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New wine regions are springing up all over the world, especially in the United States with are extreme variation of soils, climate, and topography. The world of wine is vast expanding, and in the terms of our very large country, understanding the winemaking nuances can be a daunting task.
Of course everyone understands the dynamic levels of possibilities for grape production in a large state like California, with its expanse of different terroir and oceanic proximities. But states with more extreme weather variations, conditions similar to those of Europe, are becoming the epitomes of impressive new labels in the wine world. States like Virginia, New York, Michigan and, yes, even Texas, threaten to shake the California wine patriarch from his thrown of overripe jam.
The most impressive areas of Texas are the AVA’s located to its westerly bluff. Texas Hill Country AVA, Texas High Plains AVA; and frequently both regions seem to end up in the same bottle together. These regions have both sprung up in the last fifteen years, seemingly out of nowhere. However, historically, Texas has been making wine longer than even California.
There are active vines that are two hundred and fifty years old in the El Paso area of Texas planted by Spanish Missionaries. The grape: aptly named Mission, is a common old-world Vinifera varietal, also found in Southern California, and popular for its heat-resistance. But Texas today is not relegated to planting this relatively bland grape.
Today, a multitude of different varieties exist here, especially in the higher altitude High-Plains region. Texas’ AVA does not require a certain set of grapes to be planted, rather, simply requires that grapes labeled either AVA name contain at least seventy-five percent Texas grown grapes. Though many producers today are surpassing this requirement and not using imported California grapes at all. Some years…
Vintage variation in Texas is to be expected between these two regions. After all, thousands of Americans are stranded every year during the summer at Dallas Fort Worth Airport due to the unpredictable weather events common in the area. The rainy season in the Hill Country is long, and threatens the vineyards with rot caused by humidity early in the season, and an extraordinary amount of sun in the latter-season. Frost strikes early and fast, some growers picking just days before.
Low clouds, sparse sunlight, and rotting bunches can extend ripening of the grapes at the beginning of the season. Growers combat these issues with adequate canopy management, trimming leaves on the eastern-facing vines in the cool mornings, and expelling the bad fruit to concentrate flavors on the good fruit. In the latter season, rot is less likely, so canopy management is directed at an increased number of leaves on the westerly parts vine, to shade the vine from sunburn.
The Hill country is a region that exists along Highway 290 (pictured Above) from Austin to San Antonio, and consists of a large amount of tasting rooms in Fredericksburg and the surrounding areas. This beautiful stretch land boasts rolling hills, clay, slow draining soils, and some sandy loam suitable for Cabernet and the Italian varietals planted commonly here. Residents will tell you that the area feels not dissimilar to the Tuscan landscapes famous for Sangiovese and the delightful Super Tuscans that I wrote about last week. But Texas’s rolling hills boast a lot of undesirable pitfalls for growers that one does not necessarily see as often in Tuscany.
When it comes to frost, managing the television forecast is the best form of prevention. In the case of a surprise frost, this can mean that the Hill Country winemakers must rely on their vineyards in the High Plains to supply the grapes needed to keep their AVA on the label. Much like in Europe, this can mean incredible vintage variation. The wines in the bottle will not be the same every year. The grape differentiation between the regions is vastly different as are the soil types, and the topography. Using one AVA in higher quantities year over year will result in different tasting wines.
The High Plains AVA has a totally different set of problems, and certainly fewer of them in general. The days here are mighty hot all through the season, but the nights are cool. This is called diurnal shift, and it to lengthens a growing season which is highly desirable for vintners, as it allows more complex flavors to develop. Whereas problems like mold, grey rot, and soil-borne pests are common in the Hill Country with the added humidity, the High Plains has nearly none of these issues.
What is common on the High Plains is hail, and drought. Alongside grapes, this area is home to lots of agricultural products, such as soybeans, and wheat. These crops require highly mineral-dense, fertile soils, that you may be aware are not good for growing grapes. Grapes when they are planted, are typically grown on the red dirt soils common in this area of Texas. These are good draining, but won't boast much in the way of struggle for the vine.
Grapes need to suffer to amalgamate the flavors necessary for fine wine. What this area lacks in optimal soil composition though, it makes up for in its erred climate, often bearing little rainfall in the late summer, when weather conditions in the Hill Country can wrought mold upon the crop with little notice. A lot of these issues come from being located at around 2,500ft MSL, this region is incredibly high giving it good access to sunlight, but slightly higher temperatures.
This means, sometimes Texas Hill Country grapes can yield no percentage of the finished product, instead needing to be supplanted by High Plains vineyard yields. This leads to incredible vintage variation, like those of Europe. In fact, European winemakers are much more common as consultants in Texas, and tend to perform better than their Californian counterparts when it comes to Texas wine, seeing as conditions are far more stable year over year in California.
Also incredibly notable about the High Plains, is though the temperatures in the day are extremely hot, the diurnal shift in evening cools the vineyards, leading to longer ripening times for grapes. This energizes the phenols that create flavor and color, allowing them to rest at night and then recharge in the sun.
These distinctions also lead to different grape varietal plantings in the two areas. In the Hill Country, to the south, conditions are hotter, and more humid, leading to plantings of thicker skinned, rot-resistant varietals such as Tannat, Graciano, and Tempranillo that are slower to ripen. On the High Plains one can expect to find a larger pool of grapes ranging from the Tempranillo of the Hill country, all the way to some stellar GSM blends and single-vineyard Mourvedre.
Duchman Family Wines is well renown for their delightful Italian Varieties including Sangiovese, which is grown in the Reddy Vineyard of the High Plains. This varietal grows best on the High Plains due to its need for diurnal shift and longer growing season. The wine is available at the Vineyard, and in some wine shops around Texas. You can also find this wine available for purchase online. It is fruit forward, unlike a lot of its Italian counterparts. The stewed cherry flavor and fresh black cherry acidity are very explosive, then the wine divulges into incredible roasted cinnamon and cardamom flavors, and finishes with thyme and the creamy acidify of goat cheese.
Ab Astris, is another incredible value winery in the Hill Country focused on bringing stunning Tannat and other southern French Varietals. Their Nara Vineyards Tannat is a lovely food compliment and boasts herbaceous qualities of Oregano and Basil as well as ripe plummy flavors with a palatable softness and chocolatey-oakiness that is perfectly balanced in the hallmark of a talented winemaker. You can pair this wine very well with hard cheeses or even a hearty pasta. It reminds me a lot of a nice Fronsac or Pomerol, but with habit more tannin and heat. This wine is available on the Ab Astris website and at the Winery.
The Texas High Plains Graciano from Pedernales is another phenomenal wine if you can find it in stores. This winery is highly focused on bringing high-quality 100% Texas wine regardless of vintage variation. They do a fantastic job, the varietals are treated in a very authentic Spanish manner - though they are highly experimental, creating some wines using Flash Détente. this bottle was aged for sixteen months in neutral oak as not to hinder the freshness of the fruit, and is a blend with Syrah and Carignan. The wine is best describes as explosive. Interesting and unhindered, this wine has a lot of fruity richness with good minerality and balanced acid. Flavors of rosemary and cherry dominate with hints of vanilla and espresso.
In regards to the overall market, it is notable that Texas does suffer the indignity of dry-country holdovers from prohibition, meaning depending on the county, some vintners may not be a bale to sell their wines off the vineyard, or in some cases, may not be able to use California grapes to blend with on poor vintages, and this can be a good thing - as more and more winemakers are looking to bottle full Texas wines.
Currently, with a lack of capital, a lot of small winery operations resort to wine tourism for money to fund the wineries operations. There are several different limousine and van companies that will take you, and guests on tours of Texas Wine country, where winemakers offer different experiences for guests and interesting itineraries, including watching the winemaking process and helping to harvest the grapes. One winemaker even offers to put guests names on the barrel should they decide to purchase a Barrique.
Some winemakers are experimenting with 228L Barriques like those in Burgundy, others are using interesting smoke-caramelized barrels meant for whiskey, and still yet others are making wine in proper casks already used to age Bourbon. I truly hope this level of tourist insanity comes to a halt, as a lot of these gimmicky techniques seem to negatively impact what could be an incredibly interesting, bourgeoning new American wine region.
There are even some wineries hoping to capitalize only on bachelorette parties, producing a purposefully inferior product to take drunken guests through the rigamarole of the winemaking process. Some producer familiarity and a word-of-mouth approach can be necessary for the prudent wine purchaser among us, but in the meantime, I’m happy to enjoy some of the incredible product emerging from this new region already.
That's All,
~K
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