Celebrate Texas Wine Month!

The Texas Department of Agriculture has declared the entire month of October as “Texas Wine Month.” The Texas Harvest of grapes has culminated and wine is being made from this “harvest of the century.” Now it is time to celebrate this year’s bountiful harvest. The entire month of October will be loaded with events celebrating Texas wines.

In honor of “Texas Wine Month”, we would like you to understand why wine has become a growing industry in Texas! Messina Hof was one of the original wineries in Texas, the fourth to be exact! Paul and Merrill Bonarrigo were part of the early Texas agricultural group that pioneered the Texas wine industry into what it is today.

By 1983, Messina Hof’s began 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.

We are so excited to have an entire month dedicated to Texas wine industry! And more excitement is to come, when we open our new Hill Country Winery this month as well.