Bingham Family Vineyards, Farms shares how it began in Meadow, Texas

Just outside of Meadow, the descendants of some of the town's first homesteading families continue to use the thousands of acres their ancestors used.

In 1901, Noah and Mollie Raymer Bell moved into a half dugout home in Terry County. Thomas Nathan and Margaret Isabelle Hale Bingham moved to the county in 1916, and the two families merged into the Bingham family in 1923.

Bingham Family Vineyards and Bingham Family Farms now uses 2,000 acres to grow cotton, hemp and wheat, and another 250 for their 22 varieties of grapes.

Here's a look into how the family business has adapted and how it has grown into one of the top spots for the Texas wine industry.

Bingham Family Farms changed from cattle to cotton to vines

The family's farming business officially started in 1952 with cattle, cotton and wheat. Cattle won't be found there now, but passersby can still see the fifth-generation owner, Cliff Bingham, out on the tractor in the cotton field.

“We traditionally were cotton farmers,” Cliff Bingham said. “Cotton after cotton is not really good for the soil, so back in the day we would grow wheat and grain sorghum, and try to rotate the acres to make it a healthier soil.”

Around 1991, Cliff Bingham decided to change his fields to be Texas Department of Agriculture-certified organic for all of the row crops, which included cotton.

"At the same time (1991), I was looking for alternate crops that would be a good cash crop and a good rotational crop," Cliff Bingham said.

He tried several different crops, including garbanzo beans, sesame, blue corn, soybeans, potatoes and peanuts. The peanuts worked well, but used a lot of water.

“Water is the most precious thing we have out here,” Cliff Bingham said. “I won’t be watering cotton going forward, because I need it for something that might be a little riskier, like hemp for CBD. It has a bit more potential of profit per acre inch of water, and I very specifically said it like that because it’s not profit per acre, but profit per expenses.”

With water in mind, Cliff Bingham turned to grapes in 2004. The wine grapes use about the same amount of water as cotton, but are 10 times more profitable, according to Cliff Bingham. Around 2014, one of the wineries the Binghams sold grapes to canceled their 100-ton order.

“We wondered what we would do, and the kids said, ‘well, let’s start making wine,” Cliff Bingham said. “That’s how the winery started."

Bingham Family Vineyards now produces about 10,000 cases of wine per year.

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"We’ve been making award-winning wines ever since, which just blew my mind, because all of a sudden, the people I was selling grapes to in the Hill Country, (we went to competitions) and literally beat them in some categories,” Cliff Bingham said.

Along with their own selection of wine, they continue to sell grapes, juice and surplus wine from their vineyards. In 2023, Bingham grapes were sold to 33 Texas wineries in 21 cities, including Austin, Fredericksburg, Lubbock, Nacogdoches and Seguin.

“We probably have the largest selection of 100% estate wines,” said Betty Bingham, co-owner with her husband, Cliff Bingham. “We take pride in trying to grow the best quality grapes that we can.”

The Petit Verdot is a favorite for both Betty Bingham and Sam Jennings, winemaker.

"I think we grow some world-class Petit Verdot," Jennings said. "Our Sémillon, which is a white grape, is also world-class. We won a competition against the French in worldwide Sémillon, and we won the category for that wine."

The Dugout, which references their homesteading origins, is the one they are most known for, according to Betty Bingham. This blend of reds won three statewide awards, including two from the San Antonio Rodeo.

Cliff Bingham could not choose a favorite.

"People ask me that all the time, and I say, 'you know, I have 11 children, and that's like asking me which one is my favorite child," Cliff Bingham said. "I love everything from the sweetest of sweets and the driest of drys, as long as they are made well. When it comes to sweet whites, we are really good."

People can try the varieties at the three tasting rooms: 620 S. Main St. in Grapevine, 11157 US-290 in Hye and 409 N. Oak St., Suite 100, in Roanoke. The vineyard also has a subscription-based wine club, which has around 2,000 members. These members get to choose from more than 35 wines, including blends made at the beginning of the winemaking process.

“We’re Texas grown, so people can just relax when they’re drinking our wine, knowing that all the grapes were grown and the wine was made right here,” Betty Bingham said.

People can keep up with Bingham Family Vineyards and Bingham Family Farms on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or visit binghamfamilyvineyards.com.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Bingham Family Vineyards, Farms shares how it began in Meadow, Texas