Southwest Austin - Dripping Springs | October 2024

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 ocial 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. This October, the state is celebrating Texas Wine Month for its 25th year and participating in Come Over October—a national campaign centered around uniting family and friends around wine. 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 eorts to increase local wine production.

In 2022:

190

Hill Country region 1M yearly visitors 1K+ vineyard acres 120+ wineries Statewide $20.35B total economic activity

183

190

Georgetown

Leander

Cedar Park

Lakeway

130 TOLL

Bee Cave

290

2.02M yearly visitors 443 wine producers

377

290

Fredericksburg

Austin

Dripping Springs

SOURCES: TEXAS HILL COUNTRY WINERIES, WINEAMERICACOMMUNITY IMPACT

183

San Marcos

281

173

377

410

San Antonio

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Diving in deeper

The impact

There are plenty of opportunities for Texans to participate in Texas Wine Month throughout the Hill Country, including educational opportunities, food pairings and other events such as concerts. “[Texas is] a really great place to come learn about wines and experience wines for the rst time, because wineries are so inviting and are providing so much education,” Wiese said.

Texas’ diverse climate allows for the production of many dierent 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 nonprot that provides education and policy to foster Texas wine industry growth, has advocated for the state to revise its permitting process to benet 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 nonprot 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 oerings 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.

Celebrating Texas wine Texas Wine Passport

• $85 ticket provides access to more than 45 wineries throughout the Hill Country from Oct. 1-31 • At various locations Austin Food & Wine Festival • Nov. 1-3 at Auditorium Shores • At Auditorium Shores, 900 W. Riverside Drive, Austin

Visit www.uncorktexaswines.com to view more events.

SOUTHWEST AUSTIN DRIPPING SPRINGS EDITION