People move to the Hill Country for the lakes first and figure out the wine country second. October is when that second part becomes impossible to ignore, and the Highland Lakes has more of it, closer to home, than most people realize.
TLDR (Too Long; Didn’t Read): Your Guide to Texas Wine Month in the Hill Country
- The Texas Department of Agriculture has officially designated October as Texas Wine Month every year since 1999.
- Texas Hill Country Wineries, a trade organization founded that same year by eight founding wineries, now represents more than 60 wineries stretching from Austin to Fredericksburg and Lampasas to New Braunfels.
- The organization runs a Texas Wine Month Passport each October — a self-guided tour offering complimentary tastings and discounts at member wineries, scanned digitally, up to four stops a day.
- At least eight wineries sit inside the Highland Lakes of Burnet County alone, with more nearby in Spicewood, stretching a real wine trail from Bertram to Burnet to Marble Falls and beyond.
- The October timing isn’t arbitrary — it lines up with the end of the annual grape harvest and the start of winemaking season.
What Texas Wine Month Actually Is
Texas Wine Month has been an official state designation since 1999, timed to October because that’s when Hill Country vineyards finish their annual grape harvest and move into active winemaking. The same year, a group of eight founding wineries formed Texas Hill Country Wineries to promote the region collectively, and that organization has since grown to represent more than 60 member wineries spanning a wide footprint — from Austin out to Fredericksburg, and from Lampasas down to New Braunfels. Each October, the organization runs a Texas Wine Month Passport: a self-guided ticket, checked digitally at each stop, that unlocks complimentary tastings and discounts at member wineries, with a cap of four wineries a day, usable across as many or as few days of the month as you want.
The Highland Lakes’ Own Wine Trail
What surprises a lot of people is how much of this is genuinely local rather than a Fredericksburg-only event. At least eight wineries sit inside the Highland Lakes region of Burnet County alone, and the broader trail runs from Bertram to Burnet to Marble Falls, out to Spicewood, and beyond toward Tow and Llano. Spicewood Vineyards and Stone House Vineyard anchor the Spicewood end, Torr Na Lochs has been making 100 percent Texas wine in Burnet since 2015, and Flat Creek Estate in Marble Falls pairs its vineyard with a disc golf course, among several other established operations along the way.
What It’s Like Living in the Highland Lakes During Wine Month
Unlike a single-weekend festival, Wine Month doesn’t create a traffic or parking crunch anywhere in particular — it’s spread across the entire month and the entire region, with visitors moving between wineries rather than converging on one town. What residents actually notice is more traffic on the back roads connecting Spicewood, Burnet, and Marble Falls on weekends throughout October, and a genuinely lively atmosphere at the wineries themselves, many of which add extra live music and events for the month.
What to Consider If Hill Country Wine Country Appeals to You
If wine country lifestyle is part of what’s drawing you to the Highland Lakes, here’s what’s worth knowing:
- You don’t have to choose between the lake and the vineyard. Spicewood, Burnet, and Marble Falls all sit close enough to each other that lake access and a genuine wine trail are both realistic from the same home base.
- Spicewood sits closest to the wine cluster. If proximity to the wineries themselves is a priority, that side of the region puts you closest to the highest concentration.
- It’s a year-round amenity, not just an October event. Most of these wineries operate tasting rooms and events throughout the year — Wine Month is simply when the whole region promotes it together.
- Worth experiencing before you commit. If this lifestyle matters to your decision, spend a weekend on the trail before you buy — it’s a very different pace than lake life, and worth confirming it’s actually what you want.
How I Can Help
I work the Highland Lakes through Uncommon Highland Lakes Realty, including the Spicewood and Burnet stretch of the region’s wine country, and I can help you find a property that puts wine country, lake access, or both within easy reach. Schedule a consultation, or start with current listings across the region.
Robbie English, Broker at Uncommon Highland Lakes Realty.
