Bingham Family Vineyards, H-E-B honors Texas man's memory through scholarship wine

In Vino Veritas, in Latin, means truth in wine, but in West Texas, one family vineyard offers In Vino Honor.

About a 30-minute drive from Lubbock, Bingham Family Vineyards covers hundreds of acres at 645 FM 303, near Meadow. The family began planting wine grapes in 2004, sold the grapes to wineries across Texas, then started bottling their own in 2014.

The Bingham family has become well known in the Texas wine industry, especially the fifth of the eleven children - Blake Eddie Bingham.

“We always said he would make friends with a brick wall,” said Betty Bingham, Blake's mother and co-owner of the vineyard and farm with her husband, Cliff Bingham. “I used to scold him, ‘where are you, you’re supposed to be working on your homework.’ And he’d be on the floor picking up a pencil for his sibling. Just when I thought he was doing something he wasn’t supposed to, he was just taking the time to help somebody else.”

His love for helping others extended throughout the Texas wine industry. When he died at the age of 30 in 2021 from COVID-19 complications, his loss was felt throughout the community.

“Everybody in the wine industry knew and loved Blake,” said Sam Jennings, winemaker for Bingham Family Vineyards. “When people came to pick up grapes or deliver wine, and at all the events and trade shows, Blake was a ray of sunshine everywhere he went.”

Hoping to continue Blake Eddie's legacy of kindness, his family came up with the idea to start a scholarship in his honor. One of the ways to support this scholarship, which helps viticulture and enology students at Texas Tech University and Texas A&M, is by purchasing the Blake Eddie Scholarship Wine sold at H-E-B stores across the state.

Bottling a memory: Here's how the Blake Eddie Scholarship Wine began, and the impact it has had so far

The Binghams approached H-E-B with the idea, and the company eagerly decided to help get the wine in front of their wine stewards and customers, said Charles Rivas, the wine buyer for H-E-B.

“Supporting causes like this are at the heart of what we do at H-E-B,” Rivas said. “When we can honor someone in that process, we get excited to share a story about someone that’s had an impact with not just our industry, but the state’s.”

The partnership began in January 2024, and the proceeds go toward the scholarship fund. Serendipity Wines, which is the distributor, is also donating to the scholarship.

The wine is a 2019 blend of Tempranillo, Mourvèdre, Dolcetto and Carignan grapes and aged 24 months in French and American oak barrels. It has notes of cherry, dried fig and spices.

“It has done incredibly well for us, and we’ve had nothing but good feedback,” Rivas said.

While the wine is a new addition to the memorializing of Blake Eddie, the scholarship through The Texas Hill Country Wineries organization has been offered since 2021.

One of the scholarship's recipients is Rogelio Orocio, who graduated from Texas Tech debt-free, partially due to earning the Blake Eddie scholarship twice. Orocio is now the Binghams' assistant winemaker.

“It’s rewarding for all of the hard work you’ve put in throughout the years,” Orocio said. “Then there’s the emotional side of knowing Blake and always being around him. It means a lot.”

Cliff Bingham, Blake's father, believes Blake Eddie would be happy to know he is still helping people.

“I’m sure he’s probably watching from heaven, just elated,” Cliff Bingham said. “God called us to be helpers and servers, and that’s what Blake would be doing all the time. He didn’t get his jobs done all the time, because he was serving people, and I hope I’ve learned a little bit of that lesson now that he’s passed."

Potential customers can find the Blake Eddie Scholarship wine, and several other Bingham wines, at most Texas H-E-B locations in the dedicated Texas wine section. It is also available online through H-E-B. People can also donate directly to the scholarship fund at texashillcountrywineries.org/products/scholarship-donation.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Bingham Family Vineyards honors son through H-E-B scholarship wine