About the Winegrowing Regions of Texas

The Winegrowing Regions of Texas is the product of the graduate thesis research project of Elvis Takow, M.S., Texas A&M University. The website and GIS system were created and are maintained by the Knowledge Engineering Laboratory, directed by Dr. Robert Coulson, in collaboration with Dr. Ed Hellman, Professor of Viticulture at Texas A&M and Texas Tech University. The website, known as the Winegrowing Regions of Texas, is an interactive geographic information system that characterizes the eight AVAs of Texas based on climatic, soils, and topographic data. The website is a standalone overview and resource providing research-based information for grape and wine producers.

The GIS system, called the American Viticultural Areas of Texas Information System (AVATXIS) is an interactive geographic information system that characterizes the eight AVAs of Texas with climatic and soils data. It is a web-based spatial information tool that allows wine growers to better understand their growing regions and the edaphic and climatic factors that influence grapevine growth and fruit production.

The application allows users to spatially query and visualize a range of edaphic and climatic factors that influence vine growth and grape production. The basic framework of the system consists of a main page (Winegrowing Regions of Texas) that allows users to choose one of the 8 wine regions for further descriptive analysis based on the available factors of climate, soil, and topography.