The Wine Society of Texas Announces 2026 Scholarship Program
The Wine Society of Texas (WST) is pleased to announce that it will provide up to $11,000 in scholarships to worthy students or individuals pursuing wine and winery education, internship, field study, research work, grape growing, wine making and marketing in the state of Texas.
On Friday, January 2nd the Wine Society of Texas (WST), a 501c3 non-profit educational organization announced that it will be accepting applications for its annual Scholarship Program.
To apply for the scholarship, individuals must be:
attending institutions in the State of Texas studying viticulture and oenology, or
pursuing winery internships in Texas, or
involved with Texas winemaking or field studies / wine education, or
involved in promoting the education of grape growing and winemaking in the State of Texas.
Scholarships will be awarded based on the quality of the applications and final interviews.
According to Ms. Shirley Choate, WST President,
“our membership is extremely excited about being able to continue to offer up to this monetary level in scholarships over the last few years. At our 2025 state meeting in Johnson City, we were able to raise money through our live and silent auctions, plus generous donations from two of the wineries, online donations, and donations from our individual chapters. This demonstrates our continued commitment to supporting talented individuals, attending Texas institutions, who are the future of the wine and hospitality industry in Texas as the appreciation and reputation of Texas wines continues to grow both locally and nationally. We are so proud to be able to continue to support and give assistance to deserving students in 2026 and will continue to do so in the future.”
WST has given out over $137,000 in scholarships over 23 years. These awards have been used for a variety of purposes - research for the Texas wine industry including Pierce’s disease, Wine Symposium and Conferences, financial assistance for students pursuing Viticulture, Horticulture, Winemaking or Hotel Management programs, wine sommelier studies, wine marketing and authors of books about the history of Texas wines and wine Industry.
The WST will be accepting applications up to March 14, 2026. All applications must be returned by this date, fully completed and with all necessary documents, to The Wine Society of Texas. Applicants are required to fill out the WST Scholarship Application, which will be reviewed by the WST Scholarship Committee. The committee may recommend single or multiple awards depending on the quality of applications received. All decisions will be final and applying does not guarantee receiving a scholarship. The WST scholarship award(s) will be announced on or about April 18, 2026.
For more information about the scholarship program or the WST please visit this page.
