William Chris Vineyards is helping Texas wines earn the respect they deserve, recently being named the 56th best vineyard – in the world – by World’s Best Vineyards. Not only do they grow and bottle great Texas-made wine, but they offer experiences around wine, and now also education.
William Chris Wine Co. (WCWC) recently launched the William Chris Wine School with WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) for people who would like to learn more about wine or become Wine Ambassadors.
“What we are offering at this school are educational experiences designed to inspire," says Director of Education Kelsey Kramer. “WSET courses are designed to empower anyone looking to develop their wine knowledge—regardless of prior experience, from enthusiasts to professionals.”
Their WSET Level 1 courses are in a vineyard setting, making it a fully immersive among-the-vines experience. This course is recommended for those who are just starting in wine or wine tasting. Topics covered include vineyard and winemaking choices, principal grape varieties and their characters, select regional styles of wine and tasting. Classes are currently scheduled July 16 and August 22.
The WSET Level 2 course is more rigorous, with participants tasting wine from around the world, learning both wine theory and tasting accompanied by over 40 wine samples from multiple countries and wine regions. During this course, students will attend several sessions of lectures and tastings.Topics covered include grape-growing options based on environmental factors, winemaking choices based on 30 principal grape varieties and growing environment, styles and quality levels of select wine regions of the world. Classes are scheduled for Sundays in July.
In addition to WSET classes, they will offer a Texas Wine Ambassador Certification course, which was created to support and sustain a region during its era of explosive growth. This one-of-a-kind course takes attendees from the basics of what wine is to the depths of Texas soils, with the goal of impacting others with Texas-grown wine in a concise and meaningful way. Every Texas Wine Ambassador will gain the skills needed to combat the misconceptions about Texas wine, identify the core themes of growing grapes within the state, and how to enhance these wines through service. The first certification course will take place on April 22.
For more information on the William Chris Wine School and to register for upcoming classes, visit williamchriswines.com/wine-education. For direct inquiries regarding WSET courses email education@williamchriswines.com. Distance learning is not currently offered.
William Chris Vineyards
10352 U.S. Highway 290, Hye, TX 78635
They're hosting Sunsets in the Vineyard Saturdays through September 2nd. Sunset Packs including a charcuterie board and two bottles of select wine will be available for purchase. The event itself is free and open to the public.
Lost Draw Cellars
113 E Park St, Fredericksburg, TX 78624
1686 US Highway 290, Johnson City, TX 78636
You can visit Lost Draw’s original tasting room downtown Fredericksburg to sample wines while enjoying live music and now also checkout Lost Draw Johnson City, their vineyard estate with a tasting room and outdoor bar that opened December 2022.
Ab Astris Winery
320 Klein Road, Stonewall, TX 78671
The name of this family-owned boutique winery literally translates to the Latin phrase “of the stars,” inspired by a quote by Galileo that wine is “sunlight, held together by water.” They’re hosting live music Saturday afternoons throughout July.
Uplift Vineyard
235 Miracle Mile, Stonewall, TX 78671
An exclusive, reservation-only winery where you can book an experience to visit their secret, off-site barrel room and sample wines straight from the barrel!
