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At the heart of Texas Wine Country is Fredericksburg and the Texas Hill Country AVA (American Viticultural Area), the second largest certified Viticultural Area in America with well over nine million acres. Inside this region are over 75 wineries, vineyards and tasting rooms producing some of the best vino that Texas has to offer. Popular with Texans for years because of its legendary shopping and bountiful peach crops, Fredericksburg has evolved into a wine destination unlike any other in the country. It boasts a small-town feel with the restaurants, accommodations, shops and attractions usually reserved for a much larger destination. Settled by German immigrants in the 1840s, Fredericksburg’s rich German heritage is still evident today among its architecture, cuisine and its friendly people. The history of wine in Texas is a long one. The first vineyard established in North America was in Texas around 1662 by Franciscan priests. As European settlers followed the development of mission outposts, they brought more grapevine cuttings, further developing the industry through the 1800s. The modern Texas Wine Country can trace its roots to the 1970s when the capacity for a commercial wine industry developed in the High Plains region around Lubbock as farmers discovered the type of grapes that could be grown best. Today, Texas has over 4,000 acres of producing vineyard farmland and over 70% of the state’s grapes are still grown in the High Plains region. Around Fredericksburg, Bell Mountain Vineyards (1970s) and Becker Vineyards (1990s) were established and proved that the Texas Hill Country was viable as a grape growing location. Texas Hill Country wine tourism has taken off from that point to more than 75 wineries today. |
