Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Calais Winery

    4.6 (73 reviews)
    PriceyWineries
    Closed 11:00 am - 5:00 pm

    By appointment only

    Updated 2 months ago

    Calais Winery Photos

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - Calais Winery

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Sketchy cave entrance
    Erica M.

    This is one of the three best wineries in the Texas Hill Country, and may consistently be my favorite. It is not fancy - the entrance looks super sketch, like a shack in a dirt field. But, the inside of the cave is nice and daaaaaaamn, do these people know their wines. Gina, who was running our tasting, went on at length about how each of the wines was made and the winemaker Benjamin Calais is apparently a bit of a nut - in a good way. He sets up offices at the vineyards who are growing grapes for him so he can supervise to his specifications and only produces small but superior batches. His other wines are ok but his Cabs are amazing. You DEFINITELY have to make reservations here - they can only handle 3 groups at a time and sell out on weekends.

    Avesta S.

    An absolute gem! Fredericksburg is a cute little wine region about an hour west of Austin. After extensive research, our group narrowed it down to three wineries and this was our absolute favorite. The cave tasting at Calais is even better than experiences I've had in OR and CA. Mary is nothing short of an expert with incredible passion towards the brand. We were educated, and enlightened by the experience. Each tasting was extraordinary. We even paired French wine with homemade French bread. The cave style tasting is also great for photos for those celebrating anything special our group of five loved this experience and absolutely recommend to anyone visiting this city. Just be aware getting Ubers in this area is extremely difficult so coordinate a driver or taxi in advance.

    Jennifer L.

    This is a hidden gem on 290. Calais is in a very discreet location with very little (if any) fanfare. There is very limited capacity for wine tastings, so it is highly advised to make a reservation. For the wine tasting, you are standing in the "cave" which creates an intimate setting. However, the cave doesn't muffle any sounds. We had another group at the same tasting who were talking loudly, so we had intermittently had a difficult time hearing the explanations of the wines. Gina did an amazing job presenting the wines. You can feel the passion she has for the wine and the wine making process. She is very knowledgeable and it's so cool how she plays a role in the actual process. She made the tasting truly unique and was such a delight. Their specialty is Bordeaux. I really haven't experienced too many of this type of wine, but really enjoyed it. The wines are bold with very distinct fragrances. My favorite was the 2019 TX RD, but all were amazing. You can tell Calais specializes in high quality wine and only provides the best! I highly recommend booking a reservation for a tasting!

    Inside the wine cave
    David P.

    All about quality wine. No tour. No showy space. A simple wine cave with expertly crafted, but pricey, wines. I enjoyed but would really be appreciated by someone experienced with higher end wines.

    Calais Cave tasting.
    P B.

    We booked our reservation for a cave tasting and were very pleasantly surprised. It isn't a cave, but a building in the side of a hill. It's very nondescript and easy to miss. You see the French flag on the road and park in the dirt in front of the building. We were greeted by Ben, and received a wonderful education and tasting experience. The care and hands on approach to the grape vines was amazing to hear. His passion for the grapes is very apparent. My favorites were the 2021 Semillion and the 2018 TX RD. My husbands favorite was the 2019 Cuvee de L'Exposition. Great wines. We will definitely be back. Thank you Ben!!

    Great wine and fresh bread
    Michelle L.

    Calais is probably the best wine in Hill country. Not sure I want to spread this around since it's nice to find these hidden secrets. First time we went, I thought we were on the wrong private property and were going to get chased off since the tasting is in a underground storage where the wines are kept. We recently did a tasting a Bryan's on 290 due to covid restrictions. I didn't realize it was Ben serving us our tastings since we hadn't met him the other time and he's basically our age. I can't believe someone so young can make such great wines but he spent a substantial time in France. I do miss his homemade bread!! But that wouldn't change my review it would just make it better. The wines are a little pricy but worth the money!!!!

    See all

    1 month ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Lizzy W.
    166
    19
    2

    2 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 6
    Thanks 1
    Love this 9
    Oh no 0

    7 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of David P.
    102
    73
    27

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of P B.
    5
    161
    220

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Diana G.
    170
    1484
    6626

    7 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Great wines!! Amazing experience, don't miss an opportunity to have top notch wines!

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Andy N.
    77
    20
    2

    2 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of John M.
    80
    17
    2

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Friendly, knowledgeable staff. Best wine in the area at the best price. The owner is French and shares his passion with his guests.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Benjamin C.

    Benjamin C.

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 4
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Mindy H.
    705
    1847
    12098

    10 years ago

    Helpful 9
    Thanks 0
    Love this 9
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 1
    Photo of Tom P.
    0
    62
    3

    5 years ago

    One of the best wine makers in Texas. No great views here, just great wine. Nuanced, deeply extracted fine wines.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Calais Winery

    Review Highlights - Calais Winery

    Not every grape makes the cut for Ben's wine making techniques and it definitely shows in the aroma and taste.

    Mentioned in 14 reviews

    Read more highlights

    You might also consider

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Wineries 3,603 times last month within 30 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Calais Winery - wineries - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...