If you’ve ever wanted to sip your way through the United States’ top wineries, a new ranking suggests you may want to start in Texas.
The Texas Hill Country has officially been named the No. 3 best “must-visit” wine region in the country, according to a national vote by USA Today readers. A panel of USA Today’s 10 Best experts selected their top picks from the country’s hundreds of wineries and vineyards. Readers then voted to choose the best 10 wine regions. The Lone Star State beat out regional giants like Paso Robles (No. 4) and Anderson Valley (No. 6) in California, moving up the list by six spots from its previous ninth-place 2025 ranking.
Surrounded by hotspots like Austin, Fredericksburg, San Antonio and New Braunfels, the region is also attracting national attention from both tourists and luxury developers. So many high-end projects are pouring into the region that Forbes recently published an article posing a question: Will the Texas Hill Country Become the Next Napa Valley?
The Hill Country is home to approximately 2,000 acres of flourishing vineyards and more than 100 wineries, according to the non-profit trade association Texas Hill Country Wineries. It is also the third-largest grape-growing region in the United States, with more than 9 million acres.
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