Just thinking about the sheer number of Hill Country wineries could leave a traveler feeling tipsy. A returning fall passport makes hopping between them easier, with discounts and tastings at 50 wineries.

October is Texas Wine Month; the end of the harvest season, the transition to later stages of wine-making, and a much more tolerable time to be outside in fields.

This particular passport, active throughout the entire month, includes complimentary tastings at up to four wineries per day. Holders can also get exclusive discounts on bottle purchases, and they should keep in mind that they can only visit each winery once.

It's one of four passports by Texas Hill Country Wineries (THCW), which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Others include the Valentine's Day-adjacent Wine Lovers Celebration, the Wine & Wildflower Journey, and the Christmas Wine Affair — all more niche, themed events. The broader, purely wine-focused event in October is also in its 25th iteration.

Along with setting similar events for wineries to organize their calendars around, this nonprofit trade association helps its various vineyards by acting as a hands-off tour guide for travelers, who can use resources like an interactive wine map to narrow down venues according to their needs.

It also provides scholarships within the wine industry, and $5 from each passport sold will go toward helping Texas students get degrees in viticulture, enology, or hospitality.

For wine-lovers in search of a more curated experience, there are plenty of single-day activities coming up, including a whole list of wine stomping events into early September. Those are followed by the association's seated Fall Winemaker Dinner on September 6; a different six-course dinner by Chefs John and Elise Russ of San Antonio's Clementine on September 22; and a community barbecue cook-off on September 28.

Texas Wine Month Passports ($85 for individuals, $120 for couples) are available for purchase now at texashillcountrywineries.org. THCW is partnering with Horseshoe Bay Resort to support the 2024 Texas Wine Month Passport. Reservations are recommended at each participating winery.

Wineries participating in the 2024 Texas Wine Month Passport (asterisk indicates reservations required):

• Airis' Ele Vineyards
  
• Becker Vineyards (winery only)
• Bell Springs Winery
• Bending Branch Winery
• Bingham Family Vineyards
• Blue Lotus Winery- Hye Location
• Carter Creek Winery
• Driftwood Estate Winery*
• Dry Comal Creek Vineyards*
• Fall Creek Vineyards- Driftwood Location
• Farmhouse Vineyards
• Fiesta Winery at Bend
• Fiesta Winery Fredericksburg 290
• Fiesta Winery Marble Falls
• Flat Creek Estate*
• Grape Creek Vineyards*
• Grape Creek/ Heath Family Brands on Main St.
• Heath Sparkling Wines*
• Hilmy Cellars
• Hye Meadow Winery
• Inwood Estates*
• Invention Vineyards*
• Kerrville Hills Winery at Schreiner University
• Kuhlman Estate*
• Longhorn Cellars*
• Lost Draw*
• Messina Hof Hill Country Winery*
• Pedernales Cellars*
• Perissos Vineyards
• Pontotoc Vineyard Picnic Table
• Portree Cellars*
• Ron Yates*
• Saint Tryphon Farm & Vineyard*
• Silver Dollar Hill Country
• Sister Creek Vineyards
• Solaro Estate Winery*
• Spicewood Vineyards
• Stone House Vineyard
• Texas Heritage Vineyard
• Texas Hills Vineyard*
• Texas Wine Collective
• Torr Na Lochs Vineyard & Winery
• Turtle Creek Vineyard*
• Wedding Oak Winery San Saba
• Wedding Oak Winery Burnet
• Wedding Oak Winery Fredericksburg
• Westcave Cellars Winery
• Wildseed Vineyards*
• William Chris Vineyards*
• Wine For The People*