William Chris Winery

William Chris Winery is located just on the edge of Hye, TX and is known for the sustainable practices employed in their vineyards as well as their "small batch" and "minimal handling" approach to wine making. This was the final winery my team visited on our trip to the 290 Trail.

Upon arrival at the William Chris location, you are greeted by a large hand painted "Enchante Y'all" sign which sets the scene for this lovely niche winery. Along the left side as you drive up, there are a few acres of vineyard which lead to a small cottage which serves as their store front and tasting center. The store is flanked by outdoor tasting areas as well which are comprised of rough hewn tables under wooden awnings. The feel is true Texas Rustic. This ambiance is further accomplished by their interior bars which are housed in an addition to the building that incorporates the use of rock and gives way to a large back porch on which any number of hometown bands will provide live music in the evenings. Along the side and back of this building is William Chris' barrel storage and bottling area which occupies a selection of tin buildings with an open cement floor between them to accommodate crush.

William Chris Store Front

While William Chris does not offer tours, we were able to enjoy a tasting of their wines and sample what William Chris refers to as an individualistic, Texas taste.This style of wine is achieved by using only Texas grown fruit with the winery using grape harvested from their 40+ acres in Llano Estacado as well as some contributions from other wine families using sustainable growing practices. Their wine is then produced "by hand" in small batches which use minimal sulfites and minimal handling. Naturally, I was curious to see how this sort of method affected the wine.

A tasting at William Chris is comprised of your choice of five wines from their selection of ten. there are four whites, two pinks, and four reds to choose from however, two of the wines are restricted for tasting only by members of William Chris' Hye Society Wine Club. In order to effectively cover the selection, my team collectively sampled all of the wines and recorded their observations on the wine menu, which you are allowed to mark up and keep for your reference in addition to the small wine card you are also issued.

The William Chris Tasting Menu

As the wines were sampled, we also consolidated our findings on to a single wine score card so that we could compare finding more effectively.

Before and After of complete score card

Our conclusion was that William Chris produces excellent wines with a distinctively spicy taste which is tempered in many of the wines by a pear or acidic flavor. They were easy to drink, smooth on the tongue, and distinctive to this winery. I would recommend a visit to anyone who wants to enjoy the more southern charm of the 290 Trail and enjoys a spicier yet light wine profile.