Raise a Glass to Texas Wine’s Unprecedented Success
In partnership with: Texas Department of Agriculture
The Lone Star State’s flourishing wine industry is the toast of the town. In 2007, the economic value of the Texas wine and vineyard industry, including everything from jobs created, restaurant sales of wine, hospitality and more, totaled $1.35 billion. In 2022, not even two decades later, the industry now brings in approximately $20.3 billion annually.
“Since we started William Chris Vineyards in 2008, the state’s industry has just exploded,” says Chris Brundrett, co-founder and CEO of William Chris, located in Hye. “It’s been really cool to see the amount of new acreage and wineries popping up and people who want to get into the industry. We’ve been able to figure out world-class wine experiences for consumers from Texas and beyond and are able to share with each other.”
Brundrett founded William Chris Vineyards with his business partner and friend, Bill Blackmon. The pair were both making wine for others and decided they wanted to do it for themselves.
“We opened a little tasting room and started with 400 cases, one team member and a real mission to share with the world what these unique areas of Texas tasted like,” Brundrett says.
Today, the operation produces between 20,000 and 30,000 cases of wine each year and has morphed into eight unique brands.
William Chris specializes in Bordeaux and Rhône varieties. Visitors to the winery can book unique tasting experiences or picnic and wine pairings.
“Everything we do here has intention behind it,” Brundrett says. “We say we grow the good life for our teams, fans and investors through our wonderful wines that carry a sense of place and connect people with the land.”
William Chris Vineyards is one of more than 60 winery members in the Texas Hill Country Wineries (THCW) association, which was started in 1999 to drive traffic to Texas tasting rooms.
“We’re now celebrating our 25th anniversary,” says January Wiese, executive director at THCW. “And while we still focus on heavily promoting Texas wine, we also support wineries and growers through education and networking.”
The nonprofit holds several events to showcase wineries throughout the Hill Country. Some of the most popular include the Wine Lovers Celebration, Wine and Wildflower Journey and the Christmas Wine Affair. Visitors can purchase “passports” for the events which include benefits like savings at member wineries and complimentary tastings.
“Because Texas has such diverse growing climates and soils, you can come to the Hill Country to taste a world of wines,” Wiese says. “We can grow a range of varietals that produce fantastic wines.”
Learn more about THCW winery members and events at texashillcountrywineries.org and about Texas wine at txwines.org.