New wineries, incubators, and promising grape varieties are fueling a golden age of Texas wines. Currently, Texas has over 500 wineries and vineyards making it the third-largest American Viticultural Area in the country as well as the fifth-largest wine-producing state.
But if you’re expecting Napa-style wines, we’ve got some news for you. Our short and extremely warm growing season constitutes an earlier harvest traditionally vs. regions like Napa. This means Texas wine won’t typically have the time on the vine to become the extremely ripe, highly extracted fruit-forward wines we have come to expect from Napa. You should expect softer and more earth-driven Texas wines because of this.
Checkout some of our favorite Texas wines and get ready to stock up on some new must-have wines made right here in the Lonestar State!
Becker Chardonnay
Founded in 1992 in Fredericksburg, Becker Vineyard’s winery is a 10,000-square-foot facility that is a reproduction of a late 19th-century German stone barn, a prevalent style of the Texas Hill Country. Their classic Chardonnay, expresses deep, balanced fruit, rich creamy mid-palate of citrus and tropical fruit, and finishes with lingering citrus fruit and hints of toasted oak.
Llano Estacado Sweet Red
Located in Lubbock, Llano Estacado has been making award-winning Texas wine since 1976. Their sweet red wines display a balanced sweetness with luscious and fruity notes. This deliciously fruity red wine displays an alluring blackberry flavor, with soft, round tannins that provide a rich mouth texture with just a hint of mint in the finish.
TX South Wind Blackberry Fruit Wine
Family-owned and operated Texas SouthWind Vineyard and Winery is nestled between two historic towns, Refugio and Goliad, on 145 acres of beautiful ranch land that is only reminiscent of South Texas. The Blackberry Fruit Wine is a Lonestar favorite and a gold medal winner. It is rich, sweet, and heavy, like eating fresh wild blackberries.
Messina Hof Gewurztraminer
Paul Vincent and Merrill Bonarrigo founded Messina Hof in 1977 with the express purpose of merging Old World hospitality, New World ambition, and the potential of Texas grapes.
This Gewürztraminer is a well-balanced medium-bodied wine with delightful aromatics of white roses and ginger. Exciting flavors of lychee, lemon zest and spices make this a great white wine to pair with food.
William Chris Texas High Plains Rosé
Utilizing Old-World winemaking techniques, Chris and Bill sought to create a genuine expression of Texas’ distinctive grape-growing regions. This is a tasty Texas rosé with interesting layers and complexity, thanks to an ingenious blending of fruits, including Sangiovese and Riesling. Throw in Mourvèdre for good measure and its pepper and gamey notes. Flavorsome fruitiness contrasts with the lemon/lime and mineral notes for a delightfully refreshing experience.
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