Top Texas Winery 2025…Third Time’s a Charm

WINECELEBRATIONS
Written By By Kelly Doherty
 
 

Kiepersol has won the "Top Texas Winery" award at the Rodeo Uncorked! International Wine Competition. This is a part of the prestigious Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo International Wine Competition with 2,876 entries from 20 countries. 558 entries came from Texas alone. The honor includes being awarded a custom saddle with the wording “Top Texas Winery 2025” hand-tooled into the leather flaps.


Co-owner Marnelle Durrett shared, “My dad always said you do things to bring glory to God and make your hometown proud. We sure hope that we’ve accomplished this for East Texas.” 


She continued, “We are immensely honored and thankful to be part of a vibrant wine industry. Texas wines are growing in acclaim each year and the community of amazing wine growers and winemakers throughout Texas is world-class.”


Some of your favorite wines received the medals that culminated in the winning of the Top Texas Winery award.

Kiepersol has been proud to be a part of the Rodeo for many years and has won the Top Texas Winery saddle award in 2017, 2024, and 2025.

texas ag commissioner


Winemaker Michelle Snider and Director of Branding and Marketing Kelly Doherty were at the awards ceremony to receive the saddle from Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller. The saddle is now featured at the Restaurant at Kiepersol where you can find the finest steaks in East Texas. Come visit the saddles in person!


See all the 2025 results and saddle winners on the Rodeo Uncorked! International Wine Competition website. We’re honestly biased and want you to try all the Texas wine winners…but, we tried some of these other winners from around the world and think they are pretty amazing too!

horse in vineyard with the top texas winery saddle
By Kelly Doherty

Kelly Doherty is the Branding and Marketing Director of Kiepersol in Tyler Texas. She has been with the estate since its inception in 1998 creating the brand from the ground up, literally helping plant the first Cabernet and Sangiovese vines. 

A photographer, graphic designer, and writer at heart, the winery and vineyard are the inspired backdrop for Kelly’s creative endeavors. She designs the website, runs the social media team, and hosts a vineyard blog. She is a wine and spirits packaging expert with over 25 years of designing eye-catching classic and timeless designs.

She holds a WSET Level 2 Award in Wines from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust and is in the midst of the exciting journey of Level 3. Teaching and giving behind-the-scenes tours on the estate are her passion. You can also find her creating wine pairing dinners with chefs across the state.

Her other adventures include life coaching and podcasting. Kelly is the creator of the ‘Drink a Little’ podcast that explores the possibilities intertwined in the world of wine and wellness. Each week a different wine from around the world is tasted and paired with a conversation about creating a balanced and abundant life without overdrinking.

*Kiepersol is a Texas wine and culinary destination with a vineyard, winery, distillery, steak house, fifteen B&B rooms, and even an RV Park located in the countryside ten miles south of Tyler, Texas. Kiepersol has recently won the Top Texas Winery Award from the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo International Wine Competition of 2024.

kellydoherty.com

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