Texas, with its capital Austin in the southwest of North America, is the second largest state in the USA in terms of area and, after Florida, the southernmost state. It may sound surprising, but Texas is considered one of the cradles of American viticulture. Shortly after Spanish conquistadors planted vineyards in New Mexico, Franciscan monks planted them here in 1626. In the last third of the 19th century, Texas played an important role in the research of suitable documents for Europe. The American botanist Thomas V. Munson (1843-1913) established a vine nursery with experimental areas in Denison-Texas. The ideal vines were finally found near San Antonio. They were varieties of the species Vitis cinerea var. helleri (then called Vitis berlandieri). At the beginning of the 19th century there were 25 wineries, after the prohibition (1920-1933) Val Verde Winery was the only one left.
At the beginning of the 1970s a complete re-start took place. The vineyards, all of which are located at high altitudes, offer good climatic conditions for wine growing. There are about 100 producers. The vineyards cover 3,200 hectares of vines in the three regions North Central, South-Eastern and Trans-Pecos. The eight areas classified as AVA are Bell Mountain, Escondido Valley, Fredericksburg, Mesilla Valley, Texas Davis Mountains, Texas High Plains, Texas Hill Country and Texoma. The first outstanding Texas wine was produced in 1987 from the new Carnelian variety. However, mainly European varieties like Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Zinfandel are cultivated. Today the best wines can compete with those from California. Well known producers are Becker Vineyards, Blue Mountain Vineyards, Fall Creek Vineyards, Grape Creek Vineyards, Hidden Springs Winery, Llano Estacado, Messina Hof Wine Cellars, Pheasant Ridge Winery, Red River Winery, Sainte-Geneviève (see Cordier) and Wichita Falls Vineyard & Winery.
