TEXAS WINERIES CONTINUE THEIR WINNING WAYS
Texas wineries are gaining National and International recognition as Texas wines made from Texas grapes keep earning medals. There are over 600 Texas wineries who make and sell awesome wines. These wines are being recognized in National and International Wine Competitions in San Francisco, New York, France and Texas. Two recent wine competitions include San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo along with Lone Star International Wine Competition where Texas wineries earned 20 Double Gold Medals and 132 Gold Medals along with a slew of Silver Medals in the two recent competitions. What this says is that Texas wineries are making some decent wines, well actually some awesome wines. Texas wineries could not say this ten years ago. Texas wineries are now consistently winning more Silver Medals than Bronze Medals and a lot of Gold and Double Gold Medals than Texas wineries have earned in the past.
Austin County Fair held its annual non-commercial wine competition which is open to all Texans who do not make commercial wines. This is my eighth year to judge wines in this competition. The conclusion that fellow wine writer Jeff Cope and I have is these wines are consistently getting better year after year. I encountered several non-commercial wines that I could easily give a Gold medal for their quality!
Consumers are beginning to recognize the quality of Texas wines with more and more shelf space in wine departments such as HEB and Kroger’s featuring the likes of award-winning wines from Becker, Brannon, Llano Estacado, Messina Hof, William Chris, Bending Branch, and other Texas wineries. Texas wines are also being recognized by consumers as to the unique grape varietals we produce such as Viognier, Roussanne, Mouvedere, Tannat, Picopul Blanc, Sangiovese, Tempranillo, and other grape varietals that are making a name for themselves as outstanding grapes grown in Texas.
Although the Texas Wine Industry is young compared to the likes of California, New York State, Washington State, and Oregon, the young fledgling wineries concentrating on producing outstanding wines are showing promises of future greatness. Look for wineries like Kerrville Hills and Augusta Vin to top some of the best wineries in the world. Technology such as Flash Detente is being used more and more in Texas. Flash Détente use hot temperatures around 185 degrees F to burst ester/aromatic/color pods in the juice and grape pulp/skins to extract wine flavors and colors and then cool the heated juice for fermentation. In fact, Texas is one of the first in the world to have a mobile Flash Detente system on wheels to help make exceptional wines.
Organizations like Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association, Gul Coast Grape Growers, Texas A and M University, and Texas Tech University are working together to help teach the next generation of winemakers in Texas. The Texas Hill Country Wineries have grouped together for an upcoming Golf Tournament to help raise scholarship funds for future winemakers.
The Texas Wine Industry is poised for greatness. Come enjoy that greatness with me!