Texas has a long history ofwine production. The sunny and dry climate of the major winemaking regions in the state have drawn comparison toPortuguese wines, in addition to other regions in Europe like Spain, France, and Italy.[5] Some of the earliest recorded Texas wines were produced bySpanishmissionaries in the 1650s nearEl Paso. Texas ranked as the fifth largest wine producing state in 2024.[3]
The state is home to over 42 members of theVitisgrape vine family with fifteen being native to the state, more than any other region on earth.[4][6] As of 2024, the state had over 9,300 acres (3,800 ha) planted withVitis vinifera.[3] Despite being the largest ofconterminous states, this relatively small amount of planted land is dwarfed by the production of even the smallestFrenchAOCs likeSancerre. The Texan wine industry is continuing its steady pace of expansion and has gained a reputation as an established wine growing region in the United States.[7]
Wine has been made in Texas for centuries and one of the oldest wine growing U.S. states with planted vines more than a hundred years beforeCalifornia orVirginia.[7] No alcoholic beverage made from grapes appears to have been produced before the arrival ofEuropeans in the sixteenth century.[8] Instead, theindigenous peoples ofMeso-America made such alcoholic drinks aspulque, the forerunner ofmescal, from themaguey oragave plant;tesgüino from the sprouted kernels ofmaize; andbalché frommead, flavored from the leaves of theLonchocarpus, atropical tree or climbingshrub with colorfulflowers.[7]In the 1650s,Franciscan priest Father Garcia de San Francisco y Zǘñiga, the founder ofEl Paso, plantedMission vines inWest Texas for the production of sacramental wine.[1] ThehorticulturistThomas Munson used Texas vines to create hundreds ofhybrid grapes and conducted significant research in findingroot stock immune to thePhylloxera epidemic, which saved the French wine industry from total ruin.[9] The advent ofProhibition in the United States virtually eliminated Texas' wine industry, which didn't experience a revival until the 1970s, beginning with the founding of Llano Estacado and Pheasant Ridge wineries in theTexas High Plains appellation nearLubbock and the La Buena Vida winery inSpringtown. The Texas wine industry still feels the effects of Prohibition today with a quarter of Texas' 254 counties still havingdry laws on the books.[6]
Texas is divided into three main wine growing regions with a vast range of diversity andmicroclimates that allows many different types of grapevines to grow in the state. The North-Central Region spans the northern third of the state from the border ofNew Mexico across theTexas Panhandle and towardsDallas. This includes theTexas High Plains AVA which has the highest concentration of grape growers in the state.[10] The eastern third of the state makes up the South-Eastern Region which encompasses the area southeast ofAustin &San Antonio, and includingHouston. In recent years this area's wine industry has been hard hit byPierce's Disease. The high humidity around the northern end of this area makes it difficult to grow vinifera grapes, while vines in theMuscadine family flourish along withBlanc du Bois andBlack Spanish grapes which can withstandPierce's Disease. Roughly in the center is theTexas Hill Country AVA where vinifera is grown. At the far southwest end of this region, along theMexico–United States border is the state's oldest winery, Val Verde, which has been in operation for over a century. The central-western third of the state is known as the Trans-Pecos Region which produces about 40 percent of the state's grape in the highestaltitude vineyards of the area. More than two thirds of all the wine produced in Texas comes from this area.[10]
Thecalcareous soil in the Texas High Plains is characterized as red sandy loam (tiera roja) over caliche (limestone) with moderate low fertility, aterroir similar to that found inCoonawarra in Australia. The vines are exposed to long days of sunshine and cool nights due to an elevation of over 3500 feet. Cold temperatures during the winter gives the vines opportunity to shut down and go dormant before the growing season. TheOgallala Aquifer provides water resources forirrigation and serves as a tempering effects on the high summer temperatures and extreme winter hazards such as freezing temperatures andhail. The effects of constant wind over the flat terrain serves as a buffer againstviticultural diseases such asoidium andpowdery mildew.[6]
Harvest time in Texas normally starts in July, two months earlier than in California and three months earlier than most of the wine regions in France.[7]
Texas is home to eightAmerican Viticultural Areas.[10][11][12]
Cabernet Sauvignon andTempranillo have the highest number of plantings in the state, followed byMerlot,Black Spanish, andBlanc du Bois as leading variety in bearing acreage planted. Texas is also home to Mourvèdre,Sangiovese,Viognier,Muscat Canelli, andMalbec plantings. The United States Department of Agriculture - National Agricultural Statistics Service survey lists more than 53 wine varieties grown in Texas.[4]
Over the past decade, the Southeast, Gulf Coast, and North Texas growing areas of Texas have increased their plantings ofBlanc du Bois andBlack Spanish varieties, which are more tolerant of the more humid climates in those areas. The two grapes are among the top ten grapes grown in Texas.[4]
The oldest wineryVal Verde Winery was founded in 1883. It remains the oldest continuously operating bonded winery in Texas.[14] As of 2021, there are more than 470 wineries in Texas. Over 2,000,000 gallons of wine were produced in 2021 making it the fourth-largest wine producing state in the nation.[15] That puts Texas behind California, Washington, and Oregon respectively. Mesa Vineyards was the largest wine producer in the state with 500 acres (200 ha) planted nearFort Stockton inWest Texas. First established as an experimental vineyard in 1987 with theUniversity of Texas System, the winery produced wine under multiple labels with the primary brand of Ste. Genevieve. The second largest winery isLlano Estacado Winery.[6] Most of the wineries offer tastings. Besides standard wine tastings where a flight of wines are tasted, many wineries are offering special tasting experiences that include food and wine pairings, and more.[16]
Wine Enthusiast magazine named the Texas Hill Country as one of the 10 best wine travel destinations in 2014.[17]
