Texas Wine Growers was established in 2017 by eight founding wineries with the mission to promote and protect the integrity of Texas wine by making wines solely from grapes grown in the terroir of Texas. They accomplish that mission by educating consumers about Texas wine and the importance of truth in labeling.
They offered memberships to Wineries who also agree in their mission of making wines solely from Texas grapes. Texas Wine Lover has had a list of wineries that make all their wines with only 100% Texas grapes since 2020. When the website redesign and mobile app happened in December 2022, that information was transferred to the individual winery listings. When a winery claims their listing, they can update it with their information and one of those items is if they only make wine from 100% Texas grapes. Hence the list became a filter when searching for wineries and performing a search for “All 100% Texas wines.” The Texas Winery 100% Texas wine list as of this writing shows 165 Texas wineries that have identified they only make 100% Texas wines.
Grape Growers are instrumental in providing Texas grapes to growers and another membership is available to grape growers who provide their grapes to 100% Texas wineries. The other membership is for Business Partners. This is for wine industry or tourist-related businesses that provide products and services to vineyards, wineries, or wine consumers.
Recently Texas Wine Growers announced the Texas Wine Advocate membership. This is for those who want to “become a champion for Texas wine, a liquid embodiment of resilience, innovation, and Texas hospitality” according to the Texas Wine Growers website.
As a Texas Wine Advocate member, you will:
Seek out, enjoy, and share 100% Texas wines.
Support 100% Texas wineries and Texas Wine Grower members with your purchases, memberships, social media buzz, and event attendance.
Spread the word about 100% Texas wine.
Raise your glass for change by advocating for issues that impact Texas grape growers and winemakers.
Unlock exclusive perks with Texas Wine Grower members-only events, special promotions, and early access to inside experiences. Members can also receive a $50 credit towards the certification program through the Hill Country Wine Academy.
Embrace the terroir of Texas.
The Hill Country Wine Academy currently offers their Texas Wine Ambassador Certification course. This course allows you to learn more about Texas wine and how to speak about Texas wine in conversation. By taking this course you will build a foundational knowledge of wine, focusing on Texas wine theory, and with the intention of developing service techniques that aim to sustain the Texas wine industry during its era of growth. In this one-day course, you will gain the skills to identify core themes of growing grapes in Texas, navigate the personal experience of tasting wine, and combat the misconception about Texas wine. Remember, by being a Texas Wine Grower Advocate, you will receive a $50 credit towards this certification.
Credit: William Chris Wine Company
Texas Wine Growers is planning on hosting an event or two per year that will lean into the tasting and agricultural components of growing and making wine. Advocates will receive additional benefits including low-cost admission and special experiences.
The new Texas Wine Growers Advocate membership helps fulfill the many active individuals who have the desire to learn more about Texas wine and who consistently give their support to Texas wineries. Texas Wine Growers will help these people with tools to spread the word about Texas wine. Resources are in development that will provide Advocates with tangible talking points on the benefits of knowing what you drink and understanding what is in your glass.
Advocates will be kept up to date with things happening in the Texas wine industry at a local and state level in terms of legislation, challenges the wine industry faces, and how Advocates can help. Texas Wine Growers is developing some resources to help Advocates talk to their favorite restaurants about how to get more representation of 100% Texas wines on their menu.
The cost for a Texas Wine Growers Advocate membership is only $50 per year. You can learn more and sign up on their website.
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