Big news from the Decanter Awards, a new grape variety, and a new place to sip sparkling wine in the Hill Country! In our quarterly news roundup, we share some of the top Texas wine news stories that have hit the presses in 2026.
Story #1: Texas wines make a huge splash at the 2026 Decanter Awards.
This June, Texas wines won their first-ever Gold medals at the globally recognized Decanter World Wine Awards. A prestigious panel of Master Sommeliers, Masters of Wine, and other experts tasted them blind and judged them alongside over 17,000 wines from 58 countries. “The Iberian, Italian, and Mediterranean varieties from Texas were standouts for their prevalence amongst the entries and overall quality,” said James Tidwell MS, USA Regional Chair at the Decanter Awards.
All month long, my social media feed has been buzzing with Texas wineries showing off their medals. It was a triumphant moment for the Texas premium wine category, whose reputation has been lagging behind its actual achievements for years.
Gold medal wines are rare at Decanter, accounting for just 5.56% of all the wines entered. The four Texas Gold medals went to Ab Astris Winery (for their Souzão), Turtle Creek Vineyard (Tannat), Adega Vinho (Tempranillo), and Spicewood Vineyards (Tempranillo-Petit Verdot blend).
Competition wins help Texas wines get noticed internationally and compete for shelf space and restaurant placements against more established regions. Texas Wine Lover has the full list of Texas medalists, and JG Does Wine has an in-depth analysis of the competition winners here!
Story #2: Rebecca Caroline tasting room opens in historic Hye, Texas building.
William Chris Wines has opened a new tasting room in Hye, Texas. The charming, historic spot will be devoted exclusively to its Rebecca Caroline sparkling wine label.
The venue is an 1886 storefront that has served as a United States post office, general store, and restaurant before being fitted for its current role as a wine bar. Among Hill Country locals, it’s known as the place where future president Lyndon B. Johnson (age four) mailed his first letter.
Rebecca Caroline produces traditional-method bubbly from 100% Texas grapes. The tasting room recently opened for 90-minute tasting experiences by appointment. The cost is $50 per person ($35 for William Chris wine club members) and includes Southern-inspired small bites.
Story #3: A March freeze impacts 2026 yields.
“We get crazy weather in the spring!” says every state, ever. But Texas arguably beats them all.
In 2026, unseasonably warm winter temperatures and an early bud break made vines susceptible to a mid-March cold snap. On the night of March 16, emergent buds in the interior of the state and coastal areas were hit with a destructive freeze.
Unlike in 2021’s historic winter storm, this was no snow-pocalypse and vines were able to survive the sudden drop in temperature. But several wineries, including Adega Vinho in Stonewall and Messina Hof in Bryan, reported losing up to 60 percent of their primary buds. Affected growers will need to rely on secondary buds to meet their production goals. (This also means dealing with two harvest windows as the second crop ripens later.)
Though yields are expected to be lower this year, the shortfall could be offset by an increase in plantings and higher demand for Texas-grown fruit among consumers. Texas vineyard acreage is expected to surpass 10,000 acres by the 2026 harvest.
Story #4: The TEXSOM Conference returns to North Texas.
The TEXSOM Conference, the premier wine gathering of the South, has published its 2026 schedule. The three-day event will be held at the Irving Convention Center on August 23-25. Full conference passes are $525 and include daily seminars, receptions, and expo tastings. Conference-goers also get to choose between several different wine-themed lunches each day.
Exciting seminars offered this year include “An Approach to Tasting” with Tim Gaiser MS (author of Message in the Bottle: A Guide to Tasting Wine) and “Texas Wines and Wine Culture” with Texas wine writer Jessica Dupuy. The Conference will conclude with the Grand Tasting, a whole ballroom full of dream-worthy wines from around the world.
But that’s not all! Members of the trade and wine enthusiasts can volunteer for Sommer Camp and enjoy even more tasting and educational opportunities. (I attended Sommer Camp for the first time in 2025, and it was a transformative moment in my wine journey.)
Conference passes go on sale July 6, and Sommer Camp interest forms are open now. See TEXSOM’s website for more information.
Story #5: New grape drop: Ambulo Blanc!
Pierce’s disease is the plague of the grape-growing south, a deadly bacterial infection that spreads easily through insect vectors. Researchers at University of California Davis have been working on disease-resistant new varieties for Texas and other humid climates.
Ambulo Blanc is one of these–a mostly V. vinifera variety that includes select genes from V. arizonica. It’s most closely related to Cabernet Sauvignon. UC Davis tasters describe Ambulo Blanc wines as “light straw to clear color, citrus, lime, tropical, gooseberry, golden delicious apple flavors; bright fruit, slightly bitter, textured.” Texas winemakers have told us they hope the new variety will be hardier than vinifera whites, but cleaner-tasting than existing hybrids including Blanc du Bois.
Ambulo Blanc was announced to the scientific community in 2019. It was patented and made fully available to commercial growers in 2021.
Now that these vines have had a chance to reach fruit-bearing age, we’re starting to see some Ambulo Blanc being poured at Texas wine tastings. The flavor profile has many similarities to Sauvignon Blanc, and the wines can be sweet or off-dry. Texas wineries currently working with Ambulo Blanc include Wintergrass, Cicada Ridge, and Enoch’s Stomp (pictured).
Further reading:
KXAN Austin: Texas wineries bring home 122 awards at international competition
Texas Highways: This Historic Hill Country Post Office Is Also a Sparkling Wine Bar
Wine Enthusiast: Ambulo Blanc Is a Hybrid Grape with Disease-Fighting Superpowers
See previous Texas Wine News stories here.
Review disclosure: I was not compensated or provided any free products for this article. Opinions expressed on The Wine Fairy blog are entirely my own.
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