Texas Wine Month Celebrates the Legacy of Texas Wine Pioneers
This weekend is the last weekend of October, being the officially designated Texas Wine month. The 20+ BILLION DOLLAR Texas wine industry has grown on the shoulders of pioneers re-starting the Texas wine industry in 1976. Only one winery, the Val Verde Winery in Del Rio survived Prohibition which ended in December, 1933 and is still alive and well. It is now into its fourth generation of the Italian immigrant family, being the Qualias! In the 1960’s, two Texas Tech professors looked at re-starting the dormant wine industry. Dr. Clint McPherson received permission from Texas Technological College (now Texas Tech University) to run an experimental winery in the Chemistry Building. The other Professor, Robert Reed, experimented with different grape vines on a plot of land in what is now south Lubbock (88th Street and Martin Luther King Blvd.). This Sagmor Vineyard on 15 acres proved once again that vitis vinifera grapes could flourish in Texas. “Doc” McPherson established Llano Estacado Winery in Lubbock in 1976, being the first winery to be established 43 years later after Prohibition ended.
Other Texas wine pioneers included a transplanted New Jersey boy by the name of Paul Bonarrigo. This Physical Therapist married a beautiful young lady in Texas by the name of Merrill. Together, they grew grape vines in their backyard, made wines from those grapes, and were asked by their neighbors to make more wines, hence the birth of Messina Hof Winery in Bryan. The winery name is based on Paul’s family’s origins in Messina, Italy and her origins in Hof, Germany. Their son Paul and his wife Karen are the second generation and making award-winning wines with a third generation now approaching teen-hood. They are Texas’ “First Family of Texas Wines.”
Cattle Ranchers Ed and Susan Auler in Tow in the Texas Hill Country started to raise grapes and make wines after their cattle search in France. They loved both the cattle and the wines. It was through their efforts in importing both that Fall Creek Winery was established. Ed passed away last year, but his bride still is there transferring the winery operations to their son. Susan Auler still has a great influence in the Texas wine scene pairing wines with foods.
Bobby Cox on the Texas High Plains was a pioneer in growing grapes on the Texas High Plains. His Pheasant Ridge Winery near New Deal, north of Lubbock also showed the way for several cotton growers to begin growing grapes on their cotton fields. Grapes use considerably less water than cotton and is a better “cash crop” since there is an abundance of synthetic fabrics available these days. Cotton Farmers like Neal Newsom and Clint Bingham saw the way that grapes were prospering on the Texas High Plains. Dr. Vijay Reddy is also a pioneer in the Texas vineyard industry with his large vineyard showcasing over 20 different grape varietals.
Raymond Haak in Galveston County brought Blanc du Bois grapes to grow along the Texas Gulf Coast. He established Haak Vineyards and Winery and is considered to be the “Father of Blanc du Bois in Texas.” As a result of his efforts, Texas produces more of the hybrid grape Blanc du Bois than anywhere else in the world.
There are many other Texas wine industry giants that have evolved. However, the Texas wine industry established itself on the shoulders of these Texas pioneers. These pioneers established the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association which provided a lot of the experiences to growing grapes in Texas and making award-winning wines from that Texas fruit. Let us raise a glass to toast these Texas pioneers and the award winning wines that our Texas wine industry is now producing!