Business
BY CHLOE YOUNG
Hill Country wine region bolsters $20.35B statewide industry
In 1975, Susan and Ed Auler planted a plot of grapes on their ranch in Tow, Texas that would soon come to be known as Fall Creek Vineyards. Years later, Ed Auler, a practicing lawyer at the time, drew up a map outlining the boundaries of the Texas Hill Country and submitted an application to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, Susan Auler said. By 1991, the federal agency recognized the Texas Hill Country as an o cial grape-growing region known as an American Viticultural Area, or AVA. The Texas Hill Country wine region is now the third-largest AVA in the nation and has contributed to Texas becoming the fth-largest wine producing state across the country with an economic impact of more than $20 billion, according to a 2022 report by WineAmerica. Local wineries and organizations say they are continuing to see the Hill Country’s wine industry expand due to the area’s growing hospitality sector and diverse wine selection alongside e orts to increase local wine production. “It is booming,” Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said about the state’s wine industry in an interview with Community Impact. “It’s one of the fastest growing segments of agriculture.”
In 2022:
190
87
Hill Country region 1M yearly visitors 1K+ vineyard acres 120+ wineries Statewide $20.35B total economic activity
183
16
71
190
Georgetown
29
29
Leander
71
Cedar Park
10
87
Lakeway
130 TOLL
Bee Cave
290
2.02M yearly visitors 443 wine producers
377
290
Fredericksburg
Austin
83
Dripping Springs
SOURCES: TEXAS HILL COUNTRY WINERIES, WINEAMERICA COMMUNITY IMPACT
183
16
10
San Marcos
281
55
35
173
10
377
410
87
90
90
San Antonio
N
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The impact
Although the Central Texas heat can present challenges, some grape varietals perform well in the area, Elkins said. “Grape growers and wineries have learned a lot in the past two decades; a lot of what works and what doesn’t work in Texas,” said Andreea Botezatu, an associate professor and enology specialist with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. Top Hill Country varietals include: Tempranillo • A red Spanish grape that is new to Texas. Cabernet Sauvignon • A red wine grape across Texas that thrives above 3,000 feet. Mourvèdre • A red wine grape that produces wines high in alcohol and has earthy notes. Tannat • A red wine grape traditionally grown in South West France. SOURCE: TEXAS WINE & GRAPE GROWERS ASSOCIATION, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE COMMUNITY IMPACT
Texas’ diverse climate allows for the production of many di erent grape types, or varietals, based on the soil and environment in which they are grown, Wiese said. A majority of Texas wine is grown in the High Plains AVA near Lubbock due to its cooler climate. More vineyards are opening in the Hill Country, however, as the acreage of grapes planted in the area has more than doubled over the last 10 years, Wiese said. Robert Fritz, owner of Solaro Estate Vine- yards & Winery in Dripping Springs, said establishing more estate wineries that grow their own wine will help the Hill Country develop the same credibility as well-known wine regions like those in California. Texas Wine Growers, a nonpro t that provides education and policy to foster Texas wine industry growth, has advocated for the state to revise its permitting process to bene t wineries that grow their own wine opposed to those that do not, Elkins said.
The number of active winery permits in Texas grew by 186% from scal year 2013-2023, accord- ing to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. Many of these wineries are located in the 15,000-square-mile Hill Country region, said Janu- ary Wiese, executive director of Texas Hill Country Wineries. The nonpro t trade organization increased its membership from eight to more than 60 wineries since forming in 1999, Wiese said. Visitors are often attracted to wineries across the region due to the area’s unique o erings from culture to nature to shopping, Wiese said. The historic German town Fredericksburg has become a central destination for wine in the Hill Country alongside a plethora of other attractions, said Valerie Elkins, co-founder of the Texas Wine Auction Foundation, an organization dedicated to a sustainable future for Texas wine. The state’s growing wine industry created 141,235 jobs and $6.91 billion in annual wages for Texans in 2022, according to WineAmerica. “I think that people see this as not a job, but ... as a career,” Elkins said.
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