William Chris Vineyards is moving up on a prestigious list, and this year it’s cracked the even more coveted top 50. It has been named No. 31 on the 2025 World’s 50 Best Vineyards list, making this the first time a Texas winery has placed on this portion of the list.
Wine-lovers following the winery’s progress on the list may have seen this coming, but it was trending in the wrong direction. In 2022 it was at No. 56, followed by No. 60 in 2023 and another slight slip to No. 63 in 2024. The 32-place recovery has been phenomenal; it must have converted some of the more than 700 wine and travel experts around the world who select the winners, although the blurb does not enumerate what improved from last year to this one.
The write-up does nail down the vineyard’s ethos as “distinctly and proudly Texan.” It positions winemakers William “Bill” Blackmon and Chris Brundrett as visionaries pushing the Texas wine industry toward greatness using conscientious farming and keeping community in mind. It also prizes the landscape around the vineyard in Hye, about an hour and 15 minutes west of Austin, including 400-year-old oaks and a graveyard where the former landowner is buried after losing a duel.
Finally, it details the hour-long reserve tasting experience, chef pairings, and the “warmth of Texan hospitality.”
“There is much to explore and taste here, all experiences are thoughtfully curated and cater for every kind of wine lover,” it says. “The welcome is warm and the estate’s wine ambassadors share their knowledge and passion to bring every bottle to life. Approachable and family-friendly, children are welcome, as are pets. Chris Williams Vineyards is for wine and food lovers, or for anyone who wants to slow down and savour Hill Country, Texas.”
William Chris is a founding member of the Wine Atlas Collective, which is represented twice on the Top 50 list thanks to the inclusion of Brooks Winery in Oregon’s Willamette Valley at No. 35.
“Being named one of the Top 50 Vineyards in the world is a proud moment not just for us, but for Texas,” said William Chris co-founder and CEO Chris Brundrett in a press release. “This recognition shines a light on what our community, our growers, our fans, and our team have believed for years—that world-class wine can, and is, grown and made right here in the Lone Star State.”