LIVE from the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association Convention, our GO TEXAN podcast team interviews the illuminaries of the $24 billion wine industry in our Lone Star state.
Paul Bonarrigo is the 7th Paul in the lineage of Messina Hof winery leader with his wife Karen, current president of the industry association (TWGGA-Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association). They took over leadership of Messina Hof in 2013 from Paul's parents Merrill and Paul.
They are the first family of Texas wine- six generations of winemaking history, and steadfast commitment, Paul Vincent and Merrill Bonarrigo established the fourth oldest winery in Texas. Now a second-generation family business, with a seventh-generation winemaker in place, Paul Mitchell and his wife, Karen, lead the most awarded winery in Texas.
Paul and Merrill were approached for a study on grape feasibility in Texas from a Texas A&M graduate student. Armed with that data, the Bonarrigos planted the first Messina Hof vineyard at their home in Bryan, TX. The one-acre experimental location consisted of varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chenin Blanc, and Lenoir.The Bonarrigos didn’t intend to open a tasting room initially. However, after their neighbors kept knocking on the door and asking to try and then buy the wine, it quickly became obvious that Messina Hof needed a hospitality program. For the first four years, the Bonarrigos dedicated themselves to the vineyard lifestyle by honing the time-tested methods and practices of the winemaking trade. In 1981, Messina Hof began its award-winning legacy with a medal in the Texas State Fair for a Black Spanish-Cabernet blend. With this first victory, the Messina Hof mantra came to life: “Anything is Possible.”
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Feb 26 202623 mins