San Antonio wine biz is up there with California in U.S. ranking

USA Today’s 10Best series of contests finds the premier destinations for a variety of interests. The readers’ choice competition ended earlier this month and the top 10 was announced over the weekend. Cottonwood didn’t take the top spot, that would be Santa Barbara-based Sustainable Wine Tours, but the San Antonio company made the list of 10 out of 20, Brandy Garcia says. 

The owner says she was stunned by the nomination. She assumes the glowing Cottonwood reviews helped them earn recognition from the 10Best panel of experts. 

“We’re the only Texas representation,” she adds. “That was really, really cool.” 

The local business is now in the same sentence with North Bay Wine Tours in a Tesla, a Sonoma-based service in the No. 3 spot, and Napa’s Perata Luxury Tours, which took No. 6. 

Pop the Cork Wine Tours (No. 2) is an Atlanta tour which represented Georgia on its own. Experience! The Finger Lakes and Cork and Keg Tours did the same for New York and Virginia, respectively, but California dominated the list. 

Much of Cottonwood’s schedule centers on Fredericksburg. Cabernet Grill, a winery restaurant there, was one of the winning 10Best restaurants for vino. 

Brandy Garcia says the tour business is convenient for travelers, since they can’t fly into the town. The family-owned service takes the hassle out of renting a vehicle and driving to Fredericksburg. Cottonwood is also available to take local groups, from couples to birthdays, out to the wineries. 

She says the Cottonwood experience is more than a “booze cruise.” 

“We want to make sure that people know about wine, Texas history and the culture down here,” the owner says. “We really try to ensure that people have fun, but that they’ll also learn something about wine while they’re here.”