In the past, if you were to pick up a bottle of Texas wine, it would almost certainly be labeled generically as from Texas. This means that at least 75% of the grapes in the bottle must be from somewhere within Texas, but it was not uncommon for the remaining 25% of the grapes to be sourced from places like California.
As the Texas wine industry has grown, however, more and more quality-conscious producers have advocated for more rigorous labeling laws and AVA (American Viticultural Area) regulations. These producers are passionate about elevating the Texas wine industry as a whole, and proving that Texas has all the elements needed to make world class wines. Because of this, there has been a rise in phenomenal AVA or single vineyard bottlings–a rarity until the past decade or so.
There are eight official AVAs within Texas, but two of those in particular really shine in terms of climate, terroir, and quality: Texas High Plains AVA and Texas Hill Country AVA. If you are really wanting to see what Texas winemakers can do, I definitely recommend finding bottles from these particular AVAs and discovering true Texas terroir in a bottle.
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