Write Off the Vine: Texas Wine News – March 15, 2010
Deep in the Heart of Texas Wine Country
Syndicators.com Published by John Blanchette
The Alamo isn’t the thing I remember most about San Antonio.
I was spending too much time enjoying the cuisine and wine at the Annual New World Wine and Food Festival, which this year will be held May 12-16.
The four-day event included special dinners at restaurants around town, barbecue cook-offs, a grand tasting with 50 local restaurants pairing dishes with 125 different wines from all over Texas, and a black-tie dinner-dance.
Wine in Texas? It turns out the state has eight appellations and is the fifth-largest producer. With the new vineyard plantings under way, it will soon be No. 4, overtaking New York (California is first, followed by Washington State and Oregon).
Texans ride herd on their wine and don’t share much. Only about 5 percent gets across the border, and there’s a reason: It’s delicious.
Soils, climate and temperatures similar to the Rhone Valley in France allow the nearly 200 Texas vintners to make some excellent Viogniers, chenin blancs, Grenache and syrah. Thirty-six other wine grapes are grown commercially, from pinot noir, merlot and chardonnay to Tempranilo, Sangiovese and muscat, but the Rhone varietals really shine.
Texas Wine: Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Fest Celebrates 25 Years
Texas Monthly – Eat My Words posted by Jessica Dupuy
The biggest wine fest in Texas is only a few weeks away. Culminating in Austin and extending for four days as far west as Fredericksburg and Tow in the Hill Country, the Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival begins Thursday, April 15 with its annual celebration of great wines and Texas cuisine through Sunday, April 18, 2010.
This year, the festival celebrates its milestone 25th Anniversary and owes much of its success to the pioneering initiative of Susan Auler of Fall Creek Vineyards who, along with her friends and top Texas chefs Dean Fearing, Stephen Pyles, and Robert Del Grande, started the event in 1985 to put the Texas Hill Country on the map.
This year, the festival celebrates its milestone 25th Anniversary and owes much of its success to the pioneering initiative of Susan Auler of Fall Creek Vineyards who, along with her friends and top Texas chefs Dean Fearing, Stephen Pyles, and Robert Del Grande, started the event in 1985 to put the Texas Hill Country on the map. “I think Texas wines will continue to get more exposure through events like this,” says Auler. “Especially if the demand from Texans begins to grow. This event has helped the Hill Country gain recognition as a legitimate wine region that now attracts people from all over the country to come and visit.”
More on festival events at: http://www.texasmonthly.com/blogs/eatmywords/?p=693
Spring Wine Tours in Texas
Associated Content – Travel
Published by: Jennifer Tolbert
A Springtime tour of Texas is filled with sunshine, wildflowers and 163 vineyards waiting for eager tourists. Many people do not know that Texas is actually the fifth largest producer of wine in the nation, producing approximately 2.4 million gallons of wine a year. “The Texas wine industry is part of tourism, entertainment and education. That provides a lot of avenues for local communities to make a connection with wineries. And it’s a rural agricultural product. Vineyards and wineries tend to be in rural areas, so there’s an economic development aspect for small towns, as well,” said Dr. Tim Dodd Director, Texas Tech Wine Marketing Research Institute.
Spring Bluebonnet Trails-This event is being held April 3-4, 10-11, and 17-18 in southeast Texas. Travel along bluebonnet lined Interstate 45 and Highway 290 to visit Colony Cellars, Pleasant Hill Winery, Windy Winery, Messina Hof Winery, Retreat Hill Winery and Vineyards, Bernhardt Winery, and Cork This! Winery. Each winery will be offering two select wine and cheese pairings, with specialty Texas cheeses, and include a packet of wildflower seeds at each winery. Tickets are $25 a person.
More Texas wine trail tours: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2762199/spring_wine_tours_in_texas.html
Top Five Winery Destinations in Texas
One elegant evening, my husband and I celebrated dinner before the traditional Aggie Ring Dance at Messina Hof Winery and Resort in Bryan, Texas. The beautiful surroundings and delicious food made for a memorable evening. There are approximately 163 wineries in Texas, so when I wanted to know which wineries top the list, I turned to Drew Hendricks, Master Sommelier and Director of Wine and Beverage Education for Pappa’s Restaurant. Hendricks listed his personal five favorites which proudly represent the Lone Star State.
The list includes: McPherson Wine Cellars (Lubbock), Inwood Estates Vineyards(Dallas), Haak Vineyards and Winery (Santa Fe), Mandola Estate Winery (Driftwood), Kiepersol Estates and KE Wines (Tyler).
More details and descriptions at: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2758181/top_5_winery_destinations_in_texas.html?cat=16
Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisine
Bonnell’s Restaurant has earned the awards of “Top Restaurant,” “Best Southwest Restaurant,” and “Best Chef” by Fort Worth, Texas Magazine; “Best Chef” and “Best Restaurant” by FW Weekly, and “Award of Excellence” by Wine Spectator. Certified Texas organic beef, wild game, and fresh gulf seafood are the star performers of Bonnell’s. Each dish exhibits creativity and innovative tastes with a blend of Southwestern, Creole, and Mexican influences. Fine Texas Cuisine, as defined by Chef Jon Bonnell, is a blend of regional flavors and cultures, combined with local ingredients that make Texans proud. All of the venison, quail, wild boar, beef, ostrich, chicken, fish, oysters, shrimp, cheeses, and fresh herbs served at Bonnell’s come from the great state of Texas.Wine list includes multiple selections from Texas wineries.
More at: http://www.bonnellstexas.com
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