October is Texas Wine Month
The grape harvest in Texas is winding down after weeks of harvesting Texas grapes. The white grapes ripen first with Viognier, Chardonnay, Chennin Blanc, Pinot Grigio and other white grapes maturing first. These grapes are first de-stemmed, then crushed, and skins pressed with these white wine grapes going into the fermentation vats. Eventually the red grapes start to ripen with the thin skin grapes like Pinot Noir ripening followed by Tempranillo, Merlot, Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tannat, and Sagrantino red grapes arriving at the winery. The making of red wine is labor intensive since the skins are fermented with the grape juice to extract the skin’s color, tannins, and esters. This fermentation produces oodles of CO2 gas which cause the skins to float into a mass at the top of the fermenting juice. Either the skins are manually punches down or fermenting juice is pumped from the bottom of the tank to re-liquefy the floating skins. If this is not done several times daily while the red wine is fermenting the mass of skins will densify into a very hard mass which could support the weight of a 250 pound person without breaking up. As a result, the last few weeks after the harvest are the ones that are busiest. The days easily extend to 18 hours for seven days each week until the grape juice is fully fermented. Then the red wine is pressed to screen out the skins and seeds for the wine to complete its process of clarification and aging.
When the month of October arrives, the wineries and vineyards are back to normal eight hour days. It is time to celebrate the grape harvest. The Texas Department of Agriculture has officially made October Texas Wine Month. Events are held all over the State of Texas to celebrate the harvest It is time for you to make plans to enjoy these celebrations whether at wineries or wine trails or at the Texas State Fair. Check out these wine events to start planning your personal Texas wine celebration:
• The Texas State Fair in Dallas runs from September 26th thru October 19th and features Texas Agriculture, including Texas wines!
• October 3 • Katy • Katy Grape and Grain Fest

• October 4 • Cleburne • Cleburne Wine and Artisan Festival

• October 4 • Levelland • Main Street Cork and Keg

• October 9-12 • New Braunfels • Gruene Music and Wine Festival

• October 10-11 • Glen Rose • Glen Rose Wine and Art Festival

• October 11 • Weatherford • Weatherford Wine and Whiskey Walk

• October 11 • McKinney • McKinney Wine and Music Festival

• October 11 • Wharton • Monterey Square Wine and Arts Fair

• October 11 • Sulphur Springs • Main Street Uncorked

• October 11 • Cameron • Steak, Stein and Wine Festival

• October 17-18 • Lindale • Piney Woods Wine Festival

• October 18 • Brownwood • Corks and Caps

• October 18 • Valley View • Valley View Wine Walk

• October 18 • Harker Heights • Harker Heights Food, Wine and Brew Festival

• October 18 • Abilene • West Texas Wine Festival

• October 21-25 • Fredericksburg • Fredericksburg Food and Wine Fest

• October 25 • Mount Pleasant • Uncorked Wine Festival

• October 25 • Mason • Mason Arts and Wine Fall Fest

Check out the wine trails for special events. The Texas Hill Country hosts a full month of activities making it one of the best ongoing attractions during wine month. This is also a great month to remind restaurants to serve Texas wines!