Everything is bigger in Texas, as they say, and the state’s wine is no exception. Spanning more than 9 million acres, the Texas Hill Country American Viticultural Area (AVA) is the third-largest in the United States. Texas draws the second-most number of travelers when it comes to wine visits, behind California. More than 100 wineries operate in the AVA. It’s a must-visit wine destination in a country filled with great wine from coast to coast.
Yet Texas Hill Country is still relatively under the radar for wine-first travelers. Part of the reason why? Much of the wine production stays in the state. Bad news for anyone building a tasting tour of the US to do at home, but great news for anyone who likes to drink their wine on or near the vineyard. And the best way for travelers to tackle this massive wine region is with a themed Texas Hill Country Wineries’ Passport.
“The Passport can help people find the Texas wine that they like best,” says January Wiese, executive director of Texas Hill Country Wineries. No small task in a region that grows more than 70 grape varieties. “The fact that most of these wineries don’t distribute adds another layer to the program. It’s largely kept in state, and mostly sold at the wineries themselves or direct-to-consumer, so it’s an experience you’re not able to get elsewhere.”
These self-guided wine trails pull from some of the top spots in the region with discounts on take-home bottles, guides to where to visit, and tastings deals at participating wineries. Rather than a one-size-fits-all model, the Passports follow themes throughout the year: Texas Wine Month in October, the Christmas Wine Affair in late November through December, a Wine & Wildflower Journey in March and April. February is Wine Lover’s Celebration month, and a new Summer Passport is slated to launch in 2026.
“One of the greatest things is you can be in any spot on the huge map of the AVA and look for what’s near me and do it that way, or you can plan a specific vacation to one area,” Wiese says. The tastings are capped to four per day — the right amount to get to know the people, story, and wine behind each place, rather than rushing through an experience.
At its core, the Passport functions like a digital tasting book: buy a pass, receive a barcode by email, and present it at participating tasting rooms for one standard flight at each stop during the event window. Staff scan your code to log the visit. The roster typically includes more than 30 wineries (more half of the wineries in the region are Texas Hill Country Wineries members), with each passholder eligible for one visit per winery. Passes are sold as Individual or Couples — a Couples pass is shared between two people, and both must be present to redeem two tastings at a stop.
Hill Country tasting fees average between $15 and $25 per person without the passport, so visiting just a handful of wineries can cover the cost of a ticket. On top of the waived tasting fees, many stops offer 15 percent off any purchase of three or more bottles to make it easier to take home what you liked.
There’s no set route, and you can begin at any participating winery during normal hours. Many tasting rooms open about 10 AM and close by 6 PM, which makes three to four stops a day a comfortable cadence. Reservations are recommended, especially on weekends or for larger parties, and each event site notes which wineries require appointments.
The specifics of booking a Passport are traveler-friendly. Passes are delivered digitally (so no booklet to pick up). Policies are clear: tickets are nonrefundable but transferable if plans change; you must be 21 or older to taste, and a few properties restrict all under-21 guests.
An all-season wine region
The calendar cadence is part of the Passport’s appeal. October’s Texas Wine Month Passport is the flagship with the broadest lineup and the highest tasting-fee value for the $85 pass.
The Christmas Wine Affair runs from late November through mid-December, pairing tastings with vineyard lights and holiday décor. It’s shorter and priced lower at $65 for an individual. Notably, it ends before Christmas, giving wineries space for their own festivities.
February brings the Wine Lovers Celebration, a cozy winter trail spanning most of the month. Expect roughly 40-plus participants and pricing in line with the holiday event. The 2026 dates run February 2–27.
Spring’s Wine & Wildflower Journey is set to coincide with bluebonnets and mild weather. In 2026, it runs March 16 to April 10. New for 2026, a Summer Passport will fill the final gap on the calendar, with details to be announced soon.
Planning your route
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Texas Hill Country became an American Viticultural Area in 1991, after a petition led by vintner Edwin Auler. The designation followed earlier, smaller Hill Country approvals inside the broader area. At the time of the federal ruling, regulators noted about three dozen vineyards and about 10 commercial wineries operating across the proposed boundaries — a modest base that set up three decades of steady expansion in vineyard acreage, tasting rooms, and wine tourism.
Today, Texas Hill Country tasting rooms are scattered among towns and backroads. No matter where you are, and whether you’re coming from Austin or San Antonio or taking a Texas road trip, there’s likely a nearby winery stop for you to visit. The US 290 corridor between Johnson City and Fredericksburg is an ideal place to start with more than 20 wineries along a 30-mile stretch, making it one of the country’s most concentrated wine routes. You could spend an entire Passport on 290 and still miss places. Fredericksburg, with walkable evenings and ample lodging (or glamping, if that’s more your speed), makes an easy base.
But the Passport rewards curiosity. Maybe you want to taste deeply on how cabernet sauvignon, the region’s most popular grape, is treated at different wineries. There are bold tempranillos to try for fans of Spanish wines, and roussanne for those who love French Rhone whites. Or maybe you want to find a grape variety or blend you’re unfamiliar with — traditional or experimental.
Texas Hill Country Wineries also partnered with Wine Folly on the first Texas Hill Country Region Guide. This digital reference outlines terroir, key grapes, and member winery profiles. For travelers planning a trip, it’s a key resource to understand the landscape and build an itinerary.
Booking your own Texas Hill Country wine trip
Photo: DDuub99/Shutterstock
The seasonal cadence makes this a trip for all seasons depending on your preferences: fall for harvest season, the holidays for a festive ambience, spring for wildflower views, and the upcoming summer window for cool wine on hot Texas days.
With a defined list of wineries, the Passport makes it easier to balance high-profile tasting rooms with smaller, personality-driven stops. And the Hill Country’s broader hospitality ecosystem — lodging, restaurants, shuttles, cultural diversions — is robust enough to support a full getaway, not just a day trip.
Use Fredericksburg or Johnson City as a base if you’re new to the area, then mix in a day exploring farther out areas to see the range of landscapes and styles. Be sure to leave room in your budget (and your luggage) for bottles you’ll want to take home.
Sure, you can make a route of your own without the Passport. But in a wine region this large, and with so many wineries, it’s easier to leave the listings in the hands of the experts at the Texas Hill Country Wineries homepage to taste an American wine region that is still on its way up.
