Vintage 2017 Texas Wine is the Next Big Story
As the Texas wine industry continues to grow by leap and bounds across the board in quality, grape yields and Best of Class and Double Gold showings in international competitions, so does its contribution to the state’s economy. The 2017 Economic Impact Report on American Wine Industry, commissioned by WineAmerica, shows that the Texas wine industry contributes $13.1 billion to the state’s economy through jobs, taxes and tourism
An industry that was once viewed as a cottage industry for well-heeled retirees, experimental agriculturalists and palate-passionate outliers is now bringing an economic renaissance to small town Texas. Downtown Fredericksburg is a testament to the economic impact of the wine industry. The once sleepy town at the heart of the Hill Country was settled by German immigrants and served as a gathering place on weekends for local farm and ranch families to shop and worship. Today, the old Sunday houses have been reborn as bed and breakfast lodgings for the throngs of wine-centric tourists who flock to wineries that line US Highway 290 between Austin and Fredericksburg. The Hwy. 290 wine trail is second only to California’s Napa Valley as the most visited wine trail in the US.
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