Talk American wine with a group of oenophiles, and the topic of Texas may turn up mixed opinions. Get to talking Texas wine with a group of headstrong Texas winemakers, and they’ll say just what Taylor Szymanski recently said in the sunlit lounge of Hilmy Cellars. “If they don’t believe we can do it — well, shoot, guess we now have to do it.”
Szymanski took charge of Hilmy Cellars’ wine program in 2023, on the hot August day that harvest began. The graduate of Texas Tech’s Viticulture and Enology program believes in excellent grapes. Well-managed vineyards and high-quality grapes, that’s all there is to it. That, and hard work. Every day.
Legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady’s approach to success resonates with Szymanski. “You don’t have to be special, you just have to want to work for it,” he paraphrases, trying to remember the exact words. Szymanski pauses then plows ahead, the words now his own. “You have to spend more time than anyone else to be the best. That’s it. Day in and day out, you have to devote your life to something. And that — that’s how you win.”
If anyone understands daily devotion at Hilmy Cellars, it is the winery’s owner, Marianne Hilmy. Sixteen years ago, Marianne was just where she is now, on the family’s plot of clay soil midway between Fredericksburg and Stonewall. “We were all out there,” she remembers, “crawling around on hands and knees and helping to plant the vines.”
After Marianne’s son Erik revealed that a truckload of grapevines was en route to their land just off U.S. 290, the Hilmys loaded up the car at their home in Mission and sped off to meet Erik in the Hill Country. Marianne is a matter-of-fact person, resolute. Driving hundreds of miles to plant 5,000 grapevines that would soon be gourmandized by whitetail deer was just… It just was. So what if you have to replant and try again?
Nowadays, Szymanski strives to produce clean, low-intervention wine – a similar approach to his predecessor at Hilmy Cellars, Michael Barton. Hilmy’s 2025 estate wine is a rosé, a peach-pink parting gift from the vines before they are uprooted and the vineyard is replanted. Under Szymanski’s thoughtful direction, this year’s portfolio is emphasizing structured red blends, in Bordeaux and American styles. The Texas native also hints at something sweet on the horizon. “A sweet wine for wine drinkers,” he announces cheerfully. “Great dry wine with a little bit of fun in it.” In total, Hilmy will introduce three new sweet options, including the winery’s first dessert-style port wine.
Currently, one of Hilmy’s best-selling wines is a blend of Mourvedre and Merlot, christened Politics and Religion. “Bring Politics & Religion to any family dinner or holiday,” the pairing note winks. “Results may vary.” Marianne recalls the spirit of her sons Erik and Mark as they concocted the blend in the early days of Hilmy — one that is traditionally forbidden in French appellations. “You can’t do that,” she quotes. “So, let’s do it.” In 2025, Politics & Religion won Silver and Platinum medals at international wine competitions in Houston, Fort Worth, and San Francisco. “I guess it goes to show that Texas can make decent wine,” grins Marianne.
The prove-you-wrong spirit meets visitors at the front door of Hilmy Cellars, literally. Erik hand-constructed the central wood pivot door that sweeps open to reveal a cozy tasting room ornamented by two metallic cowboy boots on the bartop: Texas Winery of the Year and Best in Show trophies from Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo’s international wine competition.
When asked about Hilmy’s future, Szymanski says simply, “Keep going.” Marianne hurriedly adds, “and keep growing!”
People can drink wine anywhere in the world. But for these two, they will go to Texas.
