Austin Winery

Central Texas is home to a variety of wineries, but Austinites don’t have to go to places like Fredericksburg to drink wine grown with local grapes. Located down an industrial stretch of St. Elmo Rd is the mixed use development The Yard which is home to several home grown businesses (more on some of those later) including The Austin Winery. 

Started in 2014 by Ross, Cooper and Matt, The Austin Winery is the first full production grape to glass winery inside Austin city limits. They use 100% Texas fruit to create their wines, and every vintage seems to get better as they are able to express the full character of the Texas terroir. 

Whether you are a certified Sommelier or know nothing about wine, the entire staff is super knowledgable and happy lead you a great glass without pretension. All of their wines are approachable but my favorites are their easily crushable Piquette, a natural sparking wine with a low ABV more akin to a hard kombucha, and their Picpoul, a slightly effervescent skin contact white wine, thats as complex as anything you’ll find in the natural wine market right now, and perfect for warm Austin days. 

Its a great place to go anytime, but I love going on a Sunday afternoon, grabbing a bottle and a cheese board, and talking to the owners about what they’ve been drinking lately and what’s next for this booming South Austin area.