Celebrate Valentine’s Day with a February romantic getaway to one of our luxurious Wine Country Cottages in Fredericksburg. Every cottage has an outdoor hot tub, gas fireplace, king bed with luxury linens, spa-like bathroom, and more. You’ll find fresh flowers awaiting your arrival, plus continental breakfast items for breakfast in bed and a gourmet wet bar already stocked in your room. Plan to enjoy a chocolate tasting at Chocolates El Rey and wine tasting at the Texas Hill Country Wineries “Wine Lovers Celebration” to make your celebration complete!
Chocolate tastings at Chocolates El Rey are available on weekends throughout the year. The Wine Lovers Celebration is offered only from February 8 – 24, 2019, and includes 45 participating wineries. Some of these vineyards employ only estate grown fruit, and others use exclusively Texas grapes. The Tasting Passport ($75 per couple) includes a full complimentary tasting (determined by wineries) at up to 4 wineries each day, plus a 15% discount on 3-bottle purchases at each winery.
Chocolates El Rey Tasting Room
World class, gourmet chocolate is just 15 miles away from Fredericksburg at Chocolates El Rey in nearby Stonewall, Texas! February may be National Chocolate Lovers Month, but chocolate connoisseurs should puta visit to Chocolates El Rey’s Tasting Room on their Hill Country bucket list every month of the year. At the International Chocolate Awards, their ICOA has been selected as Best White Chocolate in the World five times, and their Caoba Milk Chocolate was awarded Best Milk Chocolate in the Americas in 2015. Unlike many chocolatiers who blend cacao from different parts of the world, El Rey believes true chocolate flavor originates from its terroir, and uses only select regional varieties of Venezuelan cacao.
At the Tasting Room, visitors learn about the complex techniques involved in growing and harvesting cacao, then crafting it into award-winning chocolates. The chocolate tasting includes samples of six different El Rey chocolate couvertures, plus examples of how each one is crafted into a delicious product by their artisan partners across the U.S. Sample tastings changes weekly. They may include Icoa White Chocolate, Caoba Milk Chocolate, Bucare Dark Chocolate (Bittersweet), Apamate Dark Chocolate, and special reserve chocolates, Aniversario, 56% Dark Milk Chocolate Reserve, and Sur del Lago, 70% Dark Chocolate Reserve. Treats created by partner chocolatiers might include white chocolate toffee, a bourbon and cherry bonbon, or a dark chocolate bar enhanced with caramel, coffee, cinnamon, and cardamom.
Tasting Room Days & Hours: Fridays & Saturdays from 10 am – 6 pm
Sundays from noon – 5 pm
Location: 42 South Ranch Road 1623, Stonewall TX Phone: 800-357-3999
If you are in Stonewall at Chocolates El Rey, several wineries participating in the Wine Lovers Celebration are located nearby.
Pedernales Cellars in Stonewall is open the same hours as Chocolates El Rey on weekends, and also is open weekdays. Reservations at the Estate Tasting Room are required for Saturdays. (The winery also has a tasting room in Fredericksburg.) Their Spanish and Rhone style wines have received many awards including golds from the Lyon and San Francisco International Wine Competitions. Tempranillos and Viogniers are specialties. The fixed tasting menu includes six wines and a complimentary glass.
Days & Hours: Fridays & Saturdays from 10 am – 6 pm
Sundays from noon – 5 pm
Mondays – Thursdays from 10 am to 5 pm
Location: 2916 Upper Albert Road, Stonewall, TX Phone: 830-644-2037
Woodrose Winery also is located in Stonewall and is open similar hours throughout the week. One of the smaller wineries among those in the Texas Hill Country, it produces a range of wines from lighter whites and rosés to full-bodied reds, plus unique blends. Their Sweet Muscat and Texas Ports might pair well with chocolates. They offer table top service for wine tastings.
Days & Hours: Mondays – Saturdays from 11 am – 6 pm
Sundays from noon – 6 pm
Location: 662 Woodrose Lane, Stonewall, TX Phone: 830-644-2539
Two other nearby wineries, Kuhlman Cellars in Stonewall, and William Chris Vineyards in Johnson City are open only by appointment/reservation.
February is Creative Romance Month, but a romantic getaway to Fredericksburg’s Wine Country Cottages is the perfect place to create romance any time of the year. In February, El Rey Chocolates and the Texas Hill Country Wine Lovers Celebration can add perfect Valentine’s gifts to celebrate your love! Each of our cottages is unique, so don’t wait to choose your favorite and reserve it online!
PLEASE NOTE: The Texas Wine Country Wineries website provides detailed information about the Wine Lovers Celebration. Wineries must be visited during the regular days and hours, wineries may select wines offered in their tastings, and 3-bottle discounted purchases may exclude reserves, ports, and wines already discounted. Passport tickets are limited in number, must be purchased online, and are non-refundable.
Image by Clem Onojeghuo on UnSplash