Wine of the Week

Folks visiting our area for the Austin City Limits Festival might be surprised to learn that Austin is surrounded by more than 30 wineries. Hitting them all would take over a week, but it's easy to put together a nice day or half-day trip. We're here to steer you to some of the best.

The two largest wineries in the area are Fall Creek Vine­yards in Tow and Becker Vineyards in Stonewall. Both are 60-90 minutes from town and each makes a remarkably high percentage of top-notch wine. Becker's Viognier ($14, www.beckervineyards.com), the winery's flagship, was a unanimous winner in a tasting I led two weeks ago, where it competed with international Viogniers costing up to $125 a bottle. Fall Creek's Salt Lick Vineyard Tempranillo ($35, www.fcv.com) placed a strong second in that same tasting – again, up against European wines running more than $100 a bottle.

Some of the best wineries are also some of the closest. You can reach the following wineries in about an hour from Zilker Park. Each has different hours, and all offer occasional food and special events. Check the websites for more details.

Spicewood Vineyards is home to a Sancerre-style Sauvignon Blanc (www.spicewoodvineyards.com).

Stone House Vineyard is famous for its Norton wine, called Claros (www.stonehousevineyard.com).

Driftwood Estate Winery, one of the original suppliers of Beck­er's Viognier, now makes its own (www.driftwoodvineyards.com).

Duchman Family Winery specializes in Italian-style wines, especially a delightful Vermentino (www.duchmanwines.com).

Flat Creek Estate is a lovely place to sit and look at the countryside while enjoying a glass of Muscato D'Arancia (www.flatcreekestate.com).