A Boerne, Texas winery earned statewide recognition before it had even completed its first month of public operation. Missick Cellars, the veteran-owned label at 941 N. School Street just north of San Antonio, was named one of twelve winners at the 2026 Texas Vintners Cup — the state's only competition that selects a definitive "Best in Texas" lineup rather than distributing medals by category.
The Winning Wine
The recognized bottle was a 2023 Petite Sirah, chosen through blind tasting by a panel that included wine journalist Jessica Dupuy and Master Sommeliers Jack Mason and Craig Collins. Now in its sixth year, the Texas Vintners Cup limits entries per producer and tasks judges with selecting exactly twelve wines from the full blind-tasted field. Winners receive a feature in Texas Monthly, promotion through the Texas Department of Agriculture's Uncork Texas Wines program, and a custom belt buckle fabricated by Trailblazer Custom Silversmith. Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller presented the awards at a ceremony on September 24 at the GO TEXAN Pavilion during Preview Night of the State Fair of Texas in Dallas.
Hill Country Roots
Winemaker and co-owner Chris Missick spent more than a decade crafting wine in New York's Finger Lakes region before relocating his family to the Texas Hill Country and committing the label entirely to Texas-grown grapes. The tasting room, situated just off Boerne's Hill Country Mile, was still in its opening weeks when the Vintners Cup result was announced. "We moved here to make delicious wines that taste of this place," said Missick, who co-owns the winery with his wife, Laure. "An honor like the Vintners Cup, this early in our Texas journey, provides public recognition to how seriously we take producing high quality, 100% Texas wines."
The Petite Sirah win is not the label's only recent competitive credential. The winery's 2024 Texas High Plains Viognier earned Best in Class at the 2026 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, while its 2023 Texas Dry Riesling took Double Gold at the 2025 Chronicle competition. For on-premise buyers and beverage directors tracking emerging Texas wine producers, the results position Missick Cellars as a label worth watching across multiple varietals — not just a single standout bottling.
The Vintners Cup honor also illustrates the continued rise of Texas as a serious wine-producing state, a trend that has drawn increased attention from sommeliers, distributors, and restaurant beverage programs nationwide. Texas High Plains fruit in particular has gained traction among winemakers for its elevation-driven acidity and intensity, qualities evident in the Petite Sirah's competition performance. For hospitality operators building regionally focused wine lists, emerging Hill Country producers like Missick Cellars offer both a compelling story and documented competition pedigree.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
