Lake Travis Wine Trader

Reviews about Lake Travis Wine Trader

• 5 / 5

  By Tamara Scholtz
  Are you in to wine? I mean are you REALLY into wine? This place is as good as it gets! A truly interesting concept. You can grab and open any bottle you want off the shelf. Everything in there is retail price. Open it up in the store for $5 corkage and drink it there or take it home with you. Wanna snack? They serve Antonelli's cheese trays! So tasty! If you're around on Friday, you can get a homemade lunch and a glass of wine, and you never know what other goodies may be cooked up on any given day.
  
  Plenty of wines available by the glass, too, if a whole bottle isn't your thing. You can just have a sip or two...
  
  But wait, there's more... :-)
  
  And tastings! Back when we were beginners, we started with the entry level on Sundays... $5 refundable against bottle purchase. These were often boutique and unusual wines, all generally less than $20 a bottle. We moved up later to the Saturday tastings. These were $25/$30... BUT the bottles we were tasting were all over $50 each. I'd never actually buy a bottle for that much (or I wouldn't have THEN), but it gave me a chance to try some of the higher end.
  
  They have the big leagues, too! About once a month they host "Big Winos." This is when the big dogs come out to play! These bottles are often over $200 a piece and you get to try FIVE of them for about $90. The untold secret is that you may get to try a little taste or two from the cellars for the regulars as well. They LOVE to share.
  
  Additionally, several times a month winemakers and vineyard owners come in to tout their wares. On a week night you can expect an intimate tasting where you hear everything about the wine from the vineyard to the fermentation to the bottling.
  
  It's in a strip center in Lakeway on RR 620... so it's a little hidden. It's in the parking lot with the restaurant Fore... just a few doors down.
  
  The people who work there can tell you whatever you want to know about every bottle on the shelf and recommend good choices for you even if you know nothing.
  
  I started going here a few years back and quickly learned that there is a large and close knit following of locals (and not so locals, I live in Round Rock. It takes nearly an hour to get there.)
  
  It can be a little overwhelming as an outsider that EVERYONE in there seems to know each other and treats the place like it's their living room, BUT you learn very quickly to actually enjoy the experience. Better yet, people in there WANT to share with you.
  
  Wine Trader is celebrating its ten year anniversary this Sunday.
  
  You should come on in to check it out if you haven't been there! You don't know what you're missing.
  
  Tell Lori, George, and Steven that I said, "hi."
  May 15, 2017
• 5 / 5

  By Christine Wren
  My husband and I stumbled into the Lake Travis Wine Trader one Sunday afternoon. Well not actually stumbling but after making a quick stop at a business near the front of the collection of mall shops, we spotted this delightful wine bar and retail store. The owner and wine pourer for the day was very knowledgeable and showcases a very respectable selection of wines from around the world. The facility is very comfortable and seems to cater to special orders for several of the local regulars that came and went while we sat at the bar. We will definitely be back to visit when in the Lakeway area.
  
  And, note if you need a mani/pedi, you can pick up a glass before heading a few doors down to the local spa - then return the glass when finished with your spa service. How great is that?
  February 04, 2017