Texas Hill Country Wine Trail kicks Off for Texas Wine Month
Texas’ oldest wine trail and the Country’s second most active wine region just happens to be the Texas Hill Country Wine Trail. This wine trail was conceived by Gary Gilstrap of Texas Hill Vineyards near Johnson City. He came up with the concept of the local Hill Country wineries bonding together around 1995, 31 years ago. This wine trail has grown over the years into a dynamic part of Texas’ 14 Billion Dollar Wine Industry. Regretfully, Gary will not be around this year since he passed away with family around him on September 21, 2023. Texas has lost another Wine Pioneer. Gary will be remembered this yea and oncoming yearsr for his influences in the Texas Hill Country Wine Trail.
Since October is Texas Wine Month, The Texas Hill Country Wine Trail is celebrating Texas Wines all month long with a special 31-day wine pass to visit the 45+ wineries participating on the trail’s celebration of Texas Wine Month. This October marks the third of four self-guided passport events Texas Hill Country Wine Trail hosts throughout the year, providing wine lovers the opportunities to experience a world of Texas wine at a variety of participating Texas Hill Country wineries. When you purchase a digital passport, ticket holders can taste at up to four wineries per day over the course of the month of October and receive exclusive discounts (15% off three bottles of Texas wines) on bottle purchases. The limit of four wineries per day is imposed to keep the wine-tasting experiences to an intimate, enjoyable, personal experience vs. the wine-drinking orgies that I have experienced on several California Wine Trails. Wine is meant to be shared and enjoyed! Reservations at the participating wineries are recommended, especially for weekend visits. You will experience smaller numbers of visitors during the week. It does pay to play your trip ahead with lodgings during the weekdays in the Texas Hill Country less expensive than prime during the week. Several of the Texas Hill Country Wine Trail Members also have Bed and Breakfast facilities on the winery grounds where you can wake up and enjoy the sights and sounds of a winery in its most intimate manner. Several wineries also have thieving tasting sessions where wine is pulled directly out of the wine barrel with a device called a wine thief!
Digital Passport Tickets are still $120 per adult couple or $85 per adult. By the way, the value of just the wine tastings exceeds $750 in value. Five dollars from each sold ticket goes directly to the Texas Hill Country Wine Industry Scholarship Fund. So far, more than $55,500 in scholarships has been awarded to 47 Texas students working towards a degree in Viticulture, Enology or Hospitality. In addition, Texas Hill Country Wine Trail’s new website is now live at https://texashillcountrywineries.org. You are able to download a map and list of all of the wineries participating in this year’s passport event.
Texas grape harvest is over with outstanding wine quality but the quantity is down. Below are reports from several Texas wineries about their wine harvest:
• Adega Vinho (Stonewall): Harvest is complete, with Dell City Mourvèdre coming in as the last fruit of the season. The year started with a spring freeze and heavy rains ushered in harvest, but the team reports spot-on chemistries and superb fruit quality. They say this may be their best vintage yet when it comes to fruit quality.
• Ab Astris (Stonewall): A hot January and the March 17 freeze left the Estate harvest very light, with the later bud break Montepulciano the exception. Quantities are way down, but the fruit looks nice, including the Estate Tannat and Estate Clairette Blanche.
• Heath Family Brands: In the Hill Country, a late March frost after budbreak made yields very uneven, and all of the white varietals and the Carignan were a complete loss. Everything that did come in ripened quickly with balanced chemistries and rich color. On the High Plains, a warm March and an early April frost cut yields, and the fourth hottest summer on record shortened ripening. The smaller crop helped concentrate flavors. Across regions, their vineyard managers report strong varietal character and elegance and are projecting great vintages.