It’s Better Here

Texas vineyards are stealing the show

Story by Jen Calhoun

The words Texas and wine aren’t always uttered in the same sentence outside the state. But with hundreds of vineyards producing new and exciting products, Texas wines are getting recognition.

“The Texas wine industry is exploding,” says Jennifer Cook, who owns and operates Tempe Creek Vineyard and Farms in Livingston with her husband, Michael Santana. “I think one reason is because more people are moving in from all over the country. It’s giving our wines more visibility.”

The product itself keeps getting better, too, according to experts in the field. In the 2021 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition — the largest competition of North American wines — Texas wineries won 259 medals. They competed against more than 1,000 wineries, most of which are located in the nation’s best-known wine state, California. In all, Texas vineyards won 57 gold awards and 14 double golds, meaning the judges voted unanimously in favor of going gold.

“Some Texas grapes and wines are starting to become world champions at wine competitions, too,” Jennifer says, adding that the most popular wine district in the state is in West Texas. “It’s becoming known as a wine country like the Napa Valley in California. But 90% of the grapes in Texas are grown in the Panhandle, where they traditionally grew cotton.”

A Different Take on the Traditional

Jennifer and Michael, who are teachers in the Livingston public school system, didn’t exactly grow up dreaming of operating a vineyard one day. But years of travel gave them an appreciation for interesting food and drink. “We’ve both traveled a lot globally — separately and together,” Jennifer says. “I’ve lived in Africa and throughout Europe for a few years, and my husband did a lot of longterm traveling in the south of Asia. I think we kind of came into this with diverse palettes for food and alcohol in general.”

Jennifer, a transplant from Clarksville, Tennessee, eventually moved to Houston to settle down and start building a life. That’s where she met Michael, a Houstonian with roots in Texas that go back centuries. It was while looking for an affordable wedding venue that they came up with the idea of building their own. In 2016, they closed on the 23 acre Livingston property. They moved to the property in early 2019 before opening Tempe Creek Vineyard and Farms in the fall of that year.

“We like to do things ourselves, and we wanted to live sustainably,” Jennifer says. Along with growing an acre of Blanc du Bois grapes for wine, they also raise chickens, goats, cows and peacocks. “We’re still trying to grow other fruits, but we’ve already had freezes and heavy rains, so we’ve lost so much of it,” she says.

Grape Expectation

Despite the setbacks, the winery has taken off. It’s one of eight vineyards on the relatively young Sam Houston Wine Trail, which winds through part of the eastern portion of the state. “Our biggest revenue generator is probably the wine and the tasting room itself,” Jennifer says. “I organize a lot of events like live music and craft nights. We’ve also held about 10 large, private events — weddings, family reunions and fundraisers for local charities.”

Along with a Texas-themed tasting room, the winery includes a large pavilion with a stage and seating for 120 to 150 guests. The venue also includes about 5 acres to roam, two guest cabins and visits from some of the farm’s animals. “We wanted this to be a family- friendly place,” Jennifer says.

More plans are in the works, too. Along with a larger tasting room, the couple will continue to create specialty wines alongside the more traditional flavor profiles. “We do some funky stuff here,” she says. “We recently released a habanero peach wine. It has a pop of heat from the peppers. We do small batches like that about five times a year. They’re never the same.”

As the wine industry in Texas grows, the couple hopes to reach out to others who might dream of owning a vineyard. Michael offers up how-to information and explanatory videos on the Tempe Creek Vineyard and Farms YouTube channel. “When people start this, it can be overwhelming,” Jennifer says. “You start thinking you need $3 million to get started, but you don’t. We’re hoping we can help some people along the way.”

Touring the Trails

The Sam Houston Wine Trail is 1 of 19 listed wine trails in the state and 1 of 2 in East Texas — the other is the Piney Woods Wine Trail. The Sam Houston Wine Trail is made up of 8 wineries that run north to south from Conroe to Huntsville and east to west from Livingston to Montgomery, including Tempe Creek Vineyard and Farms and Teysha Vineyard. Tempe Creek is at 307 Dickens Ranch Road in Livingston, and Teysha is at 577 Dodge Oakhurst Road in Huntsville. To find out more, visit the Sam Houston Wine Trail website. All wineries and their information are listed on the website. For lists of all Texas vineyards, trails and events, visit the Texas Wine and Grape website. Facebook also offers several ways to learn more about Texas wines, including the Texas Wine Lover page.