Wine might not be the first thing that jumps to mind when you think of Texas. Indeed, Texas probably isn’t the first place that jumps to mind when you think of wine, either.
But the connection between Texas and wine is stronger than you might think. Wine grapes were actually planted in Texas long before they were planted in places like California or Virginia, as early as the 1650s when they were introduced by Spanish missionaries.
Texas’ dry, sunny climate has led some to compare Texan wines to those of Portugal, as well as other places in Southern Europe.
In this article, we’ll look at some of the best wineries in Texas so that if you’re a wine lover planning a trip, you’ll know exactly where to go to get that wonderful wine you’re looking for.
Grape Creek Vineyards
This luxurious winery is located in Fredericksburg, and features 25 acres of vine growing land in its estate there. It was founded in 1983 and has been going strong ever since. Tasting and guided tours are offered, both giving visitors the chance to taste a range of high quality wines (90+ points).
There’s a wide range on offer when it comes to the wine – the vineyard grows a variety of grapes from cabernet sauvignon to chenin blanc and sells multiple reds, whites, and rosés. It also has an excellent restaurant where, of course, you can drink the estate’s wine along with delicious food.
If you like what you find here, there are a number of different membership options on offer, each of which will give you various different privileges and access to promotions and events.
Flat Creek Estate Winery
This winery can be found in Marble Falls and has even been mentioned on Food & Wine Magazine’s list of the 50 most amazing places to taste wine in America. You have a lot of options to choose from here.
Traditional relaxed wine tastings are very much on offer, but you can also choose to hike through the vineyard, play disc golf, and eat at the restaurant as you admire the lovely scenery.
There are also several different membership options available, which will grant you certain numbers of wines per year and discounts on tastings and other activities.
Finally, the winery is happy to cater for special events of all types including birthdays, baby showers, bachelorette parties and so on.
Valley Mills Vineyards
This family owned vineyard is a delight, with delicious wine and great service. Every trip around the gorgeous grounds is a delight even before you get to drinking the wine itself! In addition to red, white and rosé, Valley Mills also offers port wine.
Their membership package grants a 15% discount on all wines, as well as access to complimentary tours and tastings, the best wines, and special events. There’s no membership fee either – all you need to do to be a member is agree to a minimum order of 4 bottles every January, May, and September.
Spicewood Vineyards
Located, surprisingly enough, in Spicewood, this winery is a great one to choose if you want to bring along kids or dogs, since other wineries often don’t accept them. You are welcome to walk around the beautiful estate as much as you wish, though tours aren’t currently offered.
There are two different tasting menus, and you can enjoy the wine with cheese and charcuterie. You can also bring in your own food from outside if you like. A beautiful and relaxing place to enjoy wine.
Messina Hof Winery
The Messina Hof Winery is a well-known name in the Texan wine world. It was founded in 1977 and since then has won multiple awards. Their range of wines is extensive, including over 90 different varietals.
Be sure not to miss Paulo, their range of premium wines. Members of their wine club get 20-25% off all wine purchases too, though even non-members can get discounts on bulk orders.
The estate itself is large, with lots to explore, and also hosts a range of community events at different times of the year.
Stone House Vineyard
This gorgeous winery is located on a hill overlooking Lake Travis near Spicewood, giving gorgeous views. They specialize in wines from the Hill Country and from South Australia. This includes a good range of both red and a smaller number of white wines.
The winery building itself is remarkable, being made of huge limestone blocks that weigh over 2000lbs each. All of the wine is matured in premium French oak barrels, roughly 40% new and 60% mature oak. Along with your wine tasting, you can also sample delicious cheese, charcuterie, and hummus, or bring your own food along.
The winery offers silver, gold, and platinum memberships, each offering a range of benefits. In particular, all members get the first opportunities to book the monthly winery dinners, where the wine is paired with amazing food.
Waco Winery & Vineyards
This is a bit different to a lot of other wineries that are located in rural settings because it’s to be found in downtown Waco, three blocks away from Magnolia. A great touch about this place is that it likes to display local art inside, which adds interest to the experience of wine tasting.
You can sit either indoors or outside in a rooftop patio area, and on Fridays and Saturdays you can enjoy live music. As a cool novelty, they also do chocolate wine, which is a great accompaniment to any dessert.
Bell Springs Winery
This is a great winery located not too far from Austin. Walk in tastings are available for a low price compared to a lot of other wineries on this list, and even more discounts, along with many other benefits, are available if you become a member of the wine club.
Guided patio wine tasting tours, including a charcuterie board and reserved table, are also available. If you’re coming with folk who aren’t partial to wine, the winery also has its own beer, which is worth tasting as well. Kids are also catered to, and the food menu includes a couple of dishes specifically for them.
3 Texans Winery
3 Texans is a winery that’s committed to doing wine the Texas way and, as a result, they’ve been voted the best winery in central Texas. The name comes from the fact that the winery is owned and operated by three women, Kim Langston and her two daughters.
You’ll be able to meet them if you visit and will find them fun, welcoming, and down to earth. To accompany your wine, you can order a charcuterie tray, chips and salsa, or cheesecake.
To drink wine in a lighthearted, welcoming atmosphere and a beautiful setting, you couldn’t do much better than this winery.
Lost Oak Winery
This winery is located in Burleson, close to all the major locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. They are also open for events like weddings, conferences, and private parties.
Wine tastings are available without reservations – simply let the staff know when you arrive. Both sweet and dry flights are available.
Their wine club is also worth a look as it offers benefits like exclusive events, discounts, and complimentary tastings to name only a few.
Driftwood Estate Winery
This winery is located right in the heart of the Hill Country wine area and sits on top of a bluff, looking down over the spectacular view of the vineyard below.
No reservations are necessary for tastings, and for the fee, you may choose any six wines to taste. If you prefer, you can simply come, buy a bottle of wine, and then sit outside and drink it as you admire the wonderful view.
There is also food available, and the pizza in particular is fantastic. Dogs are allowed at the winery, though they must be kept on leashes and cannot go into the tasting room. Children aren’t permitted entry.
San Martino Winery & Vineyards
This is a small, family owned winery, and not an ordinary family at that – the owners’ ancestors hailed from Northern Spain, where their family had a 600-year history of involvement in the wine industry.
Several of their wines have won awards. When you go for a tasting, you can choose either the red sampler or the white and sparkling sampler. The wines in each of these change monthly, so you can come back regularly to keep trying new wines.
Their wine club offers two new bottles of wine quarterly, access to exclusive wines not available to the general public, complimentary tastings, discounts on events, and much more.
Final Thoughts
The take home message here is that if you live in Texas, you’re surrounded by so many quality wineries that it’ll be hard to choose between them.
Not many parts of the world have access to so much great local wine that can be sampled with such great food and with such beautiful views. You might want to try a few of these to see which ones suit you best and consider joining a wine club or two to expand your wine horizons.
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