Hilmy Cellars - Vineyards, Winery & Tasting Room — Attraction in Fredericksburg

After hearing rave reviews from two VERY knowledgeable wino friends whose cellars are impressive, we finally came here with another couple recently. The exterior of this sleepy-appearing winery won't win any awards; however, the sleepiness ends at the door. Literally. The entry door is centrally hinged and about a foot thick of solid wood. Sounds weird, but that attention to details raised my antennae. The receptionist at the welcome desk warmly greeted us and steered to a super-cool and very knowledgeable staffer. He tended to us in a very laid back manner: no pressure. He knew every flippin' detail about the vineyards, fruit, the process, and the taste of each wine. Oh, and the wines. They're serious contenders. The white wines are THE BEST that I've had in Texas Hill Country: velvety smooth bursting with gorgeous fruit and spice notes. The reds were just a step behind. At at time when esposa and I are trying to reel in our wine club memberships, Hilmy's wines were just too damned good to ignore, so we piggybacked on our friends for a membership. If you're looking for high-quality, cellar-worthy wines at a reasonable price, look no further. So, you ask: why not 5 stars? Because the reds weren't...

Hilmy is my favorite Texas winery. This summer by then Fiance' and I took a long weekend in Fredericksburg and this was one of the first and last we tried.

The wines are unique and while the selection on hand is less than 10 there is always something new to try. Sadly they are no longer making our favorite wine, The Temp. I have yet to find its equal. The prices are decent but a little higher then what I feel comfortable with, but we enjoy it so much we joined the wine club anyway.

The staff is knowledgeable and for the most part friendly. One lady was a bit pretentious and off putting, but other than her we enjoyed everyone we talked to. Including the owner when we met him.

The wine room itself is charming, Lots of wood and art. Fun place to have a glass. The patio is also lovely. We went out there back in July and again in October and the birds are fun to watch. Although the peacocks have gone away now and its just cute lil chickens.

We enjoyed this trip so much we went back to have our engagement photos taken there. The free publicity prompted our friends to try the winery when they were up there. You'd think that would earn us a glass but alas this stuff is too good to...

My husband and I went in for a tasting and were so completely impressed with Hilmy Cellars. We walked in when it was very very busy; it is usually tough for even the best wineries to give good service when they are that packed, but wow! I am an educator so I am so happy when people teach others about a craft that they obviously have a passion for, and this is the staff at Hilmy. We learned about the time different grapes spend on the vine, how long the skin is on in different processes and we even got to meet the "pest control" (they have a crew of surprisingly friendly chickens, sheep and dogs that are the natural pest control). The wines are dry and complex. They pushed me out of my comfort zone... I am usually a red girl but went home with a bottle of red and white! Needless to say we became members here. We came back the next day to introduce our friends to Hilmy and the staff but only remembered us but treated us as part of their flock. All around amazing wines and truly an amazing staff. This will definitely be one of those vineyards we hit every time that we come to...