Val Verde Winery

Hidden among old oaks and towering pecan trees, Texas' oldest winery has quietly produced award-winning wines for over one hundred and thirty-two years. Val Verde Winery located in Del Rio, Texas is only a few miles from the border of Mexico. The surrounding desert seems an unlikely area to grow grapes. However, the fertile river valley soil fed by local springs lend an ideal environment for viticulture (cultivation of grapevines), thus 'val verde' -green valley.

The winery has been family owned and operated for 3 generations. Tommy Qualia, the present owner and winemaker at Val Verde Winery, is the grandson of the founder Frank Qualia. There is deep pride at the Qualia family winery.

The original winepress from Italy, built during the 1870's

Barrels of wine aging in the original adobe building

A mix of old family tradition with modern winemaking equipment

Remarkably, the winery made it through Prohibition by selling table grapes. The rest of the burgeoning Texas wine producers of the time closed down and from 1949-1976. Val Verde was the only operating winery in the state of Texas. Since the late '70s, the Texas wine industry has grown and prospered.

After the tour, we paid $10.00 to sample 10 wines. My favorite being a white wine from the Blanc Du Bois varietal. Ok, there's bias because I used to grow this variety of grape. However, the Cabernet, a white Vermentino and the Don Luis Tawny Port were all delicious. We purchased a mixed case of wine, including the last 2 bottles of Blanc Du Bois.

Kate, our smiling and gracious host

Ten samples, then a glass of our favorite, we are finally ready to stumble through the rest of the winery.

 Grapes on the vine

Cody and I really enjoyed the experience of a historic family operated winery. Del Rio, located in Val Verde County, is approximately 6 hours from Houston and 3 hours from San Antonio. The wildflowers were full bloom along the highways. There is plenty of fun activities in the surrounding Trans-Pecos region of Texas, an area rich in history, culture and biodiversity.

 For more information- www.valverdewinery.com