Messina Hof Hill Country

We enjoy the tasting room, the staff, and the nice selection of wine. They make you feel welcome and have setting for every WI e taste.

Messina Hof has great wines and 3 separate B&B cabins on premises. The winery staff doesn’t know much about the B&B because a service in Fredericksburg handles the bookings, but they’re freestanding cottages with a microwave, fridge, and bar sink.
Come on a weekday for happy hour — you’ll have the tasting room almost to yourself and half off glasses of wine. Snacks are limited to cheese, grapes, and crackers.
We found the staff friendly on our visit and plan to return for the B&B.

This place is right smack dab on the wine trail and it gets pretty busy on the weekends during wine rush hour :) You pay at the beginning, get chips to redeem for wine tastings, and head to the bar. This is one of the only places that offers a military discount. I believe you get either 5 or 6 tastings. You can choose from whites, reds, champagne, and even reserve wines. The reserve ones are usually a little more expensive i.e. 2 chips, but that just depends on your sommelier. He may be sweet and only take one chip giving you more wine to taste (score!)
Their wines are decent. Nothing earth shattering, but pretty decent. I like this place because it’s so wide open. It doesn’t feel as crowded as it can be since there is so much space. They have outdoor seating which is perfect to get a glass on a nice day and sit outside. Check their events calendar for special events they are hosting. Also, if you need a bed and breakfast to stay in, check out theirs which are located directly behind the winery. Added bonus that you get a free bottle of champagne in your room fridge. This is always one of the places we stop when in F-​burg :)

Had a blast visiting here! Everyone was super nice and the wine was great! The Angel Riesling was My favorite! It has a beautiful sitting area to sit and enjoy your wine!

Great winery. Chris the server took care of us and was very knowledgeable. I love the GSM is excellent. I am not a big fan of sweet wines but loved the black label papa Paulo port. The place was not as crowded as I thought.

We had an early visit to the winery! We walked in a few minutes after opening and had a wonderful experience of wine tasting with Bianca. We were so pleased we bought some sherry and joined the bio club for regular wine tastings. They give military/​veteran discounts and that was very cool. It set our day out on an awesome note. Thank you Messina Hof! We will be back for more!

All of the other wineries close at 6:00 on the weekends, this one stays open until 7:00, perfect! Great selection of reds!

Absolutely awful. Bianca was un-​personable. Received no communication on the actual wine. Only poured and collected tokens.

Very disappointed!
Let me start by saying that I LOVE Messina Hof wines. I have been a huge fan of theirs for years, and frequent their College Station location often. I was excited to hear that they were opening a winery in Fredricksburg — that’s how long I’ve liked them, since before their Fredricksburg location existed! The service at their College Station location has always been exceptional. The bartenders have always been friendly and easy to talk to.
I had my family from out of the country come visit me, so I took the opportunity to take them to Fredricksburg and raved about how amazing the place was going to be. Since I had not had the chance to visit their Fredricksburg location, I was excited about sharing this experience with them. The bar was pretty packed, so service was somewhat slow. On top of that it seemed like even when I did get the bartenders attention, she was still in a hurry to do 50 other things. To make it easier on her I asked her what the best way to receive the wine flights we had just paid for (all the glasses at once or one at a time) she told us to request them one at a time, so all 4 of us got our first glass and sat in their outside area to enjoy it. The place was pretty and enjoyable. After we finished our first round I went back for more. Again it was a pain to get a hold of any of the bartenders, and even when they gave you their attention they seemed to be in a hurry to move on.
After our 3^rd round (of the 5 that come in in the flight) I tried to go back to the bar but the door was locked. After checking most of the doors I found one that was open and walked in. The manager (I presume) looked very concerned and told me that I couldn’t be in the bar area while the cash register was open. I explained that I was trying to get the last few flights we had paid for, but he just wanted to make sure I didn’t walk in. They were counting money, that’s understandable. I asked him when I could finish the flight, he responded with «you should come back another day». Basically, they locked us out of their bar without even letting us know that the bar was closing. It wasn’t even that late. Apparently they close at 7… There were 3 tables worth of people outside, the least they SHOULD have done is let us know that it was last call (or closing time) instead of just locking us out. We were sitting a table away from the bar door in THEIR outside area, it’s not like they didn’t see us. I think I would have been less upset if I lived in town, and my guests weren’t leaving the country the next day. As it is, customer service was mediocre and then they locked us out without a word and without giving us all the wine we paid for. Definitely NOT the experience I was expecting or had told my family about.
Sadly, I will not be taking guests to that location again.
I wonder if can use the extra chips at the College Station location… That would be somewhat redeeming.

Another illustration that wine tasting is a very personal experience. We like this winery but weren’t as favorable on other highly rated wineries in the area. We recently joined the winery’s club via their new tasting room in Grapevine, TX and decided to compare the locations.
It seemed we were given just a little bit more personal attention after learning we were club members as we enjoyed a very pleasant tasting. This winery has a large selection of wines to choose from when tasting so we were able to try some we had not tried in Grapevine. Our very professional and knowledgeable server walked us through the information about each wine and we ended up staying for a while and eating on their patio with a glass of wine.
Revisiting one of the reasons we visited in the first place, the major difference in Grapevine and Fredericksburg locations is the setting. Although Grapevine is not a very large community the tasting room is on Main Street in a renovated former hotel while the Fredericksburg location is in the beautiful hill country. Grapevine is still significantly more convenient for us but when nearby we will make sure we drop in at Fredericksburg.

This was our second visit to the winery in the last 6 months. Both times the service has been lackluster, however. We came back a second time because we both really enjoy the fact you can choose 5 wines from their vast selection! Multiple times yesterday, I would get a pour but the man would skip my husband. It was kind of strange since we were obviously together. When we did get service, the bartender was pleasant but didn’t talk a lot about the wines we were tasting. The place wasn’t packed so I don’t think there was a great excuse to not at least talk a bit about each wine. Fortunately this visit, they were at least friendly. I’m not sure who the person was who served us months back, but he was NOT nice. He was actually rude and very disinterested in our group. We were having fun and laughing but were by no means obnoxious. Even if we were, you’re in the SERVICE industry so you belly up and act pleasant for goodness sake.
Good wines, poor service.

10 bux equals 5 tastings and a souvenir glass :)
Ask questions because there is a lot to chose from.
I’m the end I found my fav :) Beau!!!

Been a member of M. H winery for about 3 months and nothing but great experiences! Love their choice of reds for me and at pickup of my shipment enjoyed a free glass of wine, appetizers and live music!

We decided to kill time with a quick tasting at Messina Hof. When we told the person at the front desk we had 6 people tasting, he asked if we had made reservations. We were taken back as we had no idea reservations were needed. He made it seem like it would be an issue. After running around for about five minutes, he came back to let us know we would be tasting at the corner of one bar. Our bartender was initially a bit reserved but, after a few minutes, began warming up. She ensured we were tasting in the correct order (reds to whites) and made suggestions if we were torn between choices.
After our tasting, we found a table while a few ladies enjoyed their fruit/​cheese tray with their wines. Although we had issues in the beginning, we had a lot of fun. At $ 10 for 5 tastings, I would recommend Messina Hof. Just be sure to make reservations.

I am a fan of Messina Hof wine, but had never been to this location. We visited on a typical Saturday and found the bar was elbow to elbow. However, the tasting room (and show room) is very spacious. We had no trouble finding space and an attentive bartender.
I like a tasting room that is wine shop, not a gift shop. Messina Hof got it right! They showcase the wines and not t-​shirts, caps, and random knick knacks.
Tastings were 5 for $ 10. They were pretty average size tastings. We were able to pick from a long list of the wines available; I like this option much better than a set tasting list!
If in town, I’ll definitely return.
The Private Reserve label is my private. The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon is very smooth. By far, it is my favorite!

The One Where Sandy Brought Home Almond Champagne.
Yumm… when my friends mentioned this place have almond champagne, I knew I could skip the tasting (and I did). Our group strolled in here on a Friday afternoon and to our surprise, they had happy hour! I just ordered a glass of the almond champagne and sat my butt down for some r & r.
Messina Hof was a pretty serene place. The patio in the back was open and accommodated our group well.
The staff was also friendly and nice. Actually, the guy who helped us gave me a hard time, but it was all for fun (at least that’s what I thought…). At Messina Hof, your wine tasting comes with a glass, which a girlfriend of mine gave me :) They also give you a huge list to pick and choose your own tasting, which is great because there are many for your to pick from (I forget if you get 5 or 6 tastings).
Oh… the almond champagne… it was absolutely delish and I bought a bottle. They also have raspberry champagne, which I didn’t try, but I will next time.

Nothing worth going out of your way for. We stopped as we were heading out of F*Burg via 290 because it just happened to be open.
Very large space, but severely lacks in any character. Just an open room with a small tasting bar to one side.
After you purchase a tasting, they give you chips that redeem for each tiny pour — kind of strange. Want to try their port? «That will be 2 chips please.»
The employees did not offer any information about the different wines. They certainly weren’t wine enthusiasts… seems they were more interested in playing with their cell phones than talking to customers. Not impressed.
Wines not memorable.

Definitely a 290 tourist trap, looking to catch us wine lovers checking out new places along the route of wine. Don’t let the cool castle like outside fool you, inside it was a bit cold, and lacking in any real ambiance or character. You enter and immediately welcomed by a cash register, taking your money and giving you some coins to then go and find a place along one of the two bars to be served. You do get to keep a glass as part of the charge.
The servers seemed busy, and were not informative. While they do give big pours, they are there and then gone, we had several different people helping us during our experience here. There is a LARGE variety of wines to choose from at all different price points. They do have a color coding system, which is supposed to help aide you in locating wines that fit your taste. Overall I would say they have a lot of OK wines. The Shiraz and Paulo Shiraz were horrid, they tasted like medicine. The sparkling brut was too sweet.
I would have easily walked away with a two star rating, if it wasn’t for the collection of ports they have here. I really enjoyed several of the ports, especially the Admiral’s Reserve which was more spicy, and the Papa Paulo Port. The Sherry was also quite nice.
At the end of our time here we had a really nice server for once, named Juan. He was great. He even let us try a mixed drink — Solera sherry w/​sparkling almond which was AMAZING! It reminded me of my favorite Swiss French drink — Kir. I even wrote on my tasting notes as a reminder that Juan was awesome. Juan and the Port earned the third star.

My wife and I are big fans of Messina Hof in College Station and the Hill Country location did not disappoint.
If you are a wine club member, the tasting is discounted (as are any purchases by 20%). As an added bonus, you get a free glass of whatever you want when you pick up your club shipment.
What I like most about visiting this location is that the vast majority of the wines you taste can’t be bought in stores like specs.

Quick Tips: Wowwie do they give generous pours for their tastings. Tastings are $ 10 for 6 wines and you get to keep the glass. They give you 6 tokens and you can pick any wine you want. They have a HUGE selection of wines compared to other wineries and they let you try some of their premiums wines, which is a plus. The complimentary glasses are smaller than they have at other wineries. I wish they wrote the description of the wines on their wine tasting sheet, but they had a cute place to rank them. You can buy a glass of wine too, prices ranging from $ 5 to $ 12.
Wines: By the time we got to Messina, we had already been to three different wineries and three out of six members of our group had to sit out. I’m glad I stayed because the Sweet Sangria was one of my favorite wines of the day. If you are feeling like helping out the community, they also have the Admiral Nimitz Foundation wines, where the proceeds support the National Museum of the Pacific War.
Service: Good service. Our server didn’t seem knowledgeable about the wines, but they were friendly.
Ambiance: There were multiple bars indoors, good for accommodating a larger crowd. They have a large indoor area where you can sit.