The local food movement has long viewed local wine as something not quite right. Craft beer and artisanal spirits made by local producers are popular, but local wine? Not really. A national food writer once told me that the local wine always seemed too sparkly.
Which never made much sense. Local wine, including and especially Texas wine, is about as local as it gets. The grapes are grown here, and the wine doesn’t need anything else, like hops, which comes from elsewhere. And one of the most distinctive elements of winemaking, the earth, is also widely available. That’s why Californian wine doesn’t taste like French wine and why Texas wine doesn’t taste either. And why it’s not supposed to.
In all of this, Texas wine has thrived over the past two decades. It is the fifth-largest wine-producing state in the country, behind only the three West Coast states and New York. It’s widely available – in supermarkets, even – and there’s wine in most price ranges. And, believe it or not, much of it is dry, just like wine from the “real” places.
So what makes Texas wine distinctly local?
Grapes
It’s too hot and too dry for the grapes most people are familiar with – like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir – to do as well here as they do elsewhere. Yes, they are grown in Texas, but the focus has long been on grapes that thrive in that type of climate. That means whites like Viognier, a French grape variety, and Italian Vermentino. Reds include Spanish Tempranillo, Italian Sangiovese, and even lesser-known French varietals like Cinsault, Carignan, and Mourvedre. These grapes grow in similar regions in Texas; Spanish Rioja, famous for its tempranillo, is very much like the Hill Country (except for the odd castle scattered here and there).
Regions
Most of the grapes for Texas wine are grown in the high plains of West Texas – up to 80% in some years. The Hill Country is the second most important region, as well as the center of wine tourism in Texas. There are also grapes grown on the Gulf Coast, East Texas, and North Texas. In fact, Texas has seven American Vineyard Zones, or AVAs. These are areas specially designated for viticulture because they have something that sets them apart from other parts of the country.
Terroir
Terroir is a French word that has no exact translation in English — the closest is “de la terre”; it refers to the soil and geography of the land where the grapes grow. And Texas differs greatly from the rest of the world. The High Plains sits about 3,000 feet above sea level, one of the world’s few high altitude wine regions. So the combination of altitude, soil, and even the angle of the sun on the vines does things to the grapes that can’t be duplicated elsewhere.
Tradition
The modern Texas wine industry is not new; Llano Estacado and Fall Creek, the first post-prohibition wineries, are nearly 50 years old. There was an increase in wineries around 2000, and the number kept growing. Depending on who’s doing the count, there are more than 450 wineries statewide.
All of this background will prepare you for Texas Wine Month in October. Start planning to hit the road to sip and see for yourself.
Texas Hill Country Wineries hosts a self-guided passport event that allows up to four winery tastings per day during the month. The passport, which costs $120 per couple or $85 per person, also offers exclusive discounts on bottle purchases. Read the details and specifics on the website, which also includes a list of participating wineries.
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