Slate Theory Winery

My mom and I had an amazing time at Slate Theory Winery! The facility is absolutely incredible. It reminded me of some of the more unique wineries in Sonoma. According to our guide, the tasting room is brand new this year and they've changed the original tasting room to a members-only lounge. He also said the owners are extremely hands-on which is very apparent throughout. The staff were all incredibly nice and welcoming. Nothing pretentious about Slate! Our tour itself was with Charlie. He did a phenomenal job! He's been a chef and transitioned to the wine industry so his is truly an expert in his field. He gave such a great tour of the facility and gave us insight into production. Again, the owners sourced the decor for the cave themselves. Charlie explained each wine, along with the type of grape and then how to pair food and wine together. I can't put his incredible expertise into words. This is a must visit! The wines were also fantastic! We tried the sparkling white (The Hypnotherapist), the Nebbiolo rose, the Anti Social (red blend), the Insomniac (red blend), and the Zinfandel. All were wonderful wines. We appreciated all of the food and wine pairing lessons. Last, but certainly not least, we really liked the story of Slate Theory and mental health, including starting conversation around mental health. This year they have some proceeds designated to getting mental health counseling for Kerr County Flood Victims. We would definitely come back. Thank you to Charlie!!!

This place is a must visit! Our tour guide Cole was not only informative but also accommodating and friendly. I absolutely loved the facility and the pictures do not do it justice. My bartenders after my tour were were Chad and Brandon and they were not only personable but pleasant and fun to talk with. If you come to visit on a Saturday try the sangria as it is absolutely delicious. Make sure if you visit you have enough time as this place deserves it to get the full experience. The staff is second to none! Thank you guys for such a wonderful experience!

This place was recommended by a lot of friends so we decided to do a tour here. Danny was our tour guide and he was fantastic and very knowledgeable! What a beautiful and unique place. During the tour we got to try 4 wines and check out the wine cellar. The wines were all different and we enjoyed all of them. After the tour we sat at the bar to try some other wines. All of the staff were very friendly. I highly recommend checking this place out!

We had such a wonderful time at Slate Theory Winery! The grounds are absolutely stunning, from the beautiful architecture to the relaxing atmosphere, everything feels so thoughtfully designed. Our tour guide, Danny, made the entire experience even better. He was knowledgeable, engaging, and made the tour both fun and memorable. We left not only impressed with the wines but also with how welcomed and taken care of we felt. Highly recommend visiting, and if you can, definitely request a tour with Danny!

Slate Theory Winery is SO fantastic! :-) I love this place so much. As outlined on their website, "Slate Theory is located in the heart of Fredericksburg and lives in the minds of those with an affinity for the nonconforming. The experimental winery invites guests to "Fill Your Head" and prescribes a full-sensory experience that manifests in the form of psychologically stimulating wine. The cathartic indoor/outdoor tasting room is set to the sounds of uncensored modern music and enriched with perceptive art invented by one of seven Slate Theory co-founders. An ode to the mind's subconscious, Slate Theory's underground wine cave is a fixating focal point. For those seeking exposure to individualized wine tastings, the cave is an unexpected manifestation of complex and elemental architecture." I visited Slate Theory Winery + Vineyards for the first time this weekend, and it was an incredible experience. A group of friends & I were able to head into the Members Club Lounge (as one of my girlfriends has membership), which more recently opened, and it was such a beautiful, quiet space to enjoy some glasses of wine + snacks. The staff here are amazing - they are so kind & accommodating. Their wine selection is excellent, and each glass I tasted was so fantastic. My favorites are The Neurologist + The Nebbiolo Rosé! They have a lovely merchandise store at the front of the winery, with a large selection of items (including candles, wine glasses, clothing + hats). I'm so looking forward to returning to Slate Theory in the future - this spot is awesome!!

The food and wine pairing experience was incredible! Charlie, the chef and sommelier, guided us through a culinary tasting that was both delicious and educational—honestly better than anything we’ve experienced in Napa or Sonoma. His knowledge of Texas wines and how science has elevated texas wine to compete and exceed top regions was fascinating. If you visit, definitely book the Food and Wine Pairing and ask for Charlie—you won’t be disappointed. Thank you, Charlie… from your newest members!

This was our first winery visit/tasting. After some research, this was the most appealing winery and we must say, it did not disappoint! Highly recommend! At minimum, do the cave tasting but if possible, the wine and food pairing would be our recommendation! Great staff, ambiance, and of course-wine selection!

One of the best tastings I’ve ever had! Abby made it unforgettable with her passion, knowledge, and warmth. Meeting Chase was a bonus! — both are salt-of-the-earth and made us feel so welcome. Walking around letting people taste grapes! Left as 12-bottle club members! Highly recommend Slate Theory Winery. It is such a fun atmosphere and truly one of a kind.

5+ stars! Great atmosphere. The cave is a must! Bailey was our waitress. Best waitress by far! She went above and beyond. She made our experience top notch.

Love this place!! Have been members for years because, frankly, they have great wines!!! Great vibe all around for members and visitors alike. Ask for Chad. He takes care of his customers and members with great wine knowledge and great conversation.

MISSED OUT! They just had the wine pick-up for club members. Great wine! Excellent time with band playing. There are two buildings with one for wine tasters, visitors and club members and one building exclusive for club members. There is a ground cave for all wine tasting that is always cool year around. As you can see from the pictures or also an outdoor covered patio with live band along with individual tables with covers. The staff is friendly, very knowledgeable about wines and prompt service. As depicted in the pictures, the environment is casual, not stuffy like some places, communication among members is encouraged, and is child friendly. This is the BEST winery in Fredicksburg! Don't miss out on the fun and still by to have a fun time and taste the best wines ever.

We have been coming here for awhile and Nvr had a bad experience! Service is always awesome and shout out to Sam at the bar she was very helpful. The place is so clean and welcoming so come and check it out!

Delicious wine and small bites.... The chocolate cake was so amazing we went back the next day and unfortunately they were out. A beautiful modern-style tasting room, with a somewhat almost gothic/victorian vibe (skulls, etc). We loved it! We will definitely visit again.

I would recommend this place. So sleek and so clean! I enjoyed our host Travis, he was so knowledgeable about the history of Slate Theory. We loved hearing about the owner, the 4 points on the crown and the artistic background of the labels and paintings in the cave We enjoyed the wine tasting that included whites, rose and reds. I am a red girl! Great photo opportunities!

This winery was beautiful! I loved the wine cave tasting. You don't need a reservation for the tasting in the main room but you do need to make a reservation in advance if you want to do your tasting in the cave. The hummus was good. They didn't have many food options but that's okay, we were mostly here for the wine. There were reds, whites, dessert wines, and more.

We had the best time here for a friend's birthday! The tasting was booked in advance and definitely lived up to the Instagram hype. The cellar where the tasting was held was idyllic: perfect for getting out of the Texas summer sun and very comfortable. Our host was extremely nice and allowed us to taste a variety of wines, even giving different wine to the men and women to give us an even broader range to taste. We also ordered some charcuterie and pimento cheese, which they allowed us to have in the cellar. Everything we had was very tasty. We even purchased one of the bottles we enjoyed the most. After the tasting, we were able to enjoy some of the bottles we purchased in the main area, which was also gorgeous: there were windows everywhere overlooking the vineyards. The day was perfect and we were blessed with some great weather! Everything was reasonably priced and parking was easy. The staff were also amazing. Everyone was kind, accommodating, and we never felt like anyone was pressuring us to purchase anything. Overall, I'd highly recommend Slate Theory, especially for a party or group!

This was a fun stop on our wine hopping experience. There is plenty of seating both indoors and outdoors. The outdoor seating is pet friendly. We tried some great wines and were able to get a quick bite on this stop as well. They do have a food menu as well so definitely a good stop around lunch time.

The indoor tasting area at Slate is HUGE, airy, windows from floor to ceiling, and well air conditioned. perfect for a hot TX day when you want to enjoy wine but also the views and not sweat a ton. Our server (Chad) was polite and efficient in getting our group of 8 food and wines. He then took us on a tour of the "cave" (underground wine cellar / restaurant area / events area). The vibe at slate (b/c of the name and the videos playing on the big wall in the tasting room) was weird, but not in a bad way. The videos were of different phobias (which goes along with the team of Slate Theory), so definitely NOT what you see at your typical wine tasting place. It was a great experience, and a break from the heat, and their wines were very tasty!

We stumbled upon a member pick up party but one of the owners said to come in and get a glass or bottle.! So nice. The server let us know we could go for a tasting in the cellar and up in the old tasting room but we opted to stay in the tasting room with windows everywhere. So beautiful! Love the ambiance! Since it was a party, there was live music, which was fantastic. Not sure if they normally have live music but it was a nice gift! I had the Sauvignon Blanc, that was pretty good! My husband had the '21 Tempranillo, which is said was really good. Overall, cool place with a great vibe! I'll be back to check out the cellar.

SUCH a pretty winery. I come from the Bay Area and I have been to probably hundreds of wineries in my life. This one was Beautiful. The space was filled with velvet couches and intimate seating areas with lots of original art on the walls and great views of the vineyards. Though I heard a server there say they were going to relocate the tasting room to another building, one can hope it will be as nice, and I wonder what they will use this space for (a wedding would be beautiful here). It was a weekday and we didn't want to bother the servers to come all the way out to serve us in the couch area - so we sat at the bar. (If you ask they will provide you a purse hook). We had Zoe as a server and she was excellent. Very helpful in gaging our tastes and providing a few extra tastes. Highly recommend

Okay, let me start this with the best piece of advice you could ask for: RESERVE THE CAVE TASTING. This was the BEST wine experience in fredricksburg. The cave tour consisted of 7 tastings, it was an hour or so in length and it was private. Our party of three had our own section of the cave. It was cool and comfy on a hot summer day....potentially the most important non-wine thing of all. The wine steward was the most knowledgeable person we have ever had wait on us. He provided us with a fantastic experience, telling us all about tannins and how to use your food to best help the wine you are drinking. We ordered a charcuterie board to go along with our tasting, a necessity since it was 7 tastings. The cave tasting is $50/person and charcuterie is $16/person, so just know it'll be expensive. You'll also love the wine, so throw on a few bottles to that total :) All things considered, this experience was well worth the price! If you do one thing in Fredericksburg, splurge a little and do the cave tasting at Slate Theory.

It's such a fun and vibey winery. Everything is based on psychology. I personally love their reds -- Tannat, Schizo, The Phobic are my favorites. Plus, you can mix the wines; they're that good. 10/10 experience every time I come here. The cave experience is freaking amazing. The staff is very nice too.

This winery was MY KIND OF VIBE! Loved the atmosphere and very much enjoyed the wine! The meaning about the logo and vineyard is very beautiful. TOP of my list for Fredericksburg Tastings for sure. Our waiter, Slater(sp?), was very laid back and well educated on the location.

Marketing/branding, beautiful. Interior decor, elegant and edgy. However, after trying their Mixed Wine Tasting, which comes with four curated wines ($30), Slate Theory's wines fell flat. In my opinion, they were too acidic--all of them. Often, wineries provide a spittoon with wine flights, allowing consumers to taste each wine's profile and spit into the spittoon to cleanse their palate. I personally don't like this method because as sophisticated as I am, let's be honest, I'm not just here to appreciate wine, but I'm also here to feel its effects. It was also off-putting to see them using wine glasses for spitting... the same glasses that were used to drink the wines.

Slate Theory provides an industrial, modern flavour on a vineyard experience. There's plenty of indoor and outdoor seating to enjoy your wine and the staff were very friendly and helpful during our visit. Definitely not the greatest wine I've tasted in the fredricksburg area but not a bad spot to visit!

The wine may be may be ok here, but the vibes are not. And don't get me wrong, my first thoughts were that the view is stunning (see my pic). We took the 209 bus all around today, and slate was on our list but last As we got off the bus, we watched a few very drunk folks stagger around while leaving slate to get on the on-off bus, but tbh this wine tasting spot had been on our list for a few trips and we never made it, so we paid no mind. We got here a little before 6, and thought we would be treated normally. As a disclaimer, I'm pretty sober since I'm on antibiotics, and especially in comparison to the folks I was on a bus with that got served. We arrived around 6 pm....I'm posting this directly after our visit, and it's now 7 or so. First, they asked if we wanted to sit at the bar or a table, which we could have done either. I asked for a lounge area instead. Which was very empty. Keep in mind, on google this place closes at 7 pm. After telling us that the one we saw was reserved, we got sat at some lounge chaises. Fast forward, we order charcuterie and a wine tasting per person. We are low appetite folks, so we didn't need a $16 per person charcuterie board (which was their charge, and coming from dallas maybe the most absurd charge I have ever seen in Texas) so we asked if we could do it for two versus our full party of four. While this happened, my friend touched a painting on the wall. An unidentified employee approached her. Didn't introduce himself and aggressively told her to get away from it, this is an oil painting, and implied she was so low class for even thinking about touching it. It was a half naked woman reaching for something in the distance. She fired back a bit to him saying that she didn't realize it was such a valuable piece, she just looked up and saw a hooha basically. He gives us a look of scorn. Walks away with an attitude. We look at each other....We are at a wine bar in Fredericksburg. What does he think this is, a Van Gogh?! Anyway, we said, we had at the end of the day said: "oh sorry, we are just being silly! It's a wine weekend." Well...within 10 minutes, the same manager walks over and says that our party can't be served. It's weird, we were fine before that and no one had any issues with us ordering. The same guy who was upset that we touched the painting, was the same person who walked over and said they could not serve us. I've been wine drunk and an asshole in Fredericksburg, and deserved a shut down. Tonight was not that night. I recall that since we walked in, the wait staff was not happy, even though their hours go until 7. All of a sudden, they had an issue when we walked in and made a comment about the painting we were seated by. I also saw several women that had been over served in the bathroom area, and leaving the place, could hardly walk. It's hard to believe that from the the time that we walked in, then waited to order ten minutes later, we were suddenly so drunk we could not be served. Despite looking at several folks at the bar that actually needed to be called an uber home I walked out and wrote this review within minutes, because this was a terrible experience. You can judge for yourself by reading this, if any of my party or I are "over served" or just normal Wine goers. If you have an issue with people touching the art, add a sign. Or better yet, don't put it adjacent to a bar lounge couch area. If you're take the hop on, hop off bus, do yourself a favor at Slate - stay ON and skip it. The vibes are not the good intentioned Fredericksburg that you're looking for.

We love this place! Great tastings. Bailey helped us and she was amazing! So friendly and welcoming, very knowledgeable about the wines, and overall just a kind person. We will be back thanks to our experience with her!

This was my first visit and definitely will not be my last. The moment you walk in, the vibes-AMAZING! Staff were super helpful and friendly as we were late for our reservation. Still, it was a five star experience!

Love the vibe and the service. Food was good. Max is very knowledgeable about the wines and parings.

Great wines! Love how they're named after medical terms: beautiful property with lots out outdoor seating,m and shade. We enjoyed the live music as well!

Plenty of parking. I just had some beer so wasn't feeling like drinking wine, but we got a charcuterie board and the espresso cake. The cake was too sweet for me. Charcuterie board looks pretty good but I felt like the combination of the meat and crackers was very dry. Server was very nice and let us take away water bottles/sodas.

This is one of our favorite wineries in Fredericksburg, we became members about 4 years ago and it is growing mostly due to their Fabulous wines , they also have such great events we enjoying attending though out the year , the cave is such an intimate place to enjoy wine or a wonderful cheese board , the service you receive throughout tasting room or in the cave is truly the top they welcome you make you comfortable keep the wine or what ever else you may need coming, outside , inside they take care of you often live bands the perfect place for a fun enjoyable weekend in Fredericksburg

So, we paid for the "cave" tasting. The guy, David, said he doesn't typically do the cave tasting. I feel like he wasn't familiar with wines, he brought out what he wanted and I didn't get to choose what I wanted to taste. He brought out nothing I was interested in. So there's that. I would care myself as a well versed wine person. I've taken many classes and have gone to many wineries. This place has money to gimmick the consumer in. There isn't any quality wine (they've been open for 3yrs). I did like the port for $70. But I needed to try others in the area (there's a lot to choose from).

We won't be back and don't recommend. We arrived at 4:28 pm and were told promptly that they "stopped" doing tastings at 4:30 (?) We regrettably decided to get a a glass to at least taste their wine. We felt rushed during the whole experience to the point of feeling that we were not welcome. The wine was mediocre at best and the service left a bad taste in our mouths.

Slate theory is one of the most amazing wineries you can visit in Fredericksburg, the sheer size of their underground cave in the architectural meaning fullness will be all inspiring. The wines are amazing as well, and the story of slight theory has to be told.

Dropped by Slate Theory on 12/27/2024 during visit to Fredericksburg. We didn't have a reservation or tour scheduled, but the staff made us feel completely at home. The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon was recommended by Danny . And it was excellent. The weather was perfect so we enjoyed the wine and charcuterie outside. Danny stopped over to check on us and gave us the history of the vineyard. If you don't know Slate Theory you are missing a truly cool story. Danny had some time and gave us an impromptu tour. They have a large great room that should be open now with amazing views of the grounds. We then toured the basement About 10 individually themed room for events and tastings. Danny took to time to make our experience unforgettable. Slate Theory - a must for your visit to Fredericksburg!

Beautiful winery, the owner and our guide was wonderful. Wine was exceptional and our guide he was phenomenal.

This is a must visit. The tunnel was super cool. The wines were great and I love that they donate proceeds to mental health organizations. I bought a bottle of Chardonnay. This was my favorite winery.

Slate Theory is one of the finest wineries in Fredericksburg. As members, we are always happy to pick up our wine and try a new favorite at the spacious bar. Randy, one of the owners, Nick and the gang are always happy to share the new favorites and treat you like family. Clearly a favorite for visitors but always accommodating to members. A must visit while in Fredericksburg!

We came in June for a girls trip and booked the cave tasting way in advance. Really enjoyed having our own private sitting area for the tasting. The room was really cool with barrels everywhere. Our guy was very talkative and lots of what he said was too much. We felt like we were getting the long version of a history lesson. The wine was good, it took a long time for our charcuterie board to come and it was expensive! The wine was good, atmosphere was good and company was good. Unique experience for sure, so need to check it out at least once!

"She said see ya SLATERboy!" Not much tea to pour out here. My lovely band of alcoholics mustered up to Slate Theory! They stated that our table had to sit outside and order from the outside bar-first offense. My hot friend went up to the inside bartender to order drinks. The little lass must had not understood that WE WOULD ORDER DRINKS INSIDE. -Second offense. She politely inclined. Currently sweating my shiny hieny off in the sun. On the plus side. The building aesthetic reminds me of 50 shades...wonder what will happen next. -xoxo gossip girl

Such a fun place for wine tasting! Highly recommend! There is comfortable seating. Tastings were delicious! Live music was wonderful and entertaining. Not a lot of food options but plentiful of wine options. Really liked the atmosphere and decor. There is outdoor seating available but we were able to be seated indoors. Service was a little slow as it was kind of busy, but not to a point we're we felt neglected or anything. It was too loud to hear the wine specific details, but we were ok. We were able to enjoy the music and enjoy our group's conversations. Definitely recommend for wine tasting.

I'm not really a fan of the wine, at least the mixed tasting I did. The facility is newish, modern meets psychology. I had to correct the bill, to remove and get a credit back for a bottle of wine I did not buy, but I was still charged for the tip on the whole amount. That's the trouble with digital receipts/bills you barely have a chance to review. I should have took the time before and not after - another lesson learned. If you are into the scene and like their wine I'm sure you won't understand the review. But it's my review and I won't be back.

So odd to have two very different experiences two days in a row. Visited Slate Theory Winery on Friday. Ten of us did the Cave tasting with Abbey and had an absolutely amazing time. Abbey was absolutely wonderful! Most of our group signed up for memberships because it was such a wonderful experience. Went back on Saturday and had a totally opposite experience. Not accomodating or friendly at all. We were told that it would be at least a 45 minutes wait to do anything. It was not even that busy...the patio was empty. We were not asking for a tasting or even for a table, just wanted a glass of wine (which is included in our membership) and wanted to introduce some friends to this new place we were so impressed with the day before. I would have never signed up for a membership with a year commitment if I had known this was the type of service I would encounter.

Immediately you're greeted by construction, but do not let it deter you. There is a gem just past it! I'm sure it will be great when it's finished... We got two glasses of wine straight from the bar. We got the Antisocial and Narcoleptic. Both red blends. Antisocial is a little heavier but both are great. For sure a modern gothic vibe. All the landscaping and decor is very sleek. Well taken care of. Employees are great- suggested we sit outside by the vineyard and they weren't wrong! It's beautiful! The wine is a bit overpriced but willing to pay for the views. Trailers blocked them a bit so if it was more crowded, you wouldn't really get the view. Overall great spot! Can't wait to see after the construction.

The wine and service are amazing! Zoey was fantastic, she walked us through the wine progression while training. This is 100% a must place to visit!

Really great wine stop. Came with a group of about 6 for a wine tasting tour and this was our last stop. For our tasting we were offered 4 wines. Our server provided us information on the wine as well as the winery. We had our tasting in the "cave" which is really neat. Great place for photos and really nice seating areas for different parties. Apparently they sell out of bottles quickly and can be out so if you like it buy it. I briefly saw the above ground area and it is really nice as well very much kind of a mid century modern vibe. I would definitely come back. Our tour guide from Hill County Detours told us this is one of the more expensive stops. I'm glad we came!

Great Wine Experience. Loved the Cave Tasting. Had an opportunity to sample several wines. Favorite was the Cabernet. Tye, our host, was great. He explained the philosophy behind the winery and their contributions to help mental illness. The cave was beautifully decorated.

Planned on visiting several places but got a late start so only had a couple of hours and spent them all here. Great choice! Wednesday afternoon in February is a great time to get personalized attention. The aesthetic was very comfortable and relaxing and JP was so knowledgeable and conversant with my hubby, a former cellar master. Our quest was to find out if Texas grapes make good wines and hubby was happy to report that they do! Loved that Slate Theory uses all Texas grapes. Did the 4 red wine tasting and bought two of them along with a fortified wine that they produce. So good!

I am a wine club member of Slate because I love the wine and what they stand for. We have visited several times and it is always a nice time. I love the aesthetic and the mental health references. The service is always top notch. However, this time our server could not keep track of our tasting. She had too many tables. Another reason I am giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is because when I visited this past week there were kids running around everywhere. Parents are enjoying their wine and letting their kids run around and ruin other's wine experience. We visited 3 wineries and Slate was the only one that had so many kids. I did not see any kids at the other two. I truly believe wineries, like bars, should have an age limit. At the bare minimum, parents should be made to watch their kids and stop them from running around. Adults travel to Fredericksburg to enjoy good wine and have fun, not to be around running, yelling kids.

Abby was an amazing server, and we will be back!! We will definitely request her specifically, she totally made our experience go from good to great.

Great ambiance and service. Very welcoming staff, attended with a large group and they were able to accommodate without a problem.

Spacious and beautiful, delicious wine and small bites. The staff were all so helpful and welcoming, especially with our sweet pup who's older and so chill. We loved the mixed white and red wine tasting with the whipped feta small bites. We will be back.

Slate was our last stop of the day, and I do wish we would have come earlier. The venue is large with a lot of seating and with an area to purchase tastings and a large bar area. There was a little jazz band playing a corner, and they were really good and not too loud. I got one of the red tastings. All were great in their own ways. I prefer a lighter red, but even the bold on the list was delicious. When finished, I grabbed a glass at the bar. They have a wine cave, but given the time of day we arrived, we were unable to go in. Maybe on my next trip, we'll get there early. Five stars with the taste of the wine, the friendly staff, and the large and spacious venue.

Chad was a fantastic server!!!! The wine was amazing. I enjoyed this more than the other vineyards that were recommended!!!! We ended up purchasing two bottles. We will be back and will be recommending to friends.

I can never stop raving about how great ST is! I love what their brand stands for in relation to mental health awareness and not to mention they have delicious wine for every occasion. Definitely make reservations if it's your first time doing a wine tasting and make sure they give you a tour of their cellar. A mixed wine tasting is never a bad idea but I will always get their reds lineup. If you have the extra moolah to spend, sign up for their wine club and you can enjoy some bombtastic wine pickup parties

The best winery in all of Fredericksburg. It came recommended to us before our visit from many and it did not disappoint. You must do the cave tour. It is very memorable.