Making Wines in Texas This web site originates in Texas, so the fact that a page is dedicated to making wines in Texas should not be surprising. When I first conceived of creating this site, the intent to dedicate a section to making wines in Texas from locally available ingredients was present. This page is the beginning of realizing that intent.
The term locally available ingredients is open to wide interpretation. Some would argue that the term refers only to native plants, those naturally indigenous to the area such as mustang grapes, agarita berries, blackberries, wild persimmons, Texas plums, and prickly pear cactus. Others would argue that the term must expand to include plants imported, hybridded or widely available and distributed in the state, whether originally native or not. The latter would include Bradford Pears, Fredericksburg Peaches, Medina Apples, and scores of other fruits, vegetables, berries, flowers, etc. For the same reason I am not a fanatical xeriscapist, I lean toward the second interpretation, even though it could be argued that this opens the page to almost any type of wine, as almost any plant can be grown in Texas. While it is true that the plants of Texas, both wild and cultivated, are no longer limited to the natives, I have compromised by limiting this presentation to wines from the more common plants found in Texas, many of which are native.
If you don't find the recipe you're looking for below, you have three choices (okay, you have more than that but I'm trying to construct a reasonably manageable page): (1) you can check back in a few days and see if it has appeared (I really am working on this, you know); (2) you can send me an e-mail requesting the particular recipe you're looking for; or, (3) you can activate one of the search engines and see if they can find it somewhere else.
On the other hand, you might have a recipe that you think belongs here (or in the general recipe listing) and you'd like to share it. Send me the recipe via e-mail and I'll be sure to include it (and attribute it to you, of course). Just activate any of the e-mail links on this page to correspond with me.
The recipes that follow can stand by themselves, but will serve the winemaker better if combined with other information about the plants used. For that reason, I have linked the recipes rather than listing them linearly so that all relevant information can be presented.
Annotated wines have placed as indicated. Legend:
= Best of Show; 
= Grand Champion, Champion, Reserve Grand Champion, or Honorable Mention; 
= First Place or Gold Medal; 
= Second Place or Silver Medal; 
= Third Place or Bronze Medal
Edible and Useful Plants of Texas and the Southwest
Howard Garrett's Plants for Texas
Native Texas Plants: Landscaping Region by Region
Southwest Kitchen Garden