Did you know that Texas is home to some of the first wine grapes to grow on the continent?
Yes! Vitis vinifera grapes were being grown and cultivated here in Texas long before they were brought to California, and though the state was hit hard by Prohibition, there are more wineries than ever dotting the vast southern scape.
Here’s a look at the wine industry here around Central Texas and Austin, plus some of the history around wine in Texas as a whole!
What is Texas Hill Country wine like?
History of wine in Texas
Texas boasts a surprisingly long history in winemaking, with its roots reaching back to the late 17th century. Franciscan missionaries planted some of the first vineyards near their missions in El Paso and along the Rio Grande, as it was easier to make their own communion wine than to import it from Spain. This established a tradition that would spread to missions all over the continent, including California where the wine industry flourished in the warm, Mediterranean-like climate.
The wine industry faced a major challenge in the late 19th century with the arrival of Phylloxera, a grapevine pest that devastated French vineyards.Texas viticulturist and horticulturist Thomas Volney Munson emerged as a key figure in combating this crisis, and through his research he discovered that European grapevines could be saved by grafting them onto North American rootstocks resistant to Phylloxera.
More specifically, he identified the American Vitis Berlandieri grape, native to Texas, as a perfect candidate. This vine's root system was naturally adapted to limestone soils similar to those found in Europe, providing a strong and resistant base for European grape varieties. Munson's work not only provided a solution for Texas vineyards but also offered a lifeline to the global wine industry!His contributions were recognized by France with the prestigious Legion of Honor, solidifying the lasting impact Texas had on winemaking history.
As Prohibition rolled around in the 1920s and ‘30s, however, the burgeoning wine industry in Texas effectively halted and lay stagnant for half a century. It was only in the 1970s that wineries started popping back up in the Texas High Plains appellation, and though many counties in the state are still legally “dry,” the state’s wine industry is certainly on its way back up again!
American Viticultural Areas in Texas
Today, there are eight different American Viticultural regions in Texas, with six of them located entirely within the state.
- Texas Hill Country AVA: This one is the largest in the state and is located just west of Austin and San Antonio.
- Bell Mountain AVA: This much smaller AVA is also in the Hill Country and is located entirely within the Texas Hill Country AVA.
- Fredericksburg in the Texas Hill Country AVA: This one is also located entirely within the Texas Hill Country AVA and is more focused on German wine varietals.
- Escondido Valley AVA: Located near Fort Stockton, this tiny AVA has a hot, dry climate that’s great for certain red wines.
- Mesilla Valley AVA: This AVA is mostly located within New Mexico, with only a small portion of it spilling over into Texas.
- Texas Davis Mountains AVA: This high elevation AVA features a cooler, wetter climate compared to its lowland neighbors.
- Texas High Plains AVA: Located in West Texas and covering a significant portion of the panhandle, this large AVA is responsible for growing around 85% of the state’s wine grapes.
- Texoma AVA: Bordering Oklahoma just north of Dallas, this AVA is the same region where viticulturist Thomas Volney Munson developed his Phylloxera-resistant vines!
AVAs in the Texas Hill Country
The three American Viticultural Areas in the Texas Hill Country are the Bell Mountain AVA, the Fredericksburg in the Texas Hill Country AVA and, of course, the Texas Hill Country AVA. The first two are located within the larger Texas Hill Country AVA, but all are known for their unique contributions to the state’s wine industry.
But before we dive into all that, let’s look at what makes the Hill Country so good for growing wine!
Environment
Texas — and Central Texas, especially — has had a long history of geologic activity. Around 100 million years ago, most of central North America was covered by a shallow sea that housed an abundance of life. Twenty million years after that, the formation of the Rocky Mountains caused magma to spout up through the shallow sea and settle back down into cinder cones all over Central Texas. The small hills and islands made up from these cones were the perfect place for little invertebrates and prehistoric creatures to build reefs. Then, the volcanoes would erupt and cover the reefs with ash and rock, and the process would begin all over again.
As the sea levels fell and the land started to look a little more like it does today, what was left behind were layers of limestone and clay-like ash. You can see these layers and how the limestone has been eroded away at Onion Creek at McKinney Falls State Park!
All this plays into the kind of wine grapes that grow well here in the Texas Hill Country. The easily-dissolving limestone adds plenty of minerality to the soil, while the clay-like ash helps retain moisture in the ground while also giving off a unique flavor.
The Hill Country is usually blessed with hot summer days and cooler nights — perfect for growing wine grapes and controlling their sugar levels.
However, the weather around Austin is pretty unpredictable, as you’re surely familiar with, and grape farmers have to keep a close eye on how the weather is going to affect the vines. Sudden summer storms may knock delicate grapes off their vines, while spring frost, high winds, heat waves and hail (to name a few) also pose a threat.
Types of wine grown in the Texas HIll Country
Overall, the types of grapes grown in the Hill Country Region are ones that grow well with hot days, cool nights and in mineral-rich soils. They also have to be strong enough to withstand the occasional storm and bout of hail, and they typically enjoy more water than some of the other AVA grapes in Texas. l. Other than that, though, the region features a diverse selection of grapes grown for many wines!
The climate and geology present in the Texas Hill Country AVA is ideal for a variety of grapes.
Popular red wine grapes grown here are Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, the latter of which does well in the slightly higher elevations of the Hill Country — expect to see more of those wines the higher up you drive.
Tempranillo is a Spanish red wine grape that also does very well here in the Texas sunshine. It’s a fairly neutral grape as-is, so it will take on flavors of whatever environment it’s grown in. A Temperanillo from one side of the Hill Country could taste super different to a Tempranillo from the other!
Viognier is a popular white wine grape that features bright and floral flavors to its wine; it’s a little more aromatic than a Chardonnay, but it has all the same richness. Riesling, Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay are other popular white wine grapes grown in the Hill Country AVA.
The Bell Mountain AVA is characterized by higher elevations (between 1,650 ft. to 1,950 ft.), sandy soil and a bedrock of limestone and granite. The higher elevations mean there is a higher diurnal temperature range, lending to well-developed grapes that are rich in flavor but not overly sweet. Bordeaux-style wines are grown here, including Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Syrah.
Fredericksburg in the Texas Hill Country AVA is located in, you guessed it, Fredericksburg. The AVA here is unique because it produces a fair amount of German-style wines along with its collection of French and Spanish ones — due, of course, to the region’s rich German heritage. Gewurztraminer and Orange Muscat are popular white wines grown here, and reds like Merlot and Pinot Noir grow very well, too. This region also produces some great varietals of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre!
Why you should buy Hill Country Wine
Texas produces a wide selection of wine, but most of it comes from the larger Texas High Plains AVA in the panhandle. The wines grown and produced here in the Hill Country AVA are almost impossible to find anywhere outside the state or, indeed, the region, so the best place to try these specific wines is right here at the wineries that make them!
Take a weekend trip through the wineries around the Hill Country, or find a winery in town near our Austin apartments for a tasting closer to home. Chances are that you’ll want to go back again and again for more!
Cheers!
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Featured photo by Rodrigo Abreu on Unsplash
