HISTORY
Founded by Paul and Merrill Bonarrigo in 1977, Messina Hof was named after their respective ancestral homelands. Paul's family is from Messina, Sicily, and Merrill's family is from Hof, Germany. In Paul's family, the first born male is always named Paul, and at the age of 16, begins to learn the 200-year-old family tradition of winemaking. In Sicily, Paul Bonarrigo's ancestors are still making wine today. These winemaking skills have been passed down through each generation. The newest family winemaker, Paul Mitchell Bonarrigo, graduated from The Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

GROWTH
In 1983, Messina Hof's first year of developing commercial wines, Paul and Merrill produced 1,300 gallons. Our Papa Paulo Port, still one of our most popular wines, was the first wine made at Messina Hof. All of the grapes grown here on the 100-acre estate are the popular Port varietal Black Spanish or Lenoir. This year, Messina Hof will produce 265,000 gallons of wine and more than 18 varietals. Texas is the fifth largest wine producing state in the U.S. Messina Hof controls 25% of all grapevines planted in Texas, and is the largest grape grower in the High Plains region where we yield grapes from 500 acres. Messina Hof is the second largest tourist attraction in Brazos County and brings in more than 250,000 visitors per year.