The History of Texas Wines

The history of Texas wine is so fascinating to me, because its roots run deep but have only recently begun to bud and flower. Texas was likely the second state in the US to have vitis vinifera wine grapes planted (following New Mexico). In 1659, the first Spanish mission settlement was established in El Paso, and settlers brought wine grapes with them for communion wine.

Over the next several centuries Texas viticulturists focused primarily on native Texas grapes of a different genus than quality wine grapes. A Texas grape researcher named Thomas Volney Munson used his knowledge of native and hybrid grapes to help solve the phylloxera crisis in Europe in the late nineteenth century, providing the specific phylloxera-resistant rootstock that would ultimately save the European wine industry. He was awarded the French Legion of Honor in 1888 for his efforts.

Modern winemaking began to take off in Texas in the 1960s, when researchers from Texas A&M and Texas Tech studied Texas terroir and located regions where vitis vinifera grapes could thrive. By the 1970s, winemakers realized that there was a market for Texas wines, and began to make wines inspired by the success of California winemakers.

Since then, the Texas wine industry has grown and evolved, and over the past decade many modern producers have been moving toward more terroir-driven, quality-focused wines that regularly blow my mind. More and more fascinating and delicious wines are being produced in the Lone Star State.

If you haven’t yet tried a Texas wine, now is the best time to find a good bottle and taste for yourself what Texas terroir can really do!