Invention Vineyards

First timers to Invention Vineyards and we are impressed. My husband and I went with our 2 friends and it was an incredible experience. The drive in feels like you are being transported to another country. The staff was extremely friendly. We did a tasting with Cristy and she was amazing! She was very knowledgeable about the vineyard, wines, and membership opportunities. It was a great atmosphere, and they even have a patio area to sit and order a glass (or two)!

Cristy did the actual most in our wine tasting! She knew everything about the wines we tasted and was able to recommend the perfect one for each girl! We had so much fun with her and can’t wait to come back again!

Five-Star Wine Tasting Experience with Cristy I recently had the pleasure of attending a wine tasting where the experience was elevated by our exceptional tasting ambassador, Cristy. From the moment we arrived, she made us feel welcomed and at ease. Her knowledge of the wines was impressive—informative without being overwhelming—and she had a genuine passion for the craft that made the entire session engaging and enjoyable. Cristy guided us through each pour with warmth and expertise, sharing stories behind the wines and offering thoughtful food pairings and tasting notes that enhanced every sip. Her approachable demeanor and enthusiasm created a relaxed yet refined atmosphere that allowed everyone, from seasoned wine lovers to casual tasters, to feel included and inspired. This tasting wouldn’t have been the same without Cristy’s charisma and insight. If you get the chance to attend a tasting with her, don’t hesitate—you’re in for a fantastic experience. Cheers!

We recently relocated from California’s Sonoma wine country, and on our second day in Texas, we made our way to Fredericksburg to explore the local wine scene. Our family invited us to spend the day with Heath Family Brands, starting at IV Invention Vineyards. We arrived early on a beautiful, clear morning and were warmly welcomed by Cristi, our tasting ambassador. Cristi was absolutely lovely—knowledgeable, passionate, and incredibly engaging. Her love for the Heath Family Brands was evident and made our tasting experience intimate and memorable. The wines were fantastic, and the atmosphere gave us a comforting sense of home, reminding us of our roots back in Sonoma. This visit made us feel confident in our move to Texas, as we’ve already found a place we’ll return to often—and one we’re excited to become members of. IV Invention Vineyards delivered a wonderful first impression of the high standards Texas wines have to offer. Cheers to Cristi for making it so special!

Beautiful location & great variety of wines. Laurie was friendly, knowledgeable, and a great guide for our wine tasting. She made recommendations based on our preferences and helped us to understand the grape blends in each wine. Amazing experience - we will be back!

Cristy is absolutely phenomenal!! The tasting was more than I expected it to be. Cristy explained every wine, went into depth, and made sure we enjoyed every wine. She is very interactive and enjoyable to taste wine with. I highly recommend doing a tasting with Cristy! She is wonderful and I will definitely be returning because of Cristy!!

Christy was awesome! She did a great job explaining the different wines and her descriptions were right on mark! Wonderful experience!

Love this vineyard so much, I ended up joining their wine club mostly because Danelle Farmer was very educational & her recommendations were amazing based on her getting to know what kind of wine I love which is sweet wine. However, I ended up trying other non-sweet that I really enjoyed. Also, the scenery of the vineyard is beautiful & peaceful!

Amazing - sister winery to Grape Creek Winery, Heath Brands. I'm a member at Grape Creek, so I can use my membership here. This was the last winery stop on my birthday weekend. It's definitely better to be a member. We had a tasting for 6 people with our combined memberships. Lots of fun! Our server was fantastic. So fun and knowledgeable! Of course, the wines were delicious and I got a little bonus Jenn Blossom for my birthday. So yummy! Property is beautiful. Members can sit on the patio. Tastings are inside. The almonds were to die for. I can't believe I forgot to take some home with me. Next time...

When we set out to do a quick stop at a few vineyards on the 290 wine trail, we researched to find the best ones not to miss, and Invention was definitely in the top 5. The majority of the wineries we visited were closer to Austin in Hye (before Fredericksburg/near Stonewall) but Invention is on the other side of Fredericksburg, so it took us a short drive (20 mins) to get there. It was well worth the drive out. The grounds and buildings are modern and have a very Italian vibe. But the wines are the real star of the show here. Everything we tried for our tasting was phenomenal. Deloris helped us with our tasting and she was so knowledgeable and friendly. She answered every question, patiently, and helped us pick some amazing wines. She also got us signed up for their wine club, which saves buyers a good deal of money per bottle and got our tasting fees comped. We look forward to returning soon to try to grab some brunch!

I think this is definitely the best venue out of the Grape Creek/Heath collection. It definitely has the wine cellar mixed with contemporary construction vibe. We came here for a tasting. For $30 you get to personally select 4 wines you'd like to try. I am very partial to red wines. They have wines from their Texas locations and California location. I did like their CA wines better. They are more velvety and smooth. The Rutherford was but that was really the only wine that left an impression. The others were ok. Cristy took care of us and she was engaged with us most of the time even while serving other guests. I ended up signing up for a membership.

Great job overall to the staff and team at Invention. We enjoyed Jared's tour, as he was very thoughtful, humorous, and answered so many of our questions, Danelle was very kind, explaining each of the varieties and how they all differ. See attached photo for tasting menu! Favorite wine of the day was the Soleluce! On a nice day, definitely enjoy the outside patio and music before/after a quick tour inside.

This vineyard has a brand new, very attractive tasting room with plenty of patio seating to enjoy a glass or bottle. We skipped the whites and stuck with the reds. We tried them all, and found them all good. However, we most enjoyed the LB, which is a blend led by Cabernet Sauvignon. Our server, Christy, was a fantastic host .

Invention is our newest wine clubs. What a beautiful winery. Wonderful wine, employees and ambience. Relax on the patio while sipping on an award winning glass of wine. Invention is a must visit while in Fredericksburg.

Chad was a fantastic server. He answered all of our questions and helped us out whenever we needed. Highly recommend invention wines.

The grounds of this vineyard are BEAUTIFUL! We were the only people here for a tasting on a Saturday around 3pm. Two couples were outside on the patio, but that was it! For a Saturday! It was quite unexpected. They are newer, so I'm not surprised to see that they were more empty. The inside was very classy and aesthetically pleasing. It was cool and the wine stewards were knowledgeable. We had a delicious tasting and were provided with all the details about the wines, the grapes and the company in general. We will certainly be back!

If you are looking for a place to enjoy a glass of wine with friends, DO NOT GO HERE. Our party of 4 (late 20s/early 30s) were met with such judgement from the staff it was ridiculous. When we entered we were met by a woman behind the counter who essentially berated us for not wanting to do a wine tasting, she said she would "make an exception" since it was a Tuesday afternoon. We were the only ones there so I don't know why we were such a bother to her. The only redeeming quality of this place was the view and our waiter (I can't remember his name but he did say he was from Corpus Christi) who was extremely nice and attentive. The 2022 Imaginada (white wine) was ok but nothing special.

Unable to get a glass of wine on Saturday unless you are a member. Came at 1pm on a Saturday and there was plenty of room. But since we are not members we were declined buying wine. Won't be back due to horrible customer service. Why would anyone become a member of a wine club that restricts access to wine?

Not sure if new ownership or what, but came today as two years ago enjoyed thoroughly and friendly staff. Just walked in and rude as we asked about glass service; due to not being a member she wouldn't entertain us. Very disappointing and again such a rude lady at the counter.

With SEVERAL open tables and NOT many customers, Jeramy would not let us use our Texas Hill Country Wine Trail Passport for a wine tasting today (a Saturday). Many of their staff were standing around not serving anyone. Being SO FAR from the other wineries, last year (2021) they allowed us to visit in a weekend day and we ended up purchasing three bottles of wine. This year (2022), Slate Mill lost our business. So sad!

Our wine tasting experience was amazing, and the vineyard was beautiful! We came on a Tuesday and it was very quiet and peaceful. Laurie helped us pick a perfect wine and because of that had a great experience! Overall service was wonderful.

We stopped in to try a glass of wine for the first time. We were told that because we were not members we could not purchase a glass of wine. Our only choice was to purchase a $30 tasting that afterwards we were still not allowed to purchase a glass of wine . Terrible customer service. We were just basically encouraged to leave because we were not members. FYI we are members of 4 different wineries including Agusta Vin that is next door and have never been treated this poorly.

We happen to stop in to Invention Vineyards between wineries as we had heard about it from Grape Creek. Although the patio was still under construction, the tasting room is fully stocked with great wines! I loved them all and it was great to taste the difference from the Grape Creek wines. I can't wait to visit again when the patio is complete!

I wish I could remember the name of our tour guide, but he was excellent. We were showing around the facility. Taught how the wine is made. And got to sample all different wines on the way. Their wine is pretty affordable too. We went home with a bottle that was super good. My only complaint is I wish it was a little closer to downtown. We'll be back though! Pros: great wines, service, tour, lots of seating Cons: more comfortable seating please

It was a pretty winery. But, Eve asked us to play a game and pull out our phones and go to google or yelp. Once we were all at google or yelp, she asked us to post a review on the spot. It was tacky. She was very pushy on the membership. She mentioned it atleast 20 times. The wine was good but you couldn't sit down and have a glass after the tasting. The tables are only for members

We stopped in to try Invention and turns out it's a members only vineyard, which means you can do a tasting for $30 or join the membership club. Not wanting to do a full tasting or commit to the membership, we left and went next door to Augusta Vin- great wine, beautiful tasting room and grounds, and wines by the glass, tastings, and their membership if you're so inclined. There's enough vineyards in the area that forcing people to become members may not be the best approach.

Members only. No wine by the glass. No seating. Not very friendly if you don't buy their membership. Save the money and buy at HEB California wines that they're comparing their wines to.

This place was getting ready for their grand opening on Sept 22nd. The wines were really good! I got a membership so excited to get the wine next month. The staff are very knowledgeable about the different wines and made great recommendations!

NOT DOG FRIENDLY. Not even on the patio. Did not have a chance to try the wines. Don't bother to stop by if you travel with a pet.

We had a wonderful experience here. Jared was the absolute best, very knowledgeable and personable. Wines are mostly all tastey so you cant go wrong here.

Disappointment all the way around. Not sure if our tour guide was having an off day but we didn't leave with any new information or insight on wine from the Texas Hill Country. Once the tour concluded, we had limited choices on the wine menu. Why show a menu of wines that are only open to club members? Isn't that the point of a tour? To turn visitors into members? There wasn't any seating in the tasting room. Not a single chair or stool. When we asked to sit outside on the patio, Jared said the patio is only for club members. I'm sorry, what? Between the construction happening on the tasting room patio, an uninterested tour guide, no seating, and ho-hum wines it was a bust. Take a pass on this place. There are so many other great vineyards to visit and tour in Fredericksburg.

This place is great, Mary was super knowledgeable and told us about the winery and the wines! Mary my tasting Ambassador was amazing!!

Eve is the best Tasting Ambassador I've ever met. Her knowledge and insight made the entire experience. Always ask to meet with Eve when you come for a tasting! Trust me, you will thank me later!

The type of place where you could just sit and talk for a few hours. Especially, if the weather is kind. We really enjoyed their patio, and array of wines. It was a fun tasting to kick-off our Fredericksburg weekend!

My wife and I visited Slate Mill Wine Collective for a wine tasting tour. If you decide to book a spot, ask for Wacey!! He was awesome. We really enjoyed having him lead us through the history of Slate Mill as well as his knowledge of the wonderful wines we tasted throughout our time there. The wine is sooooo good. It was so good we left with a membership. We're really looking forward to our future visits and future bottles we'll be drinking. Slate Mill is all about supporting and putting Texas wine at the top. We're proud to support and continue to be customers for years and years to come. Definitely recommend!!!

A beautiful long drive through the vineyards leads you to the tasting room, though I think sitting outside is the move if the weather permits. We ordered at the bar and settled underneath a tree in the string light-clad patio past the deck, where a live band was playing some country tunes. The wine we had was, for the most part, light and refreshing and more affordable than at some other wineries in the area. A great choice for a visit to Fredericksburg.

Went with a small group on Sunday. It was so hot outside but we got a great table inside. The patio will be nice when it is cooler. Good views. The owner greeted us at the door and later gave us an interesting tour of the barrel room. Very nice guy! Wine was delicious. Favorites were the Trebbiano, Tannat and LOC Red. Not on the main wine drag but close to town. Will be bringing friends again.

1851 Vineyards was quite the lovely surprise! Located a bit off Fredericksburg's famous 290 wine trail, you pull into acres of property and pass through bountiful rows and rows of vines until reaching the large tasting room. Very inviting with its big wrap-around "porch" and country charm. Walked through the doors and was immediately greeted with an intro and handshake by the owner himself, John Hollimon. Very nice start! Opted to do a tasting. $15p/p for small pour of each of five bottles on menu. All were tasty and pleasant to the palette. A few had some really impressive "legs" - especially for Texas wines. My gosh, how far they have come in the last decade! The one that stood out to me the most was the Texas High Plains Rouge. Drank almost like a rose with fruity notes, but not overly sweet. :) If you're visiting the Texas Wine Country, I recommend 1851 for one of your must do stops. The vineyard is located on a very old farm/mill (Texas Historical Marker on-site) and there's a lot of history there. Be sure to ask or even take a tour. Good stuff. Depending on what time of year you go, you might even get to see them harvesting. Cheers y'all! *They also have light snacks for sale, such as assorted crackers, meats, and cheese.

We loved Invention and walked out a happy new member. Can't wait to get my first shipment. Danelle was a rockstar !!

Very disappointing. They refused their service at the door after having the audacity to give us discount cards for buying their wine at the bus pickup. Wasted an hour of our time having to wait on a hot bus. Our bus driver was at least very accommodating, but the winery--even though no groups were presently there, turned away two bridal parties.

Jared and Jessica are the absolute best! Couldn't ask for better host. Made this winery experience completely unforgettable! Definitely coming back!

The BEST winery in Fredericksburg by far! My husband and I have been to this town once on a wine tour. You have to do that once, right?!? On our second trip we wanted something simpler, smaller and better than run of the mill winery. Slate Mill provided just that....the perfect winery. AMAZING customer service. There was no tour online so we just went hoping for a tasting. As soon as we walked in the door we were greeted and graciously offered a production tour. Charlie did a stellar job! We sat down afterwards and enjoyed a charcuterie board with a glass of wine while listening to the perfect live music duo. We will definitely be back! Well done!!!!

Nice new location with very good wine. Service was great. My wife and I enjoyed the visit. Today they had live music on the patio. We will surely visit again!

Must come for the market days! They have food trucks and small businesses with booths open. The food is lone star bar and grill. Holy shit it's amazing. anyways! The vineyard is gorgeous! The wine is so good and reasonably priced a tasting of 5 is only $15! They have rose and it's BOMB!!!!! Worth a try, awesome atmosphere and come back for the market days! You won't be disappointed! Oh, and bring your dog!

Slate Mill has an upscale Texan vibe and is beautiful vineyard. We went to Enchanted Rock in the morning and then came for a wine tasting afterwards. Derek helped us out and had great knowledge of the wines we tasted (the 1851 collection). We had some nice note comparisons and little discussions with him as well. The service was great and they really take care of you. The wines themselves were delicious and I enjoyed each one tremendously. The Trebbiano and the Cabernet Sauvignon were my two favorites.

Great winery with amazing service and awesome wine as well as beautiful surroundings!!! Really blown away by the service here we really felt like we were part of the family and definitely treated as such. Their outside area is really beautiful with amazing rocking chairs this was an awesome touch that I have never ever seen before! Kudos for originality and thinking outside of the box. The wine tour was also incredibly informative and fun we got to try more wines and were taken to the barrel room at the end of the tour which was a great experience. Really recommend this winery, it has absolutely everything that you would want!

I didn't actually drink wine here....frozen wine drinks definitely don't count. That said, the staff was fantastic. Josh (I think that's right and my apologies if it isn't) has a great singing voice, even if I only found that out because he scared the s#*t out of me The live music really did the trick. David Selbo was on the mic playing his guitar. The covers he was crooning didn't even sound like covers...he made them completely his own and the atmosphere was positively impacted as a result. It was, all in all, a really awesome venue. I look forward to going back and actually drinking wine.

We arrived on a Friday at 4 pm. We were immediately impressed with the drive up to the winery past all of the vineyards. We pulled up to park by the patio area outside. It's a really great covered area. We elected to go inside and we were immediately greeted by the owner who sat and talked with us. We both did a tasting of 5 wines for $15 and I decided on the Zindandel. The wines are all on the dry side which is not to my liking but the tasting room is really quaint. Midway through our visit the family dog arrived to say hello which was fun. If you haven't been out to 1851 I recommend you add it to your list. You won't be disappointed.

My new favorite winery in Fredricksburg!! We were on a wine tour and Chase gave us the best tour! We tried some of the best red wines I've had and got a full tour of the winery and all of the inter workings and we were so impressed! Bought a few bottles of wine and we will definitely be back! Will be looking for these wines back in our home town and would 1000% recommend this tour/stop to all of my friends

1851 is a great addition to the Fredericksburg wine scene. The Vineyard is located on a Texas Historic Landmark as it was the birthplace of Pioneer Flour Mills in 1851, which was later relocated to San Antonio. Floods have since washed away the mill, but he original barn, main house, and guest house, and smokehouse are still standing. Since 1964 the property has been in the Hollimon family and was primarily used as a farm. 1851 Vineyards is now the dream of this Hollimon generation, and it is their effort and collaboration that brings us their wine. They started planting vines in 2013, and have expanded each year since. I like that the vineyards and tasting room is off the beaten path. It is a bit more peaceful and quiet here. The tasting room and production site is beautiful. You are surrounded by vines. The rustic modern interior of the tasting room is inviting. Jeska is the oldest of the Hollimon children and has been in the tasting room on each of my two visits. She is knowledgeable, friendly, and down to earth. You feel like you are amongst old friends. Their wines are well balanced and structured. The majority of their wines are made from grapes sourced in Texas. They also have reasonable bottle prices. I enjoyed everything I tasted here. Their tasting fee is $15 per person. With a two bottle purchase the tasting fee is waived.

This is definitely a gem. My group had time between tours and we happened to drive by this place and stopped! Glad we did, this was our most reasonable priced stop for tastings and wine and the vibe was relaxed. They have a great outdoor area and their waitstaff knows their history! Our waitress was very knowledgeable in their winery and was really interactive with us throughout our visit. This is one we will definitely revisit and recommend to friends.

Hands down the BEST vineyard we visited while in Fredericksburg. The wine was absolutely amazing. Angela and Emma were our servers and they were phenomenal. The vintage cars were also a nice touch. A++++

This winery is amazing, views as well as wine. I wish I had got the name of the girl who waited on us. She was amazing! Come here if you love wine!!

The frozen wine is to die for! Came in wanting a refresher and I ended up downing 3 of these amazing drinks.

Shay was amazing! Very personable and she guided us through and explained the wine as we were sampling. Excited to see how everything looks when renovations are finished!

I had my bachelorette here and had such a great time!! The wine tour and tasting was really interesting and the property was beautiful. Pillow Thoughts is a delicious red wine that I highly recommend. Staff is great as well. I hope to come here again.

Elle is AMAZING!!! So knowledgeable about the wines- we walked away with 3 bottles- only because of her- thank you for having such an amazing team!!!