Texas is famous for many things, from hand-crafted boots and luggage-sized purses to well-weathered cowboy hats and a sweet-as-honey accent that is as unique to our state as the history that sets it apart from any other in the union. While cowhide rugs and big ranch-style-trucks have always been a popular craze, thereās a new trend in Texas that has been on the rise in the Lone Star State, and it has caught much attention around the globe. The art of Texas wine making has made a bold introduction in just the last few decades and it has exposed a softer side to the usual tough-as-nails culture of the 28thĀ state. The history of Texas wine and the art of traditional winemaking is a fascinating journey to discover as it has led to a very successful market of flavorful wines made with a wide variety of grapes grown right at home.
For decades, the state of California dominated the North American wine market with varietals from popular wineries like Buena Vista Winery, DāAgostini Winery and Charles Krug Winery which are all located the area of Napa Valley and Sonoma County. The Golden State has always had a very popular draw to wine-lovers within the United States, but unbeknownst to many, grapevines were planted in the arid riverbanks of South Texas almost 100 years before viticulture was introduced to the West Coast.
The Story of the History of Texas Wine
Early explorers recognized the common characteristic of sandy soils on the banks of the Rio Grande that were almost identical to the alluvial soils of their homeland of Spain. In 1659, Spanish missionaries began to bring grapevine cuttings along with them on the journey across the Atlantic and, for sacramental reasons, began to grow small vineyards in the El Paso area. These small vineyards were the pathway that laid a foundation for the expansion of this agricultural vein of viticulture within the state. By the early 19th century, āPass Wineā had become a popular light red wine that was sold on the trading route near El Paso. Many Santa Fe Traders favored the sweet wine made from the Texas-native Mustang Grapes. Eventually, these wild grapes were propagated into the Black Spanish or Lenoir grape when they were grafted with the European vines still arriving from the East.
The first winery to open in the state was in 1883 in the Del Rio area along the Rio Grande River Valley. TheĀ Val Verde WineryĀ was established by Frank Qualia. Qualia used the Lenoir Grape to begin making his vintages, according to theĀ Texas Wine GrowersĀ website. This winery is still in operation to this day and is operated by the third-generation winemaker, Thomas Qualia. TheĀ Val Verde Winery, a novel winery of the state of Texas, creates the bridge between the historical wines developed hundreds of years and the vast world of modern-day wines crafted today and it is cemented into the stories of the history of Texas wine.
During the 1800ās, many of the European immigrants carried along their own cuttings of vines from the different areas of Europe from which they sailed. Before the original immigration port was destroyed in the Galveston hurricane of 1900, the new arrivals would step off the boats and travel North into the state to settle into a new life in the Western Hemisphere. It was on their new homesteads that they would begin their own tiny vineyards that would, over time, grant the settlers a small taste that reminisced of their homeland.
Though the art of winemaking is not an unfamiliar concept in the history of Texas, itās only been in the last 50 years that the modernized wine industry has ignited and spread throughout the second largest state. Because of Prohibition in the early 20th century, Texas wineries were completely non-existent other than the already-established entity of Val Verde. It wasnāt until the 1960ās that Texas Tech University planted a multitude of Vitis Vinifera in the surrounding area of the panhandle. This encouraged the second winery, Llano Estacado Winery, to open near Lubbock, Texas in 1976. One year later, Messina Hof planted their first vineyard in Bryan, Texas. Soon to follow was the opening of the first two wineries the Texas Hill Country, which were Fall Creek Vineyards (opened in 1979 in Tow, Texas) and Bell Mountain Vineyards (opened in 1983 in Fredericksburg, Texas).
Slowly, modern wineries have begun to blossom across the state. Since that time, a large majority of the Texas wineries began to operate in a concentrated area just east of Fredericksburg, Texas, which is the second largest certified viticultural area in the United States. In 1983, Grape Creek Winery opened their doors as the first winery on what would eventually become the 290-Wine Trail in Gillespie and Llano Counties. Becker Vineyards opened in 1992, and the owners of Safari Winery claim to have multi-generational roots planted within the Fredericksburg area.
Within the next two decades, a string of elegant wineries began to open along the rolling landscape of the 290-Wine Trail. William Chris Vineyards was one of the next wineries to open in 2008 near the tiny town of Hye and was soon followed by the opening of Bingham Family Vineyards and Hye Meadow Winery within the same area. Other venues such as 12 Fires Winery, Signor Vineyards, Carter Creek Winery, Fat Ass Winery and August Vin Winery were the next to open in the 2010ās followed by other fine wineries such as Wild Seed Winery, Halter Ranch, Slate Theory, The Rhinory and Micheal Ros Winery in the 2020ās.
The History of Texas Wine: The 290-Wine Trail
Other Texas Wineries that opened tasting rooms along the 290-Wine Trail include:
The Texas Wine Collective– 2010
Lewis Wines– 2010
Mendelbaum Cellars– 2011
Westcave Cellars Winery– 2011
Texas Mead Works– 2011
White House Winery– 2011
Blue Lotus Winery– 2012
Vinovium– 2012
Hilmy Cellars– 2012
Six Shooter Cellars-2013
Kuhlman Winery– 2014
Lost Draw– 2014
Barrons Creek– 2015
Narrow Path Vineyards– 2015
Pontotoc– 2015
Ron Yates– 2016
Wedding Oak Winery– 2016
Farmhouse Vineyards– 2017
Ab Astris Winery– 2018
Horn Winery– 2018
The 290 Wine Castle– 2018
Texas Heritage Vineyard– 2018
French Connection Wines– 2019
Grapetown Vineyard– 2020
Kalasi Cellars– 2020
Silver Dollar Winery– 2020
Coordinates Winery– 2021
Siboney Cellars– 2021
Covington Cellars– 2021
Untamed Wine Estates-2021
Airis āEle– 2022
Arrowhead Creek Vineyards– 2023
Barelle Vineyards– 2023
Blumenthal Farms– 2023
Portree Cellars – 2023
The Edge Winery– 2025
While there were many other wineries that were opening across the state, the Texas Hill Country was exploding with brilliant wine makers who were widely swinging open the doors to their tasting rooms to share their artistic craft with world of wine-lovers. Today, a total of 443 wine producers and 440 registered wineries are in operation today within the state of Texas and fifty of those wineries are planted along the Wine Trail in Fredericksburg.
Arch Ray Resort: A Unique Texas Winery
In 2019, Arch Ray Resort broke ground just outside of Fredericksburg, Texas on HWY 290. Steve and Sally Baxter, native Texans who share Texas roots that are six generations deep on both sides of their familyās lineages, began to plant vineyards along the banks of the Colorado River that winds through the family ranch in Bend, Texas in 2009. The concept of the winery is based on some of the most notable precepts woven through Texas history, where family was paramount and kind, neighborly relationships was the way of the land. Their first winery, Fiesta Winery, opened in 2010 as they entered the untapped world of sweet wines. Popularity for Fiesta wines grew quickly and the Baxterās name became well known within the Texas community of wine-lovers as their vintages began to win a multitude of competitive medals.
The History Of Arch Ray
In December of 2023, Arch Ray Resort, opened their doors to the public. The winery offered an array of dry labels crafted with 100% Texas-grown grapes. The wine gained notoriety quickly and, as of this year, several new varieties are in-line to be released over the summer of 2025. One of the unique characteristics of Arch Ray Resort is that there are two wineries (Fiesta Winery moved on site in 2025), but there is also a Brewery (Ogle Brewery) and Distillery (Paul Bee Distillery) located on-site, so a drink-option is available for, regardless of what type of refreshment they may favor. Inside of our Ranch-to-Table Restaurant, a perfect pairing option is available at, 1894, which offers incredible selections for both lunch and dinner.
Arch Ray Resort, though one of the relatively new treasure along the Texas Wine Trail, is gaining traction within the surrounding community and the further outreaching cities. Arch Ray invites you to step through our doors and become a part of our ever-growing story where family, whether biological or chosen, is an essential element and where, at the table, thereās always room for one more.