Mission Grapes, Gold Medals & Watermelon Wine: A Trip to Tularosa Vineyards

This weekend, we took a special kind of road trip—one that starts with heritage and ends in possibility. Our destination 107 miles- Tularosa Vineyards, a tucked-away gem in southern New Mexico with a story as rich as the soil it sits on.

Tularosa Vineyards has been crafting New Mexico wine for over 30 years, but their roots go even deeper—especially when it comes to the Mission grape, one of the oldest cultivated varieties in the Americas. Brought to the Southwest by Spanish missionaries in the 1600s, Mission grapes have endured for centuries, thriving in desert climates and carrying with them a legacy of resilience and flavor.

Our own little corner of the world—San Antonio—isn’t far from some of the first places these vines ever touched ground. The Rio Grande Valley, stretching from El Paso to Socorro, was once home to the earliest vineyards in the region. That makes this whole adventure feel a little like coming full circle.

We visited Tularosa to see that legacy in action—and to pick up a few Mission grape cuttings of our own. David, who’s been the heart and hands behind the vineyard for decades along with the new owner, gave us the full behind-the-scenes tour (fermentation tanks, bottling lines, and all). We shared stories while sampling their award-winning wines—including the Mission wine that just took Gold at the Texas International Wine Competition. Trust us—it earned every sip of that medal.

And just when we thought the day couldn’t get any sweeter, we tried a Watermelon wine. Light, bright, and full of New Mexico sunshine (tasted like hay, haha)

We left Tularosa not just with grape cuttings, but with a renewed sense of connection—to the land and to the traditions here.