Texas Wine Industry Gains National Recognition
Texas wine is a 24-billion-dollar business in the State of Texas and is one of the few bright spots in a downward spiraling wine industry throughout the world. Many wineries in other parts of the world are experiencing dramatic reductions in wine sales. Meanwhile in Texas, wineries are seeing increases in sales as national recognition is bestowed on Texas wines. The problem is that Texas buys so much Texas wines that few other states are able to bring Texas wines into others states besides those adjoining Texas. Texas is blessed to have such recognition like
• USA TODAY just released its “2026 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards,” with the Texas Hill Country having a moment on the national wine stage. The Texas Hill Country was just ranked Number 3 in the country for “Best Wine Region.” Grape Creek Vineyards was just ranked Number 5 nationally for “Best Winery Tour.” The region, including one of its flagship wineries, won by public votes against wine regions and wineries in Napa, Sonoma, and the Finger Lakes of New York.
• Texas took its first-ever “Decanter World Wine Awards Gold Medals” this year. Two of those four gold medals, Adega Vinho’s Estate Tempranillo and Ab Astris’s Souzao, came from wineries just a few miles apart in Stonewall. Both wineries are family owned and operated. Both grow much of the grapes they use to make wine on their own estate vineyards. Adega Vinho is owned/operated by the Bilger family. They craft their wines with a minimal-intervention approach from fruit grown on their estate property and from partner growers. Another family-owned estate winery, Ab Astris, founded by the Smith and Nelson families, has built its 12-acre estate vineyard from the ground up. Both wineries are dedicated to crafting exceptional wines sourced from the finest 100% Texas-grown fruit. Both gold medal wines are Iberian varieties (Spanish origins), a category Decanter World Wine Award Judge Tidwell, MS singled out as a standout for Texas this year.
• Shelf space in wine shops is growing for Texas wines. In addition, more and more Texas wineries are putting their wines for consumers to purchase at places like HEB Grocery Store, the number one wine-selling chain of stores in Texas. These wines range from an $8 Becker Iconoclast Cabernet Sauvignon to a $40 Flat Creek Estate red-blend. McPherson Red Blend and Becker Cabernet Sauvignon-Syrah blend are our daily wines from HEB.
The Texas Hill Country is growing with the addition of three new wineries. Those wineries include Peters Prairie Vineyard, French Connection, and Rebecca Caroline. This is a nice snapshot of how much the region keeps growing and diversifying. The Texas Hill County Wine Trail (THCW) membership is up 30% since 2019 and 165% since they began tracking growth back in 2011. A few things that make this a fun story:
• Peters Prairie Vineyard is the first THCW member out of Mason County and has a 22-acre estate growing Mediterranean grape varietals in the Hickory Sands.
• French Connection pairs the Calais and Patillo families with French-born winemaker Benjamin Calais. He brings Old World winemaking techniques to Rhône varietals grown here in Texas.
• Rebecca Caroline, from William Chris Wine Company, is a dedicated traditional-method sparkling wine brand located in the historic Hye Post Office. This winery is named for the founders’ daughters.