

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No, they don't. It's a get on/get off shuttle that stops at every winery on it's route, and any winery that wants to can sign up on the route. So, unlike many tour operators to which you're referring, there are no "deals" or favorites. Individual drivers may recommend wineries or stops in response to questions, but it varies by driver. They would kill their business is they'd show'd any kind of favoritism.

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I assume you are referring specifically to the 290 wine shuttle. I am referring to the "tour" buses/shuttles that can pick where they go. If you want to maintain they don't do this, I will file it in the same place as I file your comments that you can plant vines on the moon and produce the same juice as Howell Mountain

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Don't be a turd.

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Don't be a shill

Have you tried the Cabernets that Dan is producing now? If not, you're no better than the person complaining about how bad a book/movie is without ever reading/seeing it.

And I don't think Dan or Cecil have ever claimed that they can make wine like Napa. In fact, if you go do the super flight tasting, they compare their cab against a Bordeaux blend (and a damn good one too). Cecil can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think when they do their blending trials, they are tasting their cabs against St. Emilion wines.

Howell mountain fruit tastes like it does because they are growing the right clones for where they are and farming it a certain way. If you did the same thing in Santa Barbara, the wines would be terrible.

I call it like I see it when it comes to wine. Are the Cabernets made at Inwood good? They are well made wines with excellent balance that lean old world with strong Cabernet fruit character. Are they expensive? Yes. Are there better wines at that price point? Yes, because cropping Cabernet at a ton per acre or less is expensive as hell. But can you make a world class wine from Cabernet in Texas? The proof is in the pudding, and I was as skeptical as you until I went and tried them for myself.

I would encourage you to go do that tasting at Inwood one day. It's $45, and a steal at that price. Let everyone know what you think afterwards.

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Cecil can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think when they do their blending trials, they are tasting their cabs against St. Emilion wines.

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Ch Marie LaRose is blended against several Bordeaux blends, primarily Margeaux.

Oentrepid X blended against several high end Napa cabs, including Spottswoode.

And yes, it's certainly easier to grow in some places than others, the point is that it's possible in some of those "hard to grow" places. And as to expense, yes ultra load yields are expensive, but at least here in Texas vineyard land isn't north of $500,000 per acre! At $8,000 acre, just plant more vines!

I love uber, but it wasn't quite up to snuff in Fredericksburg yet. Need some more drivers, and I didn't want to get stuck somewhere.

Be sure and hit up Signor Vineyards. Wife and I were in Fburg this pst February and it was our fav winery. Nice and clean and classy.

+1 on 290 wine shuttle. Super convenient and they go to many vineyards. Plus if you buy bottles you can place them on the shuttle and they will store them for you. You just pick up all your stuff at the end. It's cheap, easy and convenient

Lots of good recommendations! Thank you!
We're driving in from Austin on Friday. I plan on stopping by 12 Fires in Johnson City just because they've been talked about on here. We'll probably check out another once we get into Fredericksburg but call it quits at that point. We have tix to Randy Rogers at the Backyard that evening. I think I may schedule a tasting at one of the recommendations y'all have given then do the 290 shuttle and enjoy the day. Hopefully the weather is similar to what we have right now!

Any other Aggie owned spots?

The problem with the wine shuttles is that they don't stop at every winery, just the ones on the route. I've done it a couple times and can't help but think that there are some "gems" hidden in plain sight.

Bottom line is, nobody is gonna drive from winery to winery because it's just not safe... and the shuttles provide too good of a value to not use them. Uber is an option but Uber in the area is simply lacking the amount of drivers needed to be able to get from winery to winery in a timely fashion.

If you want the "full" experience, there are several privately owned shuttles that will take you to any place that you want but you have to rent them for the day. That'll be my play next time.

based on my experience 5-6 years ago, you don't want to invest much more on touring the wineries in that area than you would by taking the wine shuttle. maybe it's better now, but I wasn't particularly impressed.

good to know

Have you tried anything from Southold? They look interesting.

William Chris is a must. You could also hit up Garrison Bros down the road if you're into bourbon.

Went to his opening, his dad attends my church. He only had his Long Island wines at that time. Nice facility, clearly lots invested. I do wish he would plant some higher quality varieties, though. Mostly Mediterranean stuff.

cecil77 said:

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Went to his opening, his dad attends my church. He only had his Long Island wines at that time. Nice facility, clearly lots invested. I do wish he would plant some higher quality varieties, though. Mostly Mediterranean stuff.

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"higher quality" is a matter of opinion. and Cabernet ain't the top, IMO.

He is making some great juice and more importantly, he has a vision for what he wants to do. He definitely has some misses with his style, but I like the effort.

Tumble Weed said:

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I love uber, but it wasn't quite up to snuff in Fredericksburg yet. Need some more drivers, and I didn't want to get stuck somewhere.

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I used it around town and always had really quick service.