4 Small Texas Towns That Go Big On Wine

Though Texas ranks number five in wine production in the United States, for many people outside of the Lone Star State, Texas-made wine remains undiscovered.

Due to competition from big-budget wineries in more established wine-producing states like California and New York, plus complexities with wine distribution across state lines, Texas wine is still consumed mostly by Texans, who are fiercely loyal to their local producers. Boutique, family-owned wineries are celebrated here with packed bottle release parties, barbecues, and even good old-fashioned grape stomps during harvest season.

But with growing attention on the national and international stage in wine competitions and the media, plus a booming investment in the industry, bottles of this Lone Star goodness could regularly make their way to wine racks outside Texas borders very soon. And a visit to some of Texas’s best-loved wine regions just might be the thing to make you a believer. 

Texas has five distinct grape growing regions and eight AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) across the state. These are complemented by 19 different wine trails that wind their way from Hill Country to the Gulf Coast to the Texas High Plains, offering tastes of the distinct fruit that grows across Texas’s vastly different terroir. 

“We always say you can come here and taste a world of wine. It’s not just your typical Cabernet, Chardonnay, Zinfandel. We’ve got Albariño and Roussanne and Tannat and Touriga—all of these varietals that grow really well here, that are making exceptional wines,” says January Wiese, executive director of Texas Hill Country Wineries, a group of about 65 wineries located in and around Texas’s central heart of wine country in Fredericksburg.

The result is lush, dark-fruited red wines steeped in Texas sunshine and crisp, mineral-rich white wines that are lovely to enjoy in the shade of Texas live oak trees. Paired with Texan hospitality and cuisine, your time at a Texas winery will give you a lasting memory to savor beyond what’s in the bottle. 

Here are a few places to experience Texas in a glass for yourself.

Fredericksburg

This is the epicenter of Texas wine country: The stretch of Highway 290 between Fredericksburg, Johnson City, and Hye is home to 100 wineries (and counting) and is the best known wine trail in Texas. 

German-Texas culture infuses homey downtown Fredericksburg through its cuisine and warm hospitality, and the perennially green Hill Country landscape winds around the Pedernales River, making for a stunning getaway.

This particular wine trail is massive in scale and growing all the time. During certain months, like October, December, February, and March/April the Texas Hill Country hosts a wine passport experience allowing you to visit up to four wineries a day that offer full tastings.

Lubbock

If Hill Country is the front door to the Texas wine industry, Lubbock and the Texas High Plains region is the backdoor, opening upon expansive fields of fruit that make up more than 80 percent of the grapes in every glass of Texas wine. 

Lubbock is surrounded by flat land that showcases spectacular sunsets and is ideal for grape growing with its hot, dry summers that finish in cool evenings. Traveling to the vineyards here is an experience not every visitor takes the time to do, but it’s worthwhile. You’ll be rewarded with a relaxed, unhurried experience that focuses on education. 

That’s true of most Texas wineries, according to Wiese: “You’re going to be welcomed, and you’re going to be treated like the biggest wine buyer that has ever walked through their door, even if you’re a newbie. They’re going to help educate you about Texas wine. It’s really important to our wineries, to educate the consumer about what’s in their glass and where it came from.”

Fort Davis

In far West Texas, you’ll find a triangle of small but vibrant communities: Marfa, Fort Davis, and Alpine, nestled in the valleys of Big Bend National Park’s Chisos Mountains and the Davis Mountains. This AVA is actually where Texas’s oldest continuously operating winery started, just across from the Mexican border in the town of Del Rio. The story goes that Italian immigrant Frank Qualia and his family found Lenoir grapes growing natively here and founded the Val Verde Winery in 1883. Originally used in communion wine, these grapes are still grown throughout Texas and make some outstanding ports.

Grapevine

The aptly named Grapevine is located just a stone’s throw away from DFW Airport, where you can zip away on a short train ride or shuttle to this destination that celebrates wine throughout its downtown.