My first visit to Texas Hill Country included stops at area wineries, notably famed Ab Astris near Stonewall. Their award-winning wines include some rare offerings, such as Tannat,* and Rousanne, which aren’t all that common in the US.
All were exceptional, by the way, enjoyed on a recent late afternoon on the grounds overlooking the vines.
For the record, six Ab Astris wines were awarded GOLD medals in the prestigious 2023 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition: 2021 Estate Clairette Blanche, 2021 Roussanne, 2021 Stello (white blend), 2019 Avignon (red blend), 2019 Zinfandel, and the 2019 Tannat (which I tried, and yes—it was good). They also earned five SILVER medals for their 2021 Fiano, 2021 Aurora Rosé and 2021 Apricus Rosé, 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2019 Tempranillo…
[Updated March 2024: Ab Astris scored with 6 GOLD Medals and 7 SILVER medals in the 2024 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.]
I appreciate the thought Ab Astris has put into the design of the tasting room and grounds. And I really love their logo and wine label design. Very simple and elegant, just like their wines (see the photo of the Ab Astris logo reflected in that glass of Tannat).
So, Ab Astris is well worth a visit (you don’t have to take my word for it: the wine blog Top Texas Wines places Ab Astris in their Top 10 Texas Wineries list). Learn more at abastriswinery.com.
*Tannat has been described as one of the “healthiest” red wine grapes, owing to much higher levels of antioxidants (like resveratrol).
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