Texas Wine Trivia

Wine Trivia and Fun Facts

Depending on the grape variety and process, it takes an average of about 800 grapes to make a bottle of wine. 

Val Verde Winery near Del Rio, is the only winery in Texas to survive prohibition. Val Verde originated in 1883 and continues to produce wine today. 

Costco is the largest wine retailer in the U.S. with sales over three quarters of a billion dollars. 

Resveratrol is the substance in the skins of red grapes credited with the providing health benefits. 

Texas wine dates back to the 1660s when Franciscan priests planted one of the first vineyards in North American at Ysleta Mission near El Paso. 

In 1986, Double Gold was awarded to the 1984 Llano Estacado Chardonnay at the San Francisco Fair Wine Competition. 

Horticulturist Thomas V. Munson of Denison, Texas is credited with saving the vineyards of Europe from Phylloxera in the mid to late 1800s. The French city of Bordeaux erected a statue honoring Munson in the 1970s and Denison is recognized as the sister city of Cognac, France, which also has a statue honoring Munson. 

At one time, the sale of Encyclopedia Britannica was banned in Texas because it gave information about beer making. 

Until 1972, you could not legally buy mixed drinks in Texas. 

Until 1977, you could not plant grapes to be used in wine production in dry regions. 

There are more than 10 definitions of ‘moist’ in Texas – laws that define exactly what alcoholic beverages are allowed to be sold in a precinct. 

Some areas in Texas allow you to drink freely at a bar, but you cannot buy wine at the grocery store. 

The three primary grapes used for red Bordeaux wines are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc. 

Every state in the U.S. has a winery. 

Winemaking is believed to have originated around 6000 B.C. 

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