A family shaped by six generations of Texas ranching is opening a wine tasting room on State Highway 16 North on October 1, bringing a ranch-house-style building and a flagship red blend named for founder Ceci McBride's late son to the Fredericksburg wine map. Formando Vineyards, located at 11835 N. State Highway 16, was founded by McBride and Henry Johnson in 2019 and draws its name and identity directly from the family's ranching past.
The name itself carries weight: formando translates to forming, according to CultureMap San Antonio, and it is named after the Chaparrosa Ranch family's vaquero traditions. That branding pays homage to the 70,000-acre Chaparrosa Ranch in La Pryor, Texas, bought in 1959 by McBride's father, Belton Kleberg Johnson, a great-grandson of King Ranch founder Richard King, according to SFGate. The formando horse-training ritual was practiced on that ranch, tying the winery's name to a very specific piece of South Texas cattle history.
A Vineyard Rooted in Family Ranch Land
McBride and her nephew planted a 10-acre vineyard on her family's Gillespie County ranch in 2020. Formando sources fruit from select Hill Country growers and the family estate in Gillespie County, and per the seed report, the winery harvests its fruit by hand and aims to leave the land better than it found it.
Johnson said Formando should feel inseparable from the land and the family's history, and he wants guests to discover the expressive and exciting qualities of Texas-grown wine. McBride, for her part, said Formando welcomes people into the family's ranch-life story. The portfolio includes Picpoul Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Sangiovese, and Montepulciano, alongside the winery's flagship blend, Harry's Red, named after McBride's late son.
Willow Creek Setting
The tasting room sits along South Willow Creek near State Highway 16 North in the Willow City area. Separately, a proposed William Chris Main Street project could affect downtown activity, as Hoodline detailed in its coverage of William Chris's Main Street project.
Guests will be able to book guided tastings in red-only, mixed-wine, and food-pairing formats, each running 60 to 90 minutes, alongside wine by the glass and food including focaccia, Texas charcuterie, sandwiches, and pizzas. Formando also offers the Señor Pico wine club, which has three membership tiers with benefits including member discounts, early access to new releases, complimentary tastings, and private-event invitations. The tasting room will be open Thursday through Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm, and online reservations are accepted.
Grape Choices Reflect a Regional Shift
Formando's lineup of Picpoul Blanc, Sangiovese, and Montepulciano tracks with a broader move among Texas winemakers away from traditional California grapes. The winery's lineup also includes Grenache Blanc.
A Growing Piece of a Multibillion-Dollar Industry
Formando's debut adds another stop to a region that already ranks among the country's top wine destinations. The Texas Hill Country American Viticultural Area spans 9 million acres with over 100 wineries; Hoodline's earlier reporting said Fredericksburg attracts more than 3 million visitors annually. Statewide, the wine industry generates $24.39 billion in annual economic activity and has 617 winery facilities and 14,043 vineyard acres on independent farms not owned by wineries, per a 2025 national economic impact study from WineAmerica.
The local stakes are just as visible. Fredericksburg generates $175 million in direct visitor spending annually, while Gillespie County's sales tax revenues doubled to $9.3 million over a decade and its property tax base reached $10.4 billion, according to Hoodline's coverage of the city's tourism boom. That growth has not come without friction: the surge in wine tourism has elevated local public safety concerns in Fredericksburg, where alcohol-related charges comprise approximately 60 percent of all annual city arrests.
