Texas Wineries Keep Watchful Eyes
The Texas Hill country is being rained on again for the second straight weekend. Wineries and Wine Events are focusing on the rescue and the recovery of those who have been impacted by two weekends of floods. Wineries are providing profits for the recovery phase. The Texas Wine Preview next week is donating all of their proceeds for the recovery efforts! Texas wineries are also watching what is happening in the Texas vineyards. Wineries and vineyard managers are optimistic even with an early harvest or two. Let’s hear what they have to say while also keeping the Great State of Texas in their prayers.
• Mike Batek with Hye Meadow Winery in the Texas Hill Country – We were having a pretty good year before all this rain. The vines haven’t experienced heat above 95 or had drought to contend with this year. This moisture in July is going to be fun. I was able to spray right before the rains came in, but I’m not sure when I’ll get back in. We received an inch yesterday and I have standing water. Growing grapes in Texas is definitely not for the faint of heart.
• Brian Heath with Heath Family Brands in the Texas Hill Country says, Overall, the Heath Family Brands properties did ok here in Gillespie county. The rain caused the berries to take in some water but no berry burst was observed. With a few warm days we will be good and could possibly result in longer hang times prior to harvest. In response to the flooding, Heath Family Brands has donated $20,000 to the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund. Administered by The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, this fund directs resources to vetted organizations providing rescue, relief, and rebuilding assistance across Hunt, Ingram, Kerrville, Center Point, and Comfort.
• Amanda Koraska with Flat Creek Estates in the Texas Hill Country We were very fortunate at Flat Creek Estate to not incur any damages to the vineyard or winery (aside from too much rain of course). Our perimeter fencing as well as a number of bridges within the property were damaged. The fencing is a priority at this point to keep the deer and other wildlife out of the vines. . We will also be hosting a fundraiser to help those less fortunate. .EVENT DETAILS – Donations all weekend with an event on July 20th. The recent flooding throughout the Texas Hill Country has left a trail of devastation—lives lost, communities and businesses devastated, and families grieving. Here at Flat Creek Estate, our property has suffered damage, but we are incredibly grateful that all of our team members are safe, and our wines and vines remain protected.
• Susan Johnson with Texas Heritage Vineyards Our 14.5 acre vineyard is located in Gillespie County off of Grapetown Road. We have 8 different varietals growing at this location. This year has been a challenge! We had some freeze damage on April 7…we estimate about 25 to 30% loss. This was our first year (9 years) to experience any freeze damage, so I guess we should not complain. The ongoing rains, of course, are a blessing and a curse for the vineyard. The vines LOVE real rainfall. The growth has been outstanding. However, with the amount of ongoing rain we have experienced, we have had issues getting in to spray. AND, it is so humid. But, so far, no mold or rot that we see. We checked our Viognier yesterday and got a 20.5 reading, so we will continue.
• Jeremy Wilson with Adego Vinho Winery Firstly, our hearts are with the people of Kerrville, and everyone affected by the deadly flooding over the 4th of July weekend. It was a tragic event, and we pray for our community. 2025 has been a challenging vintage. Between a handful of hailstorms during the spring and the massive amounts of rain we have seen over the past few weeks, we have had to be quite diligent in the vineyard, but with great results. Overall, the vintage should shape up to be a good one overall, with wines of balance, lower alcohol, softer tannins and slightly higher acid due to the rains and lower than typical summer temperatures. Cheers, and drink more Texas wine!
• Jon McPherson with Carter Creek Winery Carter Creek’s Johnson City vineyards: Sporadic weather during the bloom period has led to poor fruit set across our estate vineyards, and as a result, we’re anticipating significantly lower yields this season. Carter Creek’s Lubbock vineyards: Veraison is underway across the Texas High Plains, with crop levels averaging a moderate 2.5 to 4 tons. However, continued rainfall is a concern — the vineyards need time to dry out. If conditions remain wet, we anticipate increased pressure from mildew in the coming days.
• Penny Adams manages several vineyards across Texas and has this to say about the upcoming grape harvest Late slide into winter dormancy. Late Spring Frost impacted two of my managed vineyards. Vineyard elevation played a big role in which varieties were impacted. Early bud break varieties like Grenache and Sangiovese on higher elevations have beautiful crop load an quality. Good weather during bloom & fruit set period contributed to higher yields in all varieties. Was warmer & drier during bloom.
Early season rains increased cell division and thus we have larger clusters than usual.
Late season rains during early to mid veraison are causing berry swell & split in some varieties; increasing the risk of bunch rot, especially with tight clustered varieties.”
• Bénédicte Rhyne, RHYNE Wines Better than historical uniformity in ripening; color & seed ripening” as we continue fruit sampling.
• Seth Urbanek, William Chris Vineyard Viognier has been harvested June 24th, approximately 3-4 weeks ahead of normal ripening dates.
Keep Texas in your prayers!
