Pull over the vehicle; the tasting room is open and ready to pour some Texas sips. October is wine month in Texas. So you can tour wineries, learn about winemaking and sample the bounty in tasting rooms across Texas. From the Texas Panhandle to the Texas Hill Country, wineries and vineyards showcase Texas wine. Here are the top places to enjoy the Texas Wine Country.
Texas Wine History
The Spanish brought wine-making to the region in the 1600s when a Franciscan priest planted vines from the old country to make wine for mass. Notably, this was before California’s vines went in.
Not only did Texas help jumpstart the North American wine industry, but it also saved the Old World from ruin. In the 1800s, Thomas V. Munson, a horticulturist, used the rootstock from native Texas grape vines to save the French vines plagued by Phylloxera. So appreciative of the American horticulturalists, the French government awarded Munson the Chevalier du Merité Agricole, a merit award second to the Legion of Honor.
Prohibition in the United States shut down much of the wine-making in Texas. The exception was the Val Verde Winery near Del Rio, which was started in 1883 by an Italian immigrant, Frank Qualia.
Top Texas Wine Growing Regions
According to the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association, Texas features 36 members of the Vitus grapevine family. Of those 36, 15 are native varieties, which are more unique grapevines than anywhere else in the world.
The Texas Hill Country is one of the largest wine-producing areas in the U.S. However, the Panhandle grows the most grapes.
Established by the Tax and Trade Bureau of the United States Department of Treasury, Texas features eight AVAs or American Viticultural Areas. Each is a geographic appellation with a similar climate and soil composition.
The Texas Hill Country AVA is one of the largest in the U.S. and starts just west of Austin. This AVA also incorporates two separate AVAs within its boundaries. The Bell Mountain AVA is known for its Cabernet Sauvignon and is only five square miles in size. The Fredericksburg in the Texas Hill Country AVA is centered around Fredericksburg.
The Escondido Valley AVA is in West Texas along the Pecos River. The Texas High Plains AVA in the Panhandle grows about 85 percent of Texas’s grapes. Next to the New Mexico border is the Mesilla Valley AVA. The Texas Davis Mountains AVA is centered around Fort Davis. The Texoma AVA is along the Oklahoma border.
Fredericksburg and the Texas Wine Country
The Texas Wine County is home to 100 wineries and vineyards. In Fredericksburg’s Gillespie County, visitors will find 60 wineries, vineyards and wine-tasting rooms.
It’s the second-largest wine destination in the U.S. This is one of the top things to do in Fredericksburg, Texas.
The Becker Vineyards
Head to The Becker Vineyards for expansive grounds and an impressive wine list. Becker wines have been served at the White House on several occasions.
Becker Vineyards offers an indoor tasting room and a covered outdoor patio overlooking its estate. It also grows lavender.
Located at 464 Becker Farms Rd. Open Monday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. General tastings start at $25.
Messina Hof Hill Country Winery
With a ten-acre property. Messina Hof offers a selection of its 50 Texas wines. It also offers a bed and breakfast site on its property.
Located at 9996 U.S. Highway 290 E. Open Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. Reservations are recommended for Saturdays. Tastings start at $5 a glass.
Grape Creek Winery
With 25 acres of vines, the Grape Creek Winery features Tuscan-inspired tasting rooms. Its wines are top-rated, many with ratings over 90 points.
Also, visitors will find the Heath Sparkling Wines located on site. It offers guided tastings from $30 and tours are also available.
Located at 10587 U.S. Highway 290, Fredericksburg. Open daily from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tastings start at $30.
Top Things to Do in Fredericksburg
Lubbock and the Texas High Plains
Lubbock and the Texas High Plains grow over 80% of Texas grapes. With its lower humidity and higher elevation, Lubbock and the High Plains offer the hot days and cool nights wine grapes need to flourish.
In the 1960s, Texas wine pioneers planted vineyards in North Texas. Texas Tech University professor Clifton McPherson planted 140 different grape varieties in the high plains of the panhandle. Soon after, he and his business partners and fellow professors, Robert Reed and Roy Mitchell, formed Llano Estacado Winery.
Llano Estacado Winery
Opening in 1976, this is the second-oldest winery in Texas. Llano Estacado originates from Texas Tech University, where its founders were professors. Now, Llano Estacado is the largest winery in Texas and offers a tasting room.
Located at 3426 E FM 1585. The tasting room is open Tuesday to Wednesday from noon to 5 p.m., Thursday to Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m.
McPherson Cellars
Dr. Clinton McPherson was a Texas wine industry pioneer and one of the original founders of Llano Estacado Winery. Kim McPherson opened McPherson Cellars in 2000 to honor his father. Located in an old Coca-Cola plant, McPherson Cellars offers wine tastings.
Located at 1615 Texas Ave. Open from Tuesday to Saturday from noon to 6 p.m.
English Newson Cellars
The English Family purchased the former Caprock Winery in 2013. In 2018, the Newson Family joined to produce award-winning Texas wine.
Located at 408 E Woodrow Rd. Open Tuesday 1 to 6 p.m., Wednesday 1 to 9 p.m., Thursday 1 to 7 p.m., Friday 1 to 9 p.m., and Saturday noon to 9 p.m. Wine tastings are $15 per person and includes five, 2-ounce pours.
Top Things to Do in Lubbock
Drive a Texas Wine Trail
Go Texan, the Texas Department of Agriculture’s program to showcase made in Texas products, designated wine trails in Texas. Each offers a handful of wineries or tasting rooms that can be visited in a day, or weekend.
Texas Hill Country Wine Trail—With over 50 wineries in the area, this wine trail is the most comprehensive. Also find several different wine trails in the area.
Grapevine Wine Trail—Attend a regular event showcasing five wineries within walking distance in downtown Grapevine.
Texas Bluebonnet Wine Trail—Find eight wineries northwest of Houston between U.S. Highway 290 and Interstate 45.
Texas Independence Wine Trail—Fine eight wineries west of Houston between U.S. Highway 290 and Interstate 10.
Piney Woods Wine Trail—With nearly 20 wineries, find lots to sample in East Texas.
Way Out Wineries Trail—Find eight wineries north of Austin and south of the metroplex.
Top Drives to Take Across Texas
Grape Varieties of Texas and Harvest
Texas grows many of the top European varietals used in winemaking. According to the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association, Texas produces 70 percent red grapes and 30 percent white grapes.
Top Texas wine-making grapes include red varieties like Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Riesling, Sangiovese, Syrah, Shiraz, and Tempranillo. White grapes include Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Albarino and Voigner.
The hot and dry weather in Texas helps ripen the grapes. Grape harvest in Texas is earlier than in other regions, including California and Europe. Some varieties need to be harvested as early as July, though most are harvested in August and continue into September.
So get out there and enjoy the bounty of the Texas wine industry in October.
