The wine industry in Texas is rapidly growing. In Texas, visitors will discover enthusiastic winery owners. Since Texas is a large state, the terroir is diverse. Currently, there are eight American Viticultural Areas in Texas. With 15,000 square miles, the Texas Hill Country Viticultural Area is the second-largest viticultural area in the United States.

In 2005, the Texas state legislature passed a bill allowing wineries to ship wine anywhere in the state. (Are other states listening?) That was four years ago, has anything dire happened to Texas? In 2005, there were 85 operating Texas wineries and by 2007 that number increased to over 120 wineries. What a boost to the economy! It was estimated that at the time these wineries were producing an annual revenue of $1 billion. The Texas Department of Agriculture created a small booklet, “Texas in a Bottle.” It is a compilation of information about Texas wineries, history and wine in general. For extensive Texas winery and vineyard information visit the Go Texan Wine website by the Texas Department of Agriculture.

Cheers to Texas wines!

Kathy