Discover Texas
Wine Country


CARPE TRAVEL
Wine Country GUIDE

Our Texas Wine Travel Guide shares a brief history of the state’s wine country, terroir, where to sip, where to stay, and things to do beyond the vines.

Everything is bigger in Texas, including the wine.

With more than 300 wineries in the state and eight official AVAs (American Viticultural Areas – wine growing regions), Texas has become the fifth largest wine-producing state in the U.S. But take heed: most of Texas wine is sold within the state’s borders. In other words, getting your hands on bottles outside the Lone Star State is not easy.

Want a taste? Plan a visit! Use our Texas Wine Guide to get on your way. The guide is always, changing so make to sure check back!

WHERE IS TEXAS WINE COUNTRY?

With more than 300 Texas wineries, finding a spot to sip isn’t a problem. But note that 90% of the fruit used to produce Texas wine grows in the High Plains of Texas, aka Lubbock. So use that as a starting point for your Texas wine country travels.

Best Times to Visit

The best time to visit Texas wineries is in the early spring / late summer / fall when the temperatures are more manageable. Note that April is a popular time for Texa wine festivals, so get more for our money with a visit to one./

TERROIR

Texas wine country boasts 4,000+ acres of vineyards planted in the eight established AVAs.

The state of Texas is roughly the size of France. Given its size, climate and soil compositions vary, resulting in a multitude of fruit produced in the 4,000+ acres of vineyards in its eight established AVAs.

Being a young wine region, Texas is still establishing the grape varieties that grow well. So far, winemakers find Rhône varieties such as Mourvèdre, Grenache, Syrah, and Tannat to do well in the Texas sun. In addition, Italian and Spanish grape varieties such as Carignan, Cinsault, Tempranillo, and Sangiovese also do well. These grapes can withstand Texas heatwaves… (Always try a Texas Tempranillo. They’re typically amazing!)

If you prefer more white wines, Texas is producing some excellent Viognier, Roussanne, Vermentino, and Chenin Blanc.

TOP GRAPE VARIETIES

White Wine Grape

RED Wine Grape

WHERE TO SIP

With 300+ wineries, Texas wine country has a lot to sip in.
We’ve shared the best Texax wineries, itineraries, and festivals for your grape escape.

Kuhlman Cellars

Becker vineyards

William Chris Vineyards


Read more about where to sip in Texas



TEXAS WINE Trails

Texas is home to eight AVAs – wine growing regions- and each region has its own wine trail, if not several. While the number of Texas wine trails continues to grow, these are two of the more popular and established. 

Wine Road 290

The most extensive wine trail in Texas is in the Texas Hill Country AVA, Wine Road 290. This AVA has been listed as one of “the 10 best wine travel destinations in the world,” and is the second most visited wine region in the United States, only behind Napa.

The Texas Hill Country AVA is home to at least 70 wineries, with more opening each month. With this number of wineries the the Texas Hill Country AVA has a few official wine trails with Wine Road 290 being the largest. More than 30 wineries sit along US Highway 290 from Fredericksburg on to Johnson City, the home to the highest concentration of wineries in the state of Texas, also known as Wine Road 290.

Read more: 

Grapevine’s Urban Wine Trail

While not in the Texas Hill Country, the town of Grapevine has become one of the wine destinations in TX. It is home to the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association and GrapeFest, the largest wine festival in the Southwest, held annually in September. 

Given its deep wine roots, the town is also home to an Urban Wine Trail with nine winery tasting rooms, most of which are within a few blocks of each other on the historic Main St. Two Texas wineries not to miss on the Urban Wine Trail – Messina Hof Grapevine Winery and Umbra Winery.

TOP TEXAS WINE TOURS



TEXAS WINE Events

Austin Food + Wine Festival, 5-7 November 2021: The Austin Food + Wine Festival, sponsored by FOOD & WINE, brings taste, talent and culinary entertainment to the Capital City while helping to support nonprofit Austin Food & Wine Alliance. The three-day weekend is the epitome of high spirits, with a packed schedule of hands-on grilling demos, up-close tastings with top chefs and sommeliers, and a Grand Tasting event like few others. 

Root Stock 2021, 20-21 July: Located in the picturesque Indian Spring Park, Rootstock features 16 of Texas’ best when it comes to wines grown and produced in the Lone Star State. The festival also features a half-dozen local chefs and restaurants competing to create the best small bite to pair with Texas Tempranillo – visitors get to vote for the winner!

GrapeFest, 16-19 September 2021:The Annual GrapeFest is a true Texas wine experience. Attendees enjoy wines from Texas as well as the Finger Lakes region of New York and Niagara-on-the-Lake region of Canada. (This is also located in my hometown! I grew up attending every year and my parents did a lot of volunteering at the wine booths…I promise, it’s A LOT OF FUN!)


Read more about where to sip in Texas

where to stay

The Texas wine country is most notably in the Texas Hill Country, home to many choices so narrowing down where to sip and stay can be a challenge.

Take a look at a few of our favorite resorts, hotels and B&B’s in the Texas Hill Country AVA along with nearby wineries to help your wine getaway be perfectly balanced with a hint of awesome on the finish.

If you’re looking to stay in Grapevine to explore its Urban Wine Trail, The Gaylord Texan Resort is a great spot and provides a shuttle into the historic downtown. Great Wolf Lodge is fun spot if you’re traveling with kids.

Wine tasting in Grapevine TX
McMenamins Photo Credit: mcmenamins.com


TEXAS wine country HOtels


Texas Hill Country


Grapevine

Additional Resources to Plan the Perfect Texas Wine Country Stay

BEYOND THE VINES

Texas offers endless activities besides sipping in the wine country. And, since Texas is my home state, we visit a lot, so find tons of ideas for kids and more!

Find everything cowboy in Fort Worth! Once home to cowhands, cattlemen and outlaws, today it has a more urban vibe with museums like the Amon Carter Museum of American Art and the Kimbell Art Museum.

Bike the iconic Willow City Loop with picturesque Texas bluebonnets and other wildflowers in the spring and rolling hills offering scenic views all year long.

Take in the unique culture and energizing San Antonio River Walk – one of the things that at makes San Antonio one of the top places to visit in Texas.


Stockyards in Fort Worth



Sip in More Texas Wine Country


ALL TEXAS ARTICLES


Facebook


Twitter


Instagram


Wordpress

Subscribe to Sip in More of the World