Texas burger chain Whataburger doubles down on chicken with new 'wings'

Texas’ acclaimed William Chris Wine Company is now signed, sealed, and delivered. The Hill Country winery has opened its newest tasting room inside the historic Hye Post Office at 10261 US-290 to showcase its new sparkling wine brand, Rebecca Caroline.

The post office, featuring a folksy painted facade and Bavarian metalwork, is one of the Hill Country’s most famous landmarks. Hiram “Hye” Brown, Hye’s namesake, built the structure in 1886 from designs he scouted in a catalog. The building was moved to its present location in 1904, and has since become a symbol of community pride.

As with many sites in the area, much of the lore is tied to Lyndon B. Johnson. The future president reportedly mailed his first letter there when he was only four years old — a habit he kept up during his courtship of Lady Bird. 50 years later, he returned to swear in his new Postmaster General, Lawrence F. O’Brien.

Inside the tasting room, William Chris mixed contemporary furnishings with vintage touches like a stamped tin ceiling.Photo courtesy of William Chris Wine Company

More recently, the building served as a general store and restaurant. In a previous press release, William Chris said it honored its heritage by introducing a “refined, whimsical aesthetic” that just happens to showcase the popular winery’s latest Texas-grown brand.

“History gives a place its soul, and vision gives it a future,” said co-founder and CEO Chris Brundrett in a release. “Rebecca Caroline brings those two things together in a meaningful way.”

The sparkling wine brand, named for the combined middle names of co-founders Chris and Katharine Brundrett’s daughters, maintains the winery’s commitment to solely using Texas-grown grapes. Winemaker Seth Urbanek uses the méthode traditionnelle originated in Champagne, France, a painstaking process where the wine’s bubbles are created through a secondary fermentation inside the bottles.

The original mailboxes were incorporated into the decor.Photo courtesy of William Chris Wine Company

Guests can try the wines inside the new tasting room Thursday through Saturday, 11 am-6 pm, and Sunday, noon-5 pm. The $35-per-person fee covers a 60-minute experience that can be augmented with oysters and caviar. If that impresses the palate, oenophiles can join the R.C. Express Wine Club, a limited sparkling release membership program inspired by the Pony Express.

William Chris' ambitions, however, rise far above just creating a destination. The winery hopes to create a global stage for an industry that LBJ probably could have never imagined.

“Every bottle starts with extraordinary Texas-grown fruit and tells the story of the land it came from. And every guest who walks through these doors becomes part of the next chapter,” continued Brundrett. “Our goal isn’t just to make great sparkling wine. It’s to show the world that Texas deserves a place among the great sparkling wine regions.”