While the cultures may be somewhat divergent, the climate and landscape of the Texas Hill Country have been compared to the winemaking giants of central Italy, Spain or the South of France, and Mediterranean wines like Grenache, Syrah, Viognier, Tempranillo and Sangiovese are becoming more common (especially since they can better deal with Texas' extreme weather and the need to dig deep for nutrients.)...

Starting this Friday, Austinist has yet another perfect excuse for getting out of the city for a day and enjoying the nearby hill country: Clifford's Original Wine Bar is opening its doors. [Visit Clifford's Website] Built in a clearing on the rolling hills of Wimberley, just minutes from Wimberley Square (roughly 40 minutes from Travis Heights), Clifford's Original stocks a fabulous selection of wines both domestic and international, with a well-represented assortment of reds and......

Wine! Texas Hill Country Wineries is hosting a special Holiday Wine Trail this weekend (December 9th-11th, 2005). While official tickets for the event are sold out, one can still take a self-guided tour through the wine trail and experience the holiday ambiance and cheer as well as do a lot of wine tasting (hence, the cheer). Some of the wineries along the trail include Becker Vineyards which offers a fine selection of our favorite,......

Always looking to indulge our epicurean obsessions, Austinist has been eagerly anticipating next week's 20th annual Texas Hill Country Food & Wine Festival, hosted by the culinary experts at Saveur magazine. Wolfgang Puck (NYC's Postrio), Todd English (Olives), and Roy Yamaguchi (Roy's) are among the culinary artistes scheduled to present cooking demonstrations before hundreds of salivating Austinites. Similarly impressive are the wineries scheduled to attend, from Napa Valley's Ravenswood to Australia's king of shiraz, Penfold's.......