The Hill Country wine scene has grown up. Highway 290 outside Fredericksburg now carries more than fifty tasting rooms, and the good ones pour Tempranillo and Mourvedre that stand up to serious company; the climate here has more in common with Spain than with Napa, and the smart wineries lean into it.

Strategy matters on a weekend: pick three stops maximum, book the first for 11am before the buses run, and eat the German food in town like it is a duty, because in Fredericksburg it is. Peach stands run June through August and are worth the shoulder stop every time. If bluebonnet season catches your trip, late March into April, the roadsides between Johnson City and Fredericksburg do the decorating for free.

Designate a driver or book a shuttle; the second tasting is always more generous than the first.