winery wins

Popular Texas winemakers team up for new tasting room in Hill Country

Wine tasting, William Chris Wine Company

The Fredericksburg tasting room is Wine for the People's first Hill Country location.

Photo by Maksym Kaharlytskyi on Unsplash

Two Texas winemakers are teaming up to open a new tasting room in Fredericksburg: Wine for the People and William Chris Wine Company will combine forces to open a joint tasting room in January 2024.

Located at 113 E. Park St., in a space previously occupied by Lost Draw Cellars, it marks their first location in the Hill Country.

The opening will be overseen by Wine for the People founder Rae Wilson and partner Anne Spalding. Wilson's Dandy Bubbles and La Valentína brands will also be integrated into WCWC's portfolio.

Wilson has been making wines for nearly a decade, and has previous experience as a sommelier and wine educator. She has a long history with the William Chris team, including the Texas-based product series the Grower Project, which she co-founded in 2015 with Andrew Sides, founder of WCWC's flagship brand, Lost Draw Cellars.

Los Draw is undergoing its own relocation to a new estate vineyard in Johnson City as of January 1.

"I couldn’t be happier to have Rae and Anne joining our team," said WCWC founder and CEO Chris Brundrett in a release. "As a fellow champion of the Texas wine industry, Rae has been a partner to us in many ways for a long time, so it feels incredibly natural to have Wine for the People become part of our family at William Chris."

The move to the Hill Country leaves behind Wine for the People's Austin tasting room, which is now closed, according to its website. Wilson expressed her excitement to embark in this new journey with WCWC in the release.

“I’ve worked with Chris and Andrew for years on sourcing fruit and making wine together, and this move presents an opportunity for our business to flourish and expand into the Hill Country to reach a new audience of Texas wine lovers," Wilson said.

Wine for the People will host preview tastings for its members and Lost Draw members in December leading up to the official opening. Reservations for full wine tasting experiences at the Fredericksburg location begin January 27, 2024, the website says.

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COMING ATTRACTIONS

Acclaimed Texas chef cooks up restaurant in swanky Hill Country hotel

Photo by Caroline Fontenot

Bludorn Hospitality is expanding to San Antonio and Fredericksburg.

Whether it's part of the trip or the reason for it, a new culinary experience will soon be awaiting Texans traveling to the Hill Country. Distinguished Texan chef Aaron Bludorn's Bludorn Hospitality Group will open a restaurant and lead the culinary program at The Kimpton Fredericksburg, a luxury hotel that’s expected to open in late 2027.

The still-unnamed restaurant will be a fresh concept from the company that’s behind five Houston restaurants — its flagship fine dining concept Bludorn, seafood restaurant Navy Blue, French-inspired Perseid at the Hotel Saint Augustine, and two locations of Bar Bludorn, including its recently opened location in The Woodlands. Later this year, Bludorn, his wife Victoria Pappas Bludorn, and their business partner Cherif Mbodji, will open a new restaurant in San Antonio's Pearl.

“We really loved the idea of being out in Fredericksburg. With us opening in San Antonio, we’ll already have a team out there,” Bludorn tells CultureMap. “We’re a growing Texas hospitality group. We see it as a great opportunity to grow our brand with Texans in really cool spaces.”

Bludorn adds that the restaurant will be a new concept from the company. Details, including its name and menu, will be released closer to the opening.

“We were drawn to Aaron’s ability to create a dining experience that feels both approachable and elevated, where exceptional food and thoughtful service come together in a way that makes every guest feel welcome,” said Blake Berg, senior vice president of development & construction for hotel owner DC Partners. “We recognize that experiential dining is an important part of what makes a destination successful, particularly in a market as distinctive as Fredericksburg.”

First announced in 2025, the Kimpton Fredericksburg is a 210-room luxury hotel. In addition to the Bludorn restaurant, it will offer a 10,000-square-foot outdoor pool and deck, a state-of-the-art fitness center, and more than 18,000 square feet of meeting and event space.

The hotel will anchor The Meuse, a 22-acre mixed-use development with more than 70,000 square feet of retail space. Previously announced tenants include Houston-based Padre’s Wine Company, Texas bootmaker Lucchese, westernwear label Double D Ranch, gourmet food company Fischer & Wieser, and Jackson Ballard Gallery.

Photo by Caroline Fontenot

Bludorn Hospitality is expanding to San Antonio and Fredericksburg.

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