Texas Wine Facts for Texas Wine Month
10.12.17
It’s the best month of the year… October is Texas Wine Month, y’all! The Texas Department of Agriculture has proclaimed October as Texas Wine Month “in honor of the growers and producers who are committed to making quality Texas wines an integral part of Texas agriculture and the worldwide marketplace.” To celebrate, here are five fast facts about Texas wine.
According to Wine America Economic Impact Report, the Texas wine industry generates close to $13.1 billion in total economic activity in the State of Texas.
Texas has eight AVAs or American Viticultural Areas! (Texas Hill Country, Fredericksburg in the Texas Hill Country, Texas High Plains, Bell Mountain, Escondido Valley, Mesilla Valley, Texas Davis Mountains and Texoma)
Established by Spanish missionaries, Texas was the location of the first vineyard in North America in 1662.
The Texas Hill Country AVA is the largest in Texas and the second largest in the country. Although the Texas Hill Country AVA is the largest, 80% of Texas’s grapes come from the High Plains.
Wine America’s study also points out there were an estimated 1.7 million tourist visits to Texas wineries in 2017.
Texas is the fifth largest producer of wine in the United States.As of August 18, 2017, there were 436 wineries (G permits were issued by the TABC). In 1977, Messina Hof was established as the 4th winery in the state!
