Celebrate Sam Houston’s legacy with four award-winning wines crafted by alumni-owned Wildseed Farms.
HUNTSVILLE, TX — After nearly a year of planning and collaboration, the Sam Houston State University Alumni Association, in partnership with Wildseed Farms, has unveiled the official SHSU Alumni wine collection, crafted especially for alumni and friends of the university.
The collection features four distinctive, award-winning wines, each thoughtfully crafted to reflect the spirit, history and legacy of SHSU:
- General Houston Red – Tempranillo: A robust and bold red, paying tribute to the university’s namesake, General Sam Houston.
- Margaret’s Delight Blanc – Trebbiano: A crisp and elegant white wine, inspired by the grace, strength and enduring hospitality of Margaret Lea Houston, beloved wife of Houston.
- Piney Woods Breeze Rosé – Mourvèdre: A crisp rosé evoking the light and vibrant essence of East Texas.
- Celebrating Traditions Sparkling – Trebbiano: A sparkling wine to commemorate SHSU’s time-honored traditions and the Bearkat community.
“The Alumni Association is dedicated to connecting and engaging with SHSU alumni,” Charlie Vienne, executive director of the SHSU Alumni Association, said. “Working with notable Bearkats like John and Marilyn Thomas at Wildseed Farms has been truly rewarding. Through this collaboration we aim to bring joy and memorable experiences to our alumni and friends of the university.”
Located in Fredericksburg, Texas, Wildseed Farms is the largest working wildflower farm in the U.S., operated by Bearkat alumni John (’70) and Marilyn (’69) Thomas.
John, known as “Johnny Appleseed,” founded American Hydro-Grass, the South’s second-largest revegetation contractor. His innovative approach combined wildflower seeds with hydro grass to meet client demands for beautification alongside erosion control.
Former First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson recognized John’s efforts during a heartfelt phone call, inspiring him to deepen his commitment to revegetation. This led to Marilyn’s establishment of the National Wildflower Research Center, with John serving on the Research Advisory Council alongside university and botanical garden leaders.
In 2015, the Thomas family expanded their farming legacy by planting their first vineyard. This paved the way for the launch of Wildseed wines in summer 2019. Starting with Tempranillo and Mourvèdre, the vineyard has grown to 42 acres, producing 13 grape varieties and developing a future line of estate wines. Visitors can enjoy wines made from estate grapes at the vineyard’s tasting room.
“We grow these grapes right here on the farm so there’s a connection between our farm, soil and grapes, which we made into our wine and now pass on to our alma mater,” John said. “All of the varieties that we’re selling in partnership with the university have won awards, so it’s good tasting wine and we’re just thrilled to be involved in producing a wine lineup for Sam Houston.”
The SHSU Alumni Association wine collection is available to purchase through Wildseed Farms’ website now. Please visit www.wildseedfarms.com/shsu/ for more information.
