Daniel Bingham of Bingham Family Vineyards Winemaker Profile

Bingham Family Vineyards has been growing quality grapes in the Texas High Plains for other wineries for years. They opened their first tasting room in Grapevine in 2015 and started offering 100% Texas wine from their grapes. Daniel Bingham is the winemaker behind the wines for Bingham Family Vineyards’ three locations around the state. We are happy to present Daniel Bingham as this month’s featured winemaker profile.

1. What did you do before becoming a winemaker (if anything)?

I worked with my family on the farm.

2. What is the toughest challenge about being a winemaker in Texas?

I would probably say high pH. The heat over the course of the growing season reduces the acidity in the grapes more so than other cooler regions, and so we have to deal with a pH or lower acidity level than other winegrowing regions.

3. Is winemaking an art or a science or both?

Definitely both. I remember a couple years back going to the national annual conference and a speaker would come up and give a presentation for some amazing new discovery and end with, “Well, we’re not sure about these other 10 things.”

4. What is your favorite food and wine pairing?

I’m not sure if it’s my favorite, but a surprising one, a sweet wine (our Moscato Giallo) with fried jalapeño chips.

5. If you didn’t make wine, what would you do?

Since I am from West Texas, I would probably look into wind engineering.

6. What first attracted you to winemaking and how long have you been doing it?

I was attracted to the winemaking through my family. The first vintage I made wine was 2014.

7. What is the most common question you are asked as a winemaker?

Not pertaining to wine, but probably, “How many siblings do you have?”

(Me laughing) What is the answer?

Ten.

8. After a long day in the winery or vineyard, what do you do?

Most days I go home and watch movies.

9. What’s the greatest part about being a winemaker? 

For me it’s being able to work with my family and getting to see the entire process from planting, growing, fermentation, bottling, and having that one bottle at the end.

10. What is your winemaking philosophy, that is, what are you trying to achieve with your wines?

Start with the best grapes and mainly don’t mess it up, but make the best wine you’re aiming for.

11. Anything else you would like to add?

I love how in the Texas wine industry, there is so much collaboration among wineries and people who you might see as competitors, but they are still collaborating.