Fine wine and cowboy culture cross paths in Texas Hill Country
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FREDERICKSBURG — Texas’ Hill Country, where tiny towns dot a landscape of wildflowers and cedar trees, is the kind of place where cowboys and sommeliers meet. Sometimes literally.
Dude ranches and country dance halls sit alongside wineries and haute cuisine.
A hard morning on horseback can be followed by an afternoon of wine and cheese. And nobody minds a bit.
Ask Brandon Stowe. The 24-year-old in cowboy boots was swirling and sipping samples of wine here recently while in town for a wedding, but he and his buddies often stop at a winery to pick up their favorite vintage after a long day of hunting.
"It’s hard to imagine six guys who have been hunting all day going to a winery, but we do," he said, glass in hand in the cellarlike tasting room of the Torre di Pietra winery.
The Hill Country doesn’t just sit culturally at the intersection of cowboy and urbane; it sits there geographically, too. Most of the region’s attractions are within an hour’s drive of Austin, the state’s hipster capital, and San Antonio, home of the Alamo.
There are 22 wineries in the Hill Country, seven around Fredericksburg alone, with two more slated to open soon.
Texas is now the nation’s fifth largest wine-producing state.
The Mediterranean climate is conducive to growing grapes, attracting dozens of vintners in the past several decades. Those vintners, with tasting rooms ranging from basic setups to villalike showpieces, are attracting tourists and higher-end restaurants to a region already popular for its cowboy culture and outdoor activities.
The clustered wineries spare visitors long drives between stops, said Ken Maxwell, a former semiconductor executive who started Torre di Pietra in 2004. Visitors range from new wine drinkers to experienced connoisseurs, he said.
They come from all over the world, but Maxwell notes one consistent demographic: women.
"Seventy to 75 percent of my customers are ladies. Guys are a little slow, but sooner or later, they’ll follow the ladies," he jokes.
About 50 miles south of Fredericksburg, in Bandera, dude ranches have been operating since 1920. The self-proclaimed Cowboy Capital of the World is home to seven dude ranches, where guests can take trail rides and eat cowboy fare. One of the more popular is the Dixie Dude Ranch, a 725-acre spread.
Guests ranging from urban Texans to international travelers interested in experiencing the American West stay in the duplex cabins at the ranch year-round.
Twice-a-day horseback rides begin near a century-old graying wood barn.
There are hiking trails and other outdoor activities, and lots of room for children to roam.
And don’t be entirely surprised if you see a cowboy ride into town and wet his whistle with a glass of chardonnay or sauvignon blanc.