Wineries

Each winery offers a unique perspective on southeastern Texas wine culture, creating a diverse and memorable wine trail experience. Together, they represent the innovative spirit and warm hospitality that define Texas wine country.

Blue Mule Winery - Fayetteville

A Rustic Farm Experience

Nestled atop a hill on 11 acres just west of Fayetteville, Blue Mule Winery offers a uniquely rustic Texas experience where you can enjoy wine tastings while walking through vineyards and petting donkeys and alpacas. This small-town winery embodies the authentic farm-to-glass philosophy, making all their wines in-house and growing their own Black Spanish and Blanc du Bois grapes.

Your visit begins in their cozy tasting room where you'll sample wines ranging from dry to dessert styles. What sets Blue Mule apart is the farm atmosphere – after your tasting, take a leisurely stroll through the vineyard with your glass in hand, meet the friendly farm animals, and watch chickens roam the grounds. It's an unpretentious, down-to-earth experience that captures the heart of rural Texas winemaking.

The setting is perfect for those seeking a peaceful escape from city life, where you can sit back, relax, and truly disconnect while enjoying handcrafted wines in a genuine farm environment.

Texas Star Winery - Chappell Hill

Award-Winning Wines in Bluebonnet Country

Located in the heart of Bluebonnet Country in Chappell Hill, Texas Star Winery specializes in exceptional handmade wines, offering both award-winning fruit and grape wines in a scenic tasting room setting. The winery is known for their specialty fruit wines including Prickly Pear, Plum, and Cranberry, alongside traditional grape wines.

Owners Jim and Susan are praised for their warm hospitality, making every visit feel personal and welcoming. The charming tasting room provides an intimate setting for sampling their diverse wine portfolio, while the outdoor seating under the trees offers a romantic and relaxing atmosphere perfect for couples or groups.

The winery's location in beautiful Chappell Hill adds to the overall experience, with the charm of the historic area complementing the award-winning wines. Texas Star represents the perfect blend of innovation and tradition, where unique fruit wines showcase Texas terroir in unexpected and delightful ways.

Threshold Vineyards - Navasota

Modern Vineyard Sophistication

Just south of Navasota and only an hour drive from Houston, Threshold Vineyards offers a more contemporary winery experience with guided tastings, vineyard tours, and live music events. This family-owned operation represents the evolution of Texas winemaking, transforming from a Christmas tree farm to a sophisticated vineyard and winery.

Their guided tastings showcase the uniqueness and diversity of Texas growing regions and terroir, while their exclusive behind-the-scenes tours take you through the vineyard where Blanc Du Bois grapes thrive, sharing insights on fermentation, aging, and winemaking artistry. The experience includes walking through carefully cultivated vineyards and exploring the winery to understand the complete journey from vine to bottle.

Located in the Brazos Valley just miles from the Brazos River, the vineyard takes advantage of excellent sandy loam soils that have supported various crops over the years. Threshold offers a more structured, educational approach to wine tourism, with reservations recommended for tastings and required for tours, ensuring a premium experience for every visitor.

En Gedi Vineyards - Calvert

Faith-Inspired Oasis in Central Texas

En Gedi Vineyard and Winery is a family-owned, veteran-owned, and Texas Aggie operated winery that draws inspiration from the biblical oasis near the Dead Sea where David hid from King Saul. Located in the charming small town of Calvert, with their vineyard situated in nearby Jones Prairie, En Gedi offers visitors a peaceful retreat from busy modern life.

The vineyard features estate-grown Lenoir (ninth leaf) and Blanc Du Bois (eighth leaf) grapes planted on GDC systems with high cordon training that maximizes morning sunlight while providing cooling afternoon shade. The winery takes pride in sustainable practices, using compost fertilizer, eliminating herbicides, and applying only organic approved fungicides.

Their featured wine, Port Sullivan, is a full-bodied dessert wine made from locally grown Lenoir grapes aged in bourbon barrels. The intimate tasting room experience reflects the family's commitment to faith, community, and creating distinctive wines using traditional techniques in their serene, woods-surrounded property.

What makes En Gedi special is its genuine small-town atmosphere combined with serious winemaking. Using native yeast on their white wines to make a raw, natural wine, they create products that truly reflect their Central Texas terroir and values-driven approach to viticulture.

Messina Hof Winery - Bryan

Award-Winning Texas Wine Legacy

Founded in 1977 by Paul and Merrill Bonarrigo, Messina Hof has become one of the most award-winning wineries in Texas, growing from a single-acre experimental vineyard to a 100-acre estate with 42 acres of vineyard in Bryan. This iconic Brazos Valley destination represents the perfect fusion of Old World hospitality and New World ambition.

Messina Hof works with approximately 700 acres of the best vineyards across Texas between their estates and partner properties, making them one of the largest premium wine producers in the state. The Bryan location offers multiple experiences: wine tastings, vineyard tours, dining at The Vintage House Restaurant featuring "Vineyard Cuisine," and overnight stays at The Villa bed & breakfast.

Tours and wine tastings are offered seven days a week, with an extensive calendar of events including cooking classes, wine appreciation classes, food and wine pairing seminars, murder mystery dinners, and winemaker dinners. The property also features the Winemaster's Room wine bar for more intimate experiences.

With four locations across Texas - Bryan, Fredericksburg, Grapevine, and Richmond - Messina Hof has established itself as a cornerstone of Texas wine culture. Their commitment to hospitality means you're treated like family, with always a glass waiting and experiences designed to showcase the potential of Texas grapes.

Perrine Winery - College Station

Boutique Artisan Experience

Located in College Station and owned by Beth Perrine Leopold and Rick Leopold, Perrine Winery specializes in all kinds of wine from smooth dry reds to light crisp dry whites, as well as semi-sweet fruit infused wines, wine freezes, and dessert wines. This intimate operation truly has something for every palate.

What sets Perrine apart is its personal touch - Beth and Rick are the only folks involved in both making and serving their wines, creating an authentic artisan experience where you meet the actual winemakers. This hands-on approach ensures every bottle reflects their passion and expertise.

Established in 2011, the winery offers an impressive variety of wines including red varieties like Barbera, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Pinot Noir, Tempranillo, and Zinfandel, alongside white varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Riesling, Muscat, and Viognier.

Their wines have won numerous medals from international wine competitions all over the country, proving that quality doesn't always require scale. The intimate setting allows for personal conversations about winemaking techniques, grape selection, and the stories behind each bottle.

Bernhardt Winery - Plantersville

Ancient Grapes in Tuscan Style

Located in the piney woods and rolling hills of Plantersville, Bernhardt Winery offers a unique experience where visitors can taste not only quality Texas wines but also wines made from ancient grape varieties enjoyed by historical figures like Spartacus, Aristotle, and Alexander the Great. This Tuscan-style boutique winery has been handcrafting award-winning wines since 2005.

What sets Bernhardt apart is their fascinating focus on indigenous wines from around the world, including Mavrud from Bulgaria and Limonia from Greece. Founded by Jerry and Jerri Bernhardt, both former Texas school teachers, the winery began as a passion project making wine from pears and other fruits before evolving into a serious winemaking operation.

The scenic setting just north of Houston provides an authentic wine country ambiance, and the winery prides itself on being both family and pet friendly. Visitors can enjoy tastings of 100% Texas wines, American classic varietals, and unique blends while learning about the historical significance of these ancient grape varieties.

The warm, welcoming environment reflects the founders' educational background, making each visit both enjoyable and informative as you discover wines that connect you to thousands of years of winemaking history.

West Sandy Creek Winery - Richards

Ranch Life Meets Fine Wine

West Sandy Creek Winery sits on a sprawling 360-acre ranch at the edge of the Sam Houston National Forest near Richards, offering visitors an authentic Texas ranch experience combined with award-winning wines. Founded by wine lovers Stan and Peggy McGinley, this family-owned and operated business showcases their decades-long passion for wine and winemaking.

The property is truly unique, featuring their own vineyards where they grow grapes, a winery and tasting room, several log cabins for overnight stays, and plenty of space for the animals that call the ranch home - including a camel and zebronkeys that have become beloved attractions for visitors.

As part of the Sam Houston Wine Trail, West Sandy Creek offers a complete ranch experience where you can taste their handcrafted wines while enjoying the natural beauty of the East Texas landscape. The winery has gained recognition for their quality wines, recently unveiling new varieties like their 2024 Texas Lenoir Blush wine at special events.

The combination of excellent wines, stunning natural setting, and the opportunity to interact with exotic animals creates a memorable experience that captures the spirit of Texas hospitality and the ranch lifestyle.

Golden Oak Micro Cellar - New Waverly

Estate Vineyard Hidden Gem

Golden Oak Micro Cellar, founded in 2016 by Danhong and Alex Bader, represents the intimate charm of a true micro-winery experience. Located on 13 acres in New Waverly near the Sam Houston National Forest, this hidden gem started as a horse ranch with a farmhouse and evolved into an estate vineyard that began producing grapes in 2015.

The winery offers visitors a chance to discover handcrafted wines in an amazing setting with beautiful views. Golden Oak provides an intimate, personal experience where guests can enjoy food pairings alongside their wine tastings while taking in the natural beauty of the East Texas countryside.

What makes Golden Oak special is its artisanal approach - as a true micro-cellar operation, every aspect of the wine experience is carefully crafted and personally overseen. The estate vineyard ensures that visitors are tasting wines made from grapes grown right on the property, creating a true farm-to-glass experience.

The peaceful rural setting, combined with the personal attention from the owners and the quality of their handcrafted wines, makes Golden Oak a perfect stop for those seeking an authentic, small-scale winery experience away from the crowds.

Teysha Vineyard - Huntsville

Community-Focused Wine Experience

Teysha Vineyard in Huntsville, owned by Joe and Lynn Zimmerman, embodies the community spirit that makes Texas wine country special. The vineyard operates under the philosophy that "the best wines are the ones we drink with friends," creating a welcoming atmosphere where visitors feel like part of the extended wine family. Teysha serves as a gateway to exploring the broader East Texas wine region.

The Huntsville location provides easy access for visitors exploring the Sam Houston National Forest area, and the winery's commitment to community collaboration means guests often learn about other nearby wineries and attractions during their visit.

Teysha's approach to wine tourism emphasizes the social aspect of wine enjoyment, making it an ideal stop for groups of friends or couples looking to connect with others who share their passion for wine. The welcoming atmosphere and community focus create lasting memories and often inspire visitors to the rest of the Texas Bluebonnet Wine Trail.