Best Houston Wine Tours: Your Guide to Southeast Texas Wine Country

Houston may be known for its energy industry and diverse culinary scene, but the surrounding Gulf Coast region offers exceptional wine tourism experiences. Within an hour's drive from downtown, you'll find family-owned wineries producing award-winning wines from Texas-grown grapes, tour companies offering curated experiences, and a self-guided wine trail through picturesque bluebonnet country.

Geographic Orientation

Houston's wine tourism centers on three main areas. To the east, the Kemah-Santa Fe corridor sits 25-30 miles from downtown via I-45 South, home to established wineries like Clear Creek and Haak Vineyards. North of the city, the Chappell Hill and Plantersville area lies 60-75 miles northwest via US-290, featuring multiple wineries along the Texas Bluebonnet Wine Trail. The Bryan-College Station region sits 90-100 miles northwest on Highway 6, offering the most concentrated cluster of wineries in the Houston area.

Tour Companies and Transportation

Texas Winos

Texas Winos operates multiple wine tour routes from Houston, including trips to Chappell Hill wineries with Italian lunch and North Woods winery tours. The company provides full-day experiences visiting three wineries with private tastings, typically sampling 15+ wines. Tours include round-trip transportation from West Houston pickup points, sit-down lunches, and knowledgeable guides. Guests consistently praise the professional tour guides and comfortable buses.

Buzzed Tours

Buzzed Tours offers brewery and distillery tours throughout Houston, though they primarily focus on craft beer experiences rather than wine-specific tours. The company features clean, comfortable buses with air conditioning and entertainment systems.

Houston Historical Tours

Houston Historical Tours provides customizable wine tours to multiple regions around Houston, working with 16 different venues. They offer tours ranging from single winery visits to extended four-winery experiences in the Northern Region (Montgomery and Plantersville areas), Eastern Region (wineries east of Houston), and the Bryan-College Station area. Tours typically last 5-12 hours depending on the number of stops, and include transportation, winery tours, and tastings. Drive times from downtown Houston range from 45 minutes to Old Town Spring, approximately 75 minutes to Montgomery or Plantersville, and about 100 minutes to Bryan-College Station.

Lone Star Executive Limousine

Lone Star Executive Limousine offers luxury wine tours with a fleet including sedans, SUVs, stretch limousines, and buses. Their limousines feature full bar facilities, DVD and entertainment systems, and custom lighting. You can create your own itinerary or work with their staff to design a custom tour. The company is based in Conroe and serves the greater Houston and Brazos Valley region.

Texas Bluebonnet Wine Trail

The Texas Bluebonnet Wine Trail operates twice yearly during spring (March-April) and fall (October-November) seasons. Passport tickets typically cost around $30 per individual or $54 per couple and include three 1.5-ounce pours of select wines at each participating winery. This self-guided experience allows you to visit wineries at your own pace over the two-month period.

The trail features approximately 10 family-owned vineyards located north of Houston between I-45 and US Highway 290, including:

Bernhardt Winery (Plantersville) - This Tuscan-style tasting room sits atop a hill overlooking rolling valleys, producing approximately 6,000 gallons annually. The family-owned operation offers wine tastings, a bed & breakfast loft above the tasting room, and lawn concerts from mid-April through mid-November.

Texas Star Winery (Chappell Hill) - Located in the heart of bluebonnet country, this winery specializes in handmade wines and frequently appears on guided tours.

Messina Hof Winery & Resort (Bryan) - This 100-acre estate includes 42 acres of vineyard. One of Texas's oldest and largest wineries, Messina Hof offers tours, tastings, cooking classes, wine appreciation seminars, and winemaker dinners.

Perrine Winery (College Station) - Offering wines ranging from smooth dry reds to fruit-infused options and wine freezes, Perrine is located next to New Republic Brewing Company and Rio Brazos Distillery.

Threshold Vineyards (Navasota) - Founded in 2010, Threshold crafts Texas wines from fruit grown across Texas, specializing in hybrid grape varieties adapted to the Texas Gulf Coast. They offer tastings, tours, and sunset concerts.

Houston-Area Wineries

Clear Creek Winery & Distillery

Located in Kemah (20 miles from downtown Houston), this Tuscan-inspired three-story facility offers wine tastings, tours, and a waterfront location on Galveston Bay. Tastings are available Fridays and Saturdays, featuring award-winning wines including their Double Gold Peach Chardonnay and Barrel Aged Cabernet.

Haak Vineyards & Winery

Haak Vineyards operates locations in Santa Fe (30 miles from Houston), Brenham, and Odin's Table at the Texas Renaissance Festival. Named Top Texas Winery 2019 by Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Haak is the first winery and only commercial vineyard in Galveston County. Open Thursday through Sunday, noon to 9pm. The winery offers tours, tastings in their underground cellar, and hosts concerts and events. Raymond Haak pioneered cultivation of Blanc du Bois grapes in the early 1970s and created the first Texas Madeira.

Planning Your Visit

Best Time to Visit: Spring (March-April) and fall (October-November) offer the most pleasant weather and coincide with the Texas Bluebonnet Wine Trail seasons. April is particularly popular when bluebonnets are in bloom. Avoid summer months (June-August) when temperatures regularly exceed 95°F with high humidity.

Reservations: Most wineries accept walk-ins for tastings, but tours often require advance booking. Tour companies work with venues that may change their hours without notice, so confirming availability is essential.

Tasting Fees: Expect tasting fees to typically range from $15-40 per person for standard tastings. Wine trail passports and tour packages offer better value when visiting multiple locations.

Transportation: Organized tours handle all driving and typically visit 3-4 wineries over 5-9 hours. Self-guided visits require a designated driver or hired transportation. Drive times vary significantly: 45 minutes to areas north of Houston, 60-75 minutes to Chappell Hill/Plantersville, and 90-100 minutes to Bryan-College Station.

What to Bring: Valid photo ID (must be 21+), comfortable walking shoes, sunscreen for outdoor areas, and appetite for lunch stops.

Getting There from Houston

By Car from Downtown Houston:

• Santa Fe/Kemah (Clear Creek, Haak): Take I-45 South approximately 25-30 miles (30-40 minutes)
• Plantersville/Montgomery (Bernhardt, Cork This!): Take US-290 Northwest or Hardy Toll Road/Tomball Tollway (SH 249) approximately 60-75 miles (75-90 minutes)
• Bryan-College Station (Messina Hof, Perrine): Take US-290 or Highway 6 Northwest approximately 90-100 miles (100-120 minutes)

Airports: George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) is approximately 25 miles north of downtown. William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) sits 10 miles southeast of downtown.

Related Resources

For more Texas wine experiences, explore the Texas Hill Country wine region, home to the state's largest concentration of wineries. The Fredericksburg wine country offers over 50 tasting rooms within a two-hour drive west of Houston. Austin's urban wineries provide another alternative for wine tasting closer to Central Texas.