Fredericksburg Food & Drink
A Fall Eating & Drinking Calendar for Fredericksburg
What shows up, when it shows up, and how long it lasts.
August 29, 2026 · 4 min read
Fredericksburg has two seasons visitors actually plan around: peaches, and everything after peaches. Fall is the "everything after" — and it turns out to be the better eating.
Grapes come in, pumpkins show up, the brewery taps a Märzen, pecan stands open, and by Thanksgiving week there's mulled wine on Main Street. The tricky part is timing — almost none of it lasts all season. Here's what shows up when.
Already read our full Hill Country fall festival guide? This is the food and drink companion to that post.
Late August – September
It's still 95 degrees. Fall arrives in the fermentation tanks first.
Grape Stomps
Harvest in the Hill Country runs July through September. Becker Vineyards in Stonewall holds its annual Grape Stomp on September 5–6 (free, no reservation needed). Signor Vineyards runs brunch-and-stomp events on September 20 and 27. Messina Hof's Hill Country Harvest Festival — where you hand-pick the port grapes — lands August 21–22.
Window: late July to late September. Popular events sell out.
Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon Release
Twenty minutes east on 290 in Hye. The 2026 Cowboy Bourbon is a 141-proof, eight-year cask-strength release. First 1,000 bottles go on sale at the distillery Saturday, September 12 at 8 a.m. Release day includes live music, tastings, and bottle signings.
Window: one morning at the distillery, then trickling out through October. It disappears fast.
Pumpkin Patches Open
Mid-September through October at Jenschke Orchards, Vogel Orchard, Wildseed Farms, and the roadside stands along 290.
Window: mid-September through October.
October
If you can only come once, come in October. Three separate things stack up in the same four weeks.
Oktoberfest — October 2–4, 2026
Three days at Marktplatz downtown. 60+ food and beverage options: bratwurst, schnitzel, potato pancakes, sauerkraut, strudel, pretzels. Admission $15 adults, $1 for ages 7–12, free under 6. Park & Ride shuttles run from the Gillespie County Fair Grounds every 30 minutes ($10/adult/day).
Window: 72 hours. Book lodging months ahead.
Altstadt Brewery "Okt" Märzen
Altstadt brews to the 1516 German purity law using imported German malt, hops, and yeast with Texas spring water. Their seasonal Märzen — light copper, gently hopped — is the local pour worth seeking out over the imports.
Window: draft and shelves from late August until the kegs run dry, usually early November.
Texas Wine Month Passport — All of October
The Hill Country Wineries passport covers 50+ member wineries with complimentary tastings (capped at four per day) and member discounts. Tickets are limited and online only. The vines go amber, the tasting rooms are working through the new vintage, and the winemakers actually have something to talk about.
Window: 31 days, every day. The most forgiving item on this list.
Fredericksburg Food & Wine Festival — October 22–25, 2026
Four days, four ticketed events: Opening Night on the bluff at Contigo Ranch (Oct. 22), the Street Dinner down the middle of downtown (Oct. 23), the Grand Tasting at Marktplatz with 35+ wineries and 75+ culinary partners (Oct. 24), and a Waterfront Brunch at the Fischer & Wieser Farmstead to close it out (Oct. 25). Every winery, chef, and distillery on the roster has to be Hill Country-based.
Window: four days. Grand Tasting badges go on sale in July — the all-access pass sold out almost immediately this year.
Fischer & Wieser Pumpkin & Apple Butter Season
Pumpkin butter, pecan apple butter, bacon & apple jam — the Farmstead's seasonal spreads hit full swing in fall, alongside Oktoberfest-themed classes and farm-to-table dinners.
Window: September through the holidays, or until they sell out. The easiest thing on this list to take home.
November
Everyone leaves after Oktoberfest. That's exactly why November is good.
New-Crop Pecans
Central Texas is the state's pecan epicenter. New-crop pecans start appearing at farm stands around Halloween and fill baskets through the holidays. Look for "new crop" or "fresh crop" on the sign — fresh pecans smell buttery, never oily or bitter. Burg's Corner and the Highway 290 stands carry them alongside the last of the fall produce.
Window: late October through December, peaking in November.
Glühwein & the Christmas Market
Weihnachtszeit begins the week of Thanksgiving, when Christmas Nights of Lights starts its nightly run at Marktplatz. That's when the mulled wine, hot cocoa, pretzels, and sausages appear at the Peppermint Platz vendor area, and when Otto's German Bistro starts putting glühwein and roast goose on the menu.
Window: Thanksgiving week through early January. Confirm the exact start date each year.
Wurstfest — New Braunfels
About an hour and fifteen from Fredericksburg. Ten days in early-to-mid November if you didn't get enough sausage in October.
The Cheat Sheet
| What | Starts | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Grape stomps & harvest events | Late July | Through late September; peak in August |
| Cowboy Bourbon release | Sept. 12 (distillery) | Nationwide Oct. 1; sells out quickly |
| Pumpkin patches | Mid-September | Through October |
| Oktoberfest (Marktplatz) | Oct. 2, 2026 | 3 days only |
| Altstadt "Okt" Märzen | Late August | Until it's gone, usually early November |
| Texas Wine Month Passport | Oct. 1 | All 31 days of October |
| Food & Wine Festival | Oct. 22, 2026 | 4 days |
| Pumpkin & apple butters | September | Through the holidays |
| New-crop pecans | Around Halloween | Through December |
| Glühwein & Christmas market | Thanksgiving week | Into early January |
Harvest dates move with the weather, festival dates shift year to year, and orchard hours change week to week. Call ahead or check social media before you drive out.
Where to Stay
Fredericksburg lodging books up hard for Oktoberfest weekend and Food & Wine weekend — often months out. If you'd rather have quiet and a kitchen, Willow Sky Ranch sits on 75 acres about 20 minutes from town, out on the Willow City Loop.
Three separate places to sleep: the Greathouse (restored 1905 farmhouse, three bedrooms), Boar's Lodge (renovated rustic cabin), and the Bird's Nest (treehouse with wrap-around deck and the best views on the property). Book them individually or take the whole ranch — sleeps up to 19, pool and hot tub included, blackbuck antelope in the pasture. About 1.5 hours from both Austin and San Antonio.