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“These Texas wineries represent the best of our land and spirit—nothing beats Texas flavor!” —Sid Miller, Texas Agriculture Commissioner
PR ESENTS
CHEERS
TO THE B E ST IN
TEXAS
TEXAS WINE HAS ENTERED AN ERA OF DEFI-
A N N O U N C I N G T H E 2 0 2 6 T E X AS V I NT N E R S C U P W I N N E R S
The sixth annual competition is brought to you by the Texas Department of Agriculture.
Photos in this spread courtesy of VISIT LUBBOCK
October is Texas Wine Month. Uncork Texas Wines is celebrating by announcing the winners of the 2026 Texas Vintners Cup.
nition. After decades spent discovering which varieties, sites, and approaches make sense across a state of climatic diversity, its identity is coming into sharper focus. The conversation is less about whether Texas can make serious wine and more about what serious Texas wine looks and tastes like. That answer continues to take shape vineyard by vineyard. From the elevated High Plains to the limestone Hill Country, growing conditions vary sharply. The strongest wines reflect a fluency in place: deliberate varietal choices, precise farming, and winemaking calibrated to Texas rather than modeled on somewhere else. The 2026 Texas Vintners Cup, part of the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Uncork Texas Wines program, drew its largest field yet, with more than 275 entries. Master Sommeliers Jack Mason and Craig Collins joined wine journalist and organizer Jessica Dupuy to evaluate the wines blind. Over two days, the field was narrowed to roughly fifty before twelve wines were selected as the winners, with 25 Honorable Mentions. “We were seeing balanced acidity, more measured oak, and alcohol levels that tasted increasingly in sync,” says Dupuy. “Those are
meaningful gains in a climate where ripeness can intensify very quickly.” Collins found similar progress. “This year’s Vintners Cup tasting showed that Texas winemakers are continuing to push for cleaner wines that are truer to varietal character.” Rhône and Italian varieties performed particularly well, including Grenache, Syrah, Sangiovese, Aglianico, and Teroldego, while Rhône and Italian white blends, Picpoul Blanc, and Sauvignon Blanc showed strength among whites. Mason pointed to “a continuation of thoughtfulness in the cellar,” describing fresher, cleaner wines with less obvious winemaking impact and greater purity of fruit. Twenty-two sparkling wines were also entered, most made by the traditional method, signaling investment in the category. Newer names including Missick Cellars, Reddy Vineyards, Rivenburgh Wine, and Tatum Cellars rose to the top. And Jaclynn Renée Wines returned to the final twelve with three winning selections (two won last year), a definite rising star. Texas has hardly arrived at a single stylistic identity, nor should it. What is becoming clearer is confidence in place across an exceptionally varied wine landscape and a growing ability to translate it into the glass.
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JOHNSON CITY
WIMBERLEY
CARTER CREEK WINERY RESORT & SPA
JACLYNN RENÉE WINES 2024 SYRAH J A C LY N N R E N E E W I N E S . C O M
2025 PLATEAU WHITE
WINERY DETAILS: Houston-born
C A RT E RC R E E K.CO M W I N E R Y D E TA I L S : Winemaker
Jon McPherson brings decades of winemaking experience to Carter Creek Winery Resort & Spa, where his approach begins with a simple premise: work with varieties that naturally suit the state. Rather than imitate European wines, McPherson looks to Old World traditions for inspiration while allowing Texas growing conditions to shape the final expression. His 2025 Plateau White blends 55 percent Trebbiano, 23 percent Vermentino, and 22 percent Pinot Grigio, Italian varieties well adapted
to warm, dry climates and sandy loam soils. Most of the wine is fermented and aged in stainless steel to preserve freshness and bright fruit character, while a portion of the Pinot Grigio spends two to three months in barrel. “I describe it as a ‘kiss of wood,’” McPherson says, “just enough oak to add texture, depth, and subtle richness without overshadowing the fruit.” The result reflects his larger goal for Texas wine: balanced, expressive wines rooted in varieties that make sense for the place year after year rather than forcing varieties that do not.
winemaker Jaclynn Renée “Jackie” van Sant-Downes began her career in Sonoma County in 2007, working at family wineries in Dry Creek Valley and the Russian River before launching Jaclynn Renée Wines in 2013. After returning to Texas in 2021, she began transitioning the label to Texas-grown fruit, working with small family growers in the High Plains. Her 2024 Syrah from Newsom Vineyard earned one of three Jaclynn Renée spots in the Texas Vintners Cup, following recognition for the previous vintage. Aged twenty
“Floral and mineral, with pear, green apple, and lemon flavors on a soft, chalky palate that carries through a long finish.” —CRAIG COLLINS
months in 30 percent new French oak, the wine balances blackberry and blueberry fruit with black pepper, savory spice, and earthy, meaty notes. “I wanted to showcase the vineyard first, so the oak adds structure and complexity while letting the wine’s personality shine through,” says van Sant-Downes. The repeat showing underscores a strong run for a winemaker betting on her own label. Last year, she left full-time winery work to open the Jaclynn Renée Wine Collective in Wimberley, creating a home for her wines in the Texas wine community.
JOHNSON CITY
WIMBERLEY
ELISA CHRISTOPHER WINES
JACLYNN RENÉE WINES
2025 SPARKLING PICPOUL BLANC
2025 ROSÉ OF GRENACHE
E L I SAC H R I STO P H E RW I N E S.CO M
J A C LY N N R E N E E W I N E S . C O M
Wines grew from a dream between childhood friends Elisa and Christopher Jones, who reunited later in life and eventually settled in the Texas Hill Country to build a winery. After three years in the Kerrville Hills Winery incubator program, they opened their Johnson City-area tasting room in 2022, and have steadily expanded production, with Champagne-style, traditional-method sparkling wine at the heart of Elisa’s vision. Her winning Sparkling Picpoul Blanc began with fruit from Rowland Taylor Vineyards in the Texas High Plains. Drawn to Picpoul’s naturally
high acidity, Elisa fermented the wine cool to preserve citrus and floral aromatics before completing a second fermentation in bottle, followed by lees aging, riddling, disgorgement, and dosage. “What I love most about this wine is that it really showcases the character of Picpoul,” says Elisa, pointing to its vibrant acidity, lemon custard, fresh citrus, honeysuckle, and fine bubbles. The success has even converted Christopher, once a self-described Picpoul skeptic, and the couple is now considering planting it for future sparkling production.
WINERY DETAILS: Jaclynn Renée
“Fresh citrus, green apple, and pear mingle with brioche and leesy texture, framed by a soft mousse and bright, tart finish.” —JESSICA DUPUY
Bottle photos courtesy of PEARY PHOTOGRAPHY
WINERY DETAILS: Elisa Christopher
owner and winemaker Jackie van Sant-Downes has built her Texas program around small family growers and varieties that can express both freshness and place. Her 2025 Rosé of Grenache comes from Desert Willow Vineyard in the Texas High Plains, one of the state’s few certified-organic vineyards, where Rob Warren and his team farm through thoughtful, sustainable practices year after year. “Our Rosé of Grenache has become one of the wines I’m most proud of,” says van Sant-Downes. The fruit was hand-harvested and whole-cluster
pressed directly to tank, then fermented and aged in stainless steel for nine months to preserve freshness and delicacy. Because Grenache naturally yields a paler rosé, van Sant-Downes presses gently to avoid over-extraction and protect the purity of the fruit. “My vision has always been to create a rosé inspired by the wines of Provence—delicate, refined, and beautifully balanced,” she says. “I believe we’ve found that style while still expressing the unique character of Texas-grown Grenache.” For van Sant-Downes, the wine reflects a broader principle: honor the grower’s work and let the vine-
“Classic Syrah notes of black plum, pepper, olive, smoke, and violet come together on a juicy, balanced palate with a long finish.” —CRAIG COLLINS
“Delicate and elegant, with strawberries and cream, floral notes, and tart red berries supported by a nicely structured palate.” —JACK MASON
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BOERNE
JACLYNN RENÉE WINES
MISSICK CELLARS
2025 PICPOUL
2023 PETITE SIRAH
J A C LY N N R E N E E W I N E S . C O M
M I S S I C KC E L L A R S.CO M
W I N E R Y D E TA I L S : For Jackie
van Sant-Downes, choosing a white wine for the Jaclynn Renée portfolio took time. After nearly five vintages in Texas, the owner and winemaker wanted a variety that could thrive in the state’s climate while delivering the clean, crisp, elegant style she was seeking. She found it in Picpoul Blanc. Her 2025 Picpoul, one of three Jaclynn Renée wines selected for the 2026 Texas Vintners Cup, comes from Formando Vineyard in the Texas Hill Country. The grapes were hand-harvested and whole-cluster
pressed, then fermented and aged entirely in stainless steel for nine months to preserve bright acidity, freshness, and fruit purity. “This wine was a slow burn for me,” van Sant-Downes says. While her wine club members embraced it immediately, she kept returning to it with a winemaker’s critical eye. “Over time, I did, too. Today, it’s one of my favorite wines I’ve ever made.” With citrus, stone fruit, and mineral notes, the wine reflects her confidence in Picpoul, and in the expanding range of Texas-grown varieties.
W I N E RY D E TA I L S : Missick Cellars
may be new to Texas, but founder and winemaker Christopher Missick is hardly new to wine. Before relocating his family to the Hill Country, Missick spent more than a decade making wine in New York’s Finger Lakes, where his family winery built a reputation for white and sparkling wines. He brought that experience to Texas in 2023, drawn by the state’s breadth of varieties and growing conditions. His 2023 Petite Sirah marked a deliberate move into the deeper, more generous red wines Texas fruit can
“Green apple, pear, and lime leaf meet floral notes and a distinctive saltiness on a rich yet fresh, zippy palate.” —JESSICA DUPUY
produce. The wine was fermented with intensive punch downs, then aged entirely in neutral oak until January 2026, preserving fruit character while building structure. “I want the wines I craft in Texas to taste of Texas, but to be able to stand side by side with their global benchmarks,” says Missick. That philosophy now has a home in Boerne, where Missick Cellars recently opened its tasting room, bringing an experienced winemaker’s perspective to one of the Hill Country’s newer wine destinations.
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MCPHERSON CELLARS
PEDERNALES CELLARS
2024 LES COPAINS WHITE
2022 TEROLDEGO
M C P H E R S O N C E L L A R S.CO M
P E D E R N A L E S C E L L A R S.CO M
Texas winemaker Kim McPherson has spent more than four decades helping define what works in the Texas High Plains. The son of pioneering winemaker Clinton “Doc” McPherson, he studied enology at UC Davis before returning to Texas, eventually founding McPherson Cellars in 1998. His 2024 Les Copains White brings together Viognier, Marsanne, and Roussanne, varieties McPherson has long championed for their ability to thrive in the state’s heat and dry conditions. For him, the reasoning is
straightforward: these grapes make sense for Texas. “They grow well here,” he says. “It doesn’t make much sense to work with varieties that don’t.” The name Les Copains, French for “friends,” carries a double meaning. McPherson likes the way the three Rhône varieties play together in the blend, but he also sees it as a wine meant to be shared among friends. That combination of common sense and conviviality is classic McPherson: choose grapes suited to the place, make them well, and put the wine confidently on the dinner table.
W I N E RY D E TA I L S : For nearly two
“Yellow apple and pear mingle with lemon blossom and juicy fruit on a clean, balanced, and easygoing palate.” —JACK MASON
Bottle photos courtesy of PEARY PHOTOGRAPHY
W I N E R Y D E TA I L S : Legendary
decades, Pedernales Cellars co-owner and winemaker David Kuhlken has watched Texas wine advance through experimentation, collaboration, and a willingness to question what belongs here. That spirit is captured in the winery’s 2022 Teroldego. “I won’t lie, when I first saw this grape on the Narra Vineyards planting chart back in 2016, I had to look it up,” Kuhlken says. Today, Pedernales grows Teroldego at its Hill Country estate and works with High Plains growers, including
Pepperjack Vineyard, which supplied the fruit for this wine. For Kuhlken, the willingness of growers to take chances on varieties such as Teroldego points to something larger about Texas wine. “This isn’t a region with an entirely defined winemaking style, and you get to make the most of that here.” He sees collaboration as essential to what comes next, with winemakers learning equally from one another’s successes and failures. Kuhlken believes Texas wine’s greatest opportunity may still be discovering its own path.
“Dark plum, blackberry, and black cherry meet mocha, cocoa, and sweet spice in a polished, generously textured Petite Sirah.” —CRAIG COLLINS
“Lifted plum and vanilla spice lead to a smooth, elegant palate, with medium tannins, velvety texture, and lovely complexity.” —JESSICA DUPUY
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S T O N E WA L L
JOHNSON CITY
REDDY VINEYARDS
TATUM CELLARS
2023 AGLIANICO
2024 TROIS ETOILES WHITE BLEND
R E D DY V I N E YA R D S . C O M
TAT U M C E L L A R S . C O M
WINERY DETAILS: Reddy Vine-
yards began in the late 1990s as a family vineyard in the High Plains supplying fruit to wineries across Texas before launching its own estate label in 2018. Today, the operation is under the direction of the next generation. Akhil Reddy, who took over vineyard leadership as his father moved toward retirement, now oversees the winery alongside winemaker Roman Cuevas and consulting winemaker Jean Hoefliger. The 2023 Aglianico is estate-grown and came from a late harvest on October 20, 2023. The wine spent sixteen
months in French oak, 25 percent new, giving structure and polish while preserving the character of the fruit. For Reddy, the next chapter is focused on building demand as much as production. “Converting more people to drink Texas” is the goal, he says, with an emphasis on securing more bythe-glass placements in restaurants, expanding retail presence across the state, and introducing consumers to Texas-grown wine. It is a natural progression for a family that started by growing grapes for others and is now shaping its identity in the bottle.
W I N E R Y D E TA I L S : Founded in
2012 by longtime Texas winemaker Joshua Fritsche, Tatum Cellars began as a personal project named for his daughter, Tatum Rose, born that same year. Today, the brand focuses on 100 percent Texas wines, with particular attention to Rhône varieties and fruit sourced from vineyards across the Texas Hill Country. “I like the diversity of the soil,” says Fritsche of working with different Hill Country sites. His 2024 Trois Etoiles White Blend comes from the Uplift Vineyard near Lake LBJ and combines 55 percent Viognier, 33 percent
“Rich black fruit, savory earth, and floral notes unfold with impressive tension and precision, recalling the character of Aglianico from Basilicata.” —JESSICA DUPUY
Marsanne, and 12 percent Roussanne. Each variety was fermented separately before blending, with half of the finished wine spending six weeks in an acacia puncheon, adding texture while preserving freshness and varietal character. The approach fits Fritsche’s broader philosophy of minimal intervention, allowing fruit and vineyard to remain at the forefront. Looking toward the 2026 vintage, he is encouraged despite reduced yields following freezes. “We’re seeing good chemistry all around,” Fritsche says, noting promising overall quality.
KERRVILLE
HYE
RIVENBURGH WINE
WILLIAM CHRIS VINEYARDS
2022 GRENACHE
2024 HUNTER
RV B B E V E R AG E.CO M
W I L L I A M C H R I S W I N E S.CO M
two decades, John Rivenburgh has approached Texas winemaking from the vineyard outward. With Rivenburgh Wines, he is increasingly focused on regionality, exploring how individual varieties respond to specific Texas growing areas rather than assuming one approach works across the state. “Great wine is made by those who understand they are simply stewards of well-grown fruit, rather than manipulators of it,” Rivenburgh says. “What ends up in the bottle should taste like Texas, nothing more and nothing less.”
His 2022 Grenache came from the Texas High Plains. Rivenburgh used whole-berry fermentation, then aged the wine for twelve months in neutral oak barrels before bottling it unfined and unfiltered. Rather than declaring Grenache a natural fit throughout the state, Rivenburgh says it depends on the site. In this case, it performs exceptionally well in the High Plains at Canted County Vineyards. He is now exploring its potential in the Hill Country with fruit from the 2026 vintage, continuing his search for where varieties find their strongest Texas expression.
W I N E RY D E TA I L S : Founded in 2008
“Savory and distinctive, with cherry pit, Campari, orange oil, cinnamon, and sarsaparilla adding layers of complexity.” —JACK MASON
Bottle photos courtesy of PEARY PHOTOGRAPHY
W I N E R Y D E TA I L S : For nearly
by Chris Brundrett and Bill Blackmon in Hye, William Chris Vineyards has become one of Texas wine’s defining producers, built on a commitment to Texas-grown fruit and low-intervention winemaking. Its 2024 Hunter red blend reflects that philosophy through a wine whose composition changes with the vintage rather than following a fixed formula. Hunter traces its roots to Hunter Family Vineyard, where Merlot planted in 1985 and 1991 remains an important part of the blend. Over time, William Chris has incorporated
fruit from select Texas High Plains vineyards, with either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot taking the lead depending on the season. “The goal has never been to chase a recipe,” says Brundrett. “It has always been to craft the finest expression of the Texas High Plains each year.” Now entering its eighteenth vintage, William Chris continues to emphasize vineyard quality, patient cellar work, and trust in place. For Brundrett, the ambition is clear: to keep raising the bar for Texas wine while giving growers—and the vineyards they steward—a larger stage.
“Ripe stone fruit, grapefruit, and lemon pith meet savory salinity, with a pleasant touch of bitterness lingering on the finish.” —CRAIG COLLINS
“Meaty black fruit, creosote, violet, and black tea lead into a full, rich palate with freshness, balance, and excellent structure.” —JACK MASON
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from left to right:
The beautiful winners buckle.
COME AND
TASTE IT!
1.
William Chris Vineyards
2.
Missick Cellars
3.
Pedernales Cellars
4.
Elisa Christopher Wines
5.
McPherson Cellars
6.
Rivenburgh Wine
7.
Reddy Vineyards
8.
Tatum Cellars
9.
Carter Creek Winery Resort & Spa
10. & 11. Jaclynn Renée Wines 1
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October is Texas Wine Month, and the best way to understand the state’s wines is to taste them where they are made.
A
cross Texas’s eight American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), wineries offer a view of the places shaping them, from the Texas High Plains to the Hill Country and vineyards farther north. Book a tasting, walk the vines, meet the growers and winemakers, and experience sun, wind, soils, and weather that define Texas viticulture. A bottle can tell you plenty, but standing in a vineyard or pulling up a chair at a winery adds context no tasting note can capture. Make a day trip or weekend around it. Wineries pair tastings with food, music, vineyard tours, and outdoor spaces for lingering. This October, follow the wine to its source and discover how different Texas can look from one glass to the next!
VISIT THE WINNING WINERIES! 4
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7
1.
LUBBOCK McPherson Cellars
2.
STONEWALL Pedernales Cellars, Reddy Vineyards
3.
HYE William Chris Vineyards
4.
JOHNSON CITY Carter Creek Winery, Elisa Christopher Wines, Tatum Cellars
5.
KERRVILLE Rivenburgh Wine
6.
BOERNE Missick Cellars
7.
WIMBERLEY Jaclynn Renée Wines
THE HONORABLE MENTIONS
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Winery photos courtesy of THE WINERIES
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