The land along US-290 between Austin and Fredericksburg has been producing something worth stopping for long before the wineries arrived. Stonewall's peach stands still run through Gillespie County every summer — small family operations, a few larger ones, some that let you pick your own. Medina, a bit further out, calls itself the Apple Capital of Texas, and Love Creek Orchards makes the case with eleven varieties available year-round. The wine came later. In 1992, Bunny and Richard Becker planted the first vines on 46 acres east of Fredericksburg; what started with eight wineries in 1999 under the Texas Hill Country Wineries association has grown to more than sixty. William Chris Vineyards, founded in Hye in 2008, became the first Texas winery named to the World's 50 Best Vineyards list. By visitor count, the region now ranks as the second most-visited wine destination in the United States.
