Boerne winemaker Missick Cellars hasn’t opened its tasting room yet, but it’s already racking up acclaim. The label has won Best in Class honors at the prestigious 2026 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

The contest is the largest wine competition in North America, drawing in more than 5,500 competitors. Winemakers vie in several specific categories, organized by type of grape, price point, or even the amount of residual sugar. It’s all very nerdy, but for the uninitiated, recognition means that the vintages deserve a spot on their countertop wine rack.

Missick won for its 2024 Texas High Plains Viognier in the $31-plus bracket. It was the only San Antonio-area winemaker to earn a Best in Class nod in a list that was dominated by California regions like Napa Valley, Sonoma, and Paso Robles. Lubbock’s Llano Estacado, Wimberley’s Jaclyn Renee Wines, and Fredericksburg’s Augusta Vin and Hilmy Cellars were the only other Texas brands to ace their class.

Owner Chris Missick became interested in winemaking after serving in the military and pursuing a law career. He first threw himself into the craft by buying a winery in Dundee, New York. While there, he won acclaim from Wine & Spirits Magazine, and launched a podcast, VITI+CULTURE, dedicated to interviewing makers.

In 2023, Missick, his wife Laure, and his family moved to Boerne, where they established a homestead with chickens and bees. He soon got to work planting grapes on the property, eager to explore Texas terroir and support local farmers.

"We moved to Texas because of its great beauty, the myriad of wonderful growers and producers, the vast economic potential of the state, and the cultural alignment our family found here," explains Missick in a release. "What I was focused on was bringing the breadth of my extensive experience in premium white and sparkling wine production to a new terroir."

This is the second San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition win for the fledgling Texas winery, but first Best in Class. The winery's 2023 Texas Dry Riesling earned Double Gold in 2025 — an award recognizing unanimous Gold medal scores from every judge on the panel.

Area locals will soon have the chance to compare notes with the judges. Missick Cellars is preparing to open a tasting room at 941 N. School St. in Boerne this spring that will feature both its Finger Lakes and Texas High Plains wines.