The following was featured from the Texas Bluebonnet Wine Trail’s Messina Hof: A Texas Original with Roots in Sicily
If you’ve spent any time exploring Texas wine country, you’ve likely crossed paths with Messina Hof. With four locations spread across the state, more than 2,000 competition awards, and a winemaking heritage that traces back six generations to Messina, Sicily, this is not your average regional winery. It is a genuine Texas institution — one that has been quietly (and sometimes not so quietly) proving that Texas can produce world-class wine since before most people believed it was possible.
Where It All Started
The story begins in 1977, when Paul Vincent and Merrill Bonarrigo partnered with a Texas A&M graduate student on a study examining the feasibility of growing wine grapes in Texas. Their experimental one-acre plot at the Messina Hof Estate in Bryan included Cabernet Sauvignon, Chenin Blanc, and Lenoir — a modest beginning for what would become one of the most significant wineries in the state.
By 1983, the vineyard had expanded enough to produce 1,300 gallons of wine, and Messina Hof released its first commercial vintage featuring Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and the wine that would become a signature of the house — Papa Paulo Port. That port, built on Lenoir grapes identified in the original feasibility study as the best variety for the Gulf Coast region, remains a cornerstone of the Messina Hof portfolio today.
A Family Business, Through and Through
In 2012, the winery passed to the next generation. Paul Mitchell Bonarrigo, son of the founders, stepped into the role of CEO and Head Winemaker alongside his wife Karen, who serves as Chief Administrative Officer and leads the winery’s food and wine programs. The transition kept everything that made Messina Hof what it is — the commitment to Texas-grown grapes, the emphasis on family, the pursuit of quality — while bringing fresh energy and vision to an already accomplished operation.
Today, nearly 50 years after that first experimental planting, Messina Hof produces over 200,000 gallons of wine per year across four locations: the original Estate Winery in Bryan, the Hill Country Winery in Fredericksburg, the Grapevine Winery outside Dallas-Fort Worth, and the newest location, Harvest Green Winery and Kitchen in Richmond, just outside Houston.
The Wines
With over 90 wines in the portfolio and more than 30 grape varietals sourced exclusively from Texas growers, Messina Hof has something for virtually every palate. The winery works with partners across the Texas High Plains, Hill Country, and Gulf Coast region, and is deeply committed to supporting local agriculture and showcasing the diversity of Texas terroir.
Among their most notable achievements is the introduction of the Sagrantino grape to Texas. In 2012, Messina Hof planted Sagrantino at their Bryan vineyard, and in 2015 released the first Texas Sagrantino wine — a bold, complex Italian varietal that reflects the winery’s Sicilian heritage. Messina Hof is not only the first winery in Texas to produce Sagrantino, but the largest producer of this rare varietal in the entire United States.
The Experience
Visiting Messina Hof is about more than wine. The winery hosts an extensive calendar of events throughout the year — from Trivia Nights and Murder Mystery Dinners to the beloved annual Wine & Roses Festival each April, complete with a Grape Stomp Competition and Texas Artist Wine Label Competition. Harvest Season brings its own traditions, with guests invited to participate in grape picking and stomping alongside the winery team.
Year-round, guests can enjoy tasting room experiences and winery tours that offer an inside look at the operation and a deeper connection to the Messina Hof story. The tasting room menu features dips, flatbreads, sandwiches, and charcuterie options, all developed around the winery’s Vineyard Cuisine™ concept — a philosophy of crafting dishes that incorporate wine directly and pairing each menu item with a strategically selected Messina Hof wine. For a fuller dining experience, The Vintage House Restaurant sits adjacent to the Estate Tasting Room in Bryan, offering a complete Vineyard Cuisine™ menu.