A historic respite in downtown Fredericksburg 

Tucked away in the charming town of Fredericksburg, Texas lies Pontotoc Vineyard’s Weingarten. Lights are strung from trees and the stone courtyard offers a quiet sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of the famous Texas town. It’s modeled after the weingartens of Vienna and is both kid- and dog-friendly. I had the pleasure of visiting the Weingarten for the first time last week on a media trip to Stonewall Motor Lodge in the Texas wine country and I couldn’t wait to tell you about Pontotoc.

First of all, the owners are as sweet as Stonewall peaches. It’s very much a family business, owned by the Money family, and my group got to meet not only the owners (couple Carl and Frances) but also their adorable kids while we were sipping on sangria! Frances resonates with Texas warmth and her husband, Carl, told us all about the picnics baskets she packs for guests. She’s a pastry chef and apparently packs a mean picnic. Picnic baskets are $25 and come with local sourdough bread from JoJu Bakery, Pontotoc pimento cheese, Dutchman’s dried sausage, spiced pecans, olives, fruit, and bittersweet brownies.

You can enjoy a tasting at Pontotoc Vineyard’s Weingarten for just $10! That’s a hell of a deal. But what I really have to highlight here is the sangria. It’s out of this world! Our awesome tour guide and wine bus driver Matt of Cottonwood Wine Tours told us on the way that Pontotoc is known for its sangria, which is made by Frances and served in mason jars over ice. It’s phenomenal. It tastes like I imagine “the nectar of the gods” to taste like in every Greek myth. It’s the best sangria I’ve ever had, bar none. In fact, most everyone out of our 15-person group ordered a glass or a bottle to take home. That’s how good it is! I plan on drinking said sangria this evening by my fire pit, as I have a bottle waiting for me in the fridge.

Another reason to have Pontotoc Vineyard’s Weingarten on your Texas Winery Bucket List is that it just so happens to be the oldest building in Fredericksburg, built in 1846. How cool is that? There’s even a small underground cellar we got to check out. I love history so I kept marveling at the history in the stones.

The Weingarten is only open on weekends, 12 pm – 8 pm on Friday and Saturday and 12 pm – 5 pm on Sunday.  For more information about this Fredericksburg gem, visit http://pontotocvineyard.com.

Thank you to Pontotoc Vineyard for hosting us!