Texas Wine - Past, Present

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Texas Wine - Past, Present Future
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Texas Wines - Pre-Prohibition Era

• In the 1800s, Stephen F. Austin traveled the
  state and wrote - Nature seems to have intended
  Texas for a vineyard to supply America with
  wines - Half of the known species of grapes in
  the world grow in Texas.
• Unfortunately, most do not make very good tasting
  wine.
• But, by the 1850s, wine was being made around
  Dallas and in El Paso where it was reported that
  200,000 gallons were produced each year.

Stephen F. Austin
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Texas Wines - Pre-Prohibition Era

• Early problems in Texas
• A great flood in 1897 destroyed many vineyards
  around El Paso
• Native grapes required substantial amounts of
  sugar.
• Cheap whiskey became available
• Laws were tightened on the production of
  alcoholic beverages as prohibitionists became
  more active.
• When prohibition went into effect in 1920, there
  were 20 wineries in the State of Texas.

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Post Prohibition Texas - The Dark Ages

• Val Verde Winery (in Del Rio) was the only winery
  to re-establish successful commercial operations
  following prohibition.
• Laws made it difficult to start new wineries
  since many of the counties were dry.
• Grape growing and wine making became a lost part
  of Texas culture and commerce.

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Texas Era of Optimism - 1971 to 1992

• Texas Universities became involved in grape and
  wine research
• New areas were developed for grape growing - High
  Plains (Lubbock) West Texas (Fort Stockton)
• Techniques were developed to work with the land,
  weather critters
• It was shown that small quantities of fine wine
  could be made in Texas
• Commercial operations started and by 1993, 1.4
  million gallons of wine were being produced in
  Texas

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Texas Era of Pessimism - 1993 to 1996

• Three difficult years hindered production.
• Several wineries that worked to re-establish the
  wine industry had business problems.
• Of the 18 wineries started by 1986, only eight
  were in operation by the end of 1996 with only 23
  wineries in operation by 1995.
• Bad luck, poor planning resulted in a negative
  outcome.

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Texas Problem - Pierces Disease

• A disease lethal to grapevines caused by a
  bacterium, spread by certain kinds of leafhoppers
  known as sharpshooters.
• Restricted to portions of North America with mild
  winters.
• In affected areas, PD is the single most
  formidable obstacle to the growing of
  European-type (Vinifera) grapes.
• Solutions include vine breading for increased
  resistance, genetic engineering, use of bacteria
  against sharpshooter

Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter
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Texas Cautious Realism - 1997 to 2002

• The Texas wine industry today has built itself up
  to the 5th largest in the U.S. behind CA, WA, NY
  and OR.
• In the past 5 years, the number of wineries has
  grown rapidly to 42 with applications for a total
  of 60 wineries in progress.
• Wine laws are being changed that allow
• Wineries to have tasting rooms and sales in dry
  countries
• Formation of the Texas Wine
  Marketing
  Assistance Program
• Intrastate shipment of wine
  from wineries
  
• Support for grape growing from
  TDA Go
  Texan Program

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Impact of Texas Grapes and Wine

• The economic impact of the Texas grape wine
  industry exceeds 100 million annually.

Texas Wine Production
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Texas Grape Growing Regions

• Texas AVAs
• Texas Davis Mtns.
• Escondido Valley
• Texas Hill Country
• Fredericksburg THC
• Bell Mountain
• Texas High Plains

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Texas Wine Issues for the Future

• All but the top seven Texas wineries are small,
  family-run operations.
• These wineries are scattered around the largest
  of the lower 48 contiguous states.
• 2500 producing acres - Texas needs 6,000 now and
  10,000 in the next 10 years Reduce the cost of
  grapes and use out of state grapes.
• A solution for Pierces Disease is needed to
  overcome a major barrier to the industry.

• Texans consume 37 million gallons of wine - Texas
  wineries produce 2 million gallons.
• Texas Pride - surveys show that 90 of Texans
  would prefer to buy a Texas product, if available
  on equal basis.
• Texas market share is growing - 5.3 percent (up
  20 percent), but Texas wines can be hard to find
  - ask for Texas Wines!