CapRock Winery Auction Today: What Do You Think About This Scenario?
Will it happen? Could it Happen? In a perfect world….
Several of the Texas High Plains growers get together and not only run a common crush facility at the CapRock WInery in Lubbock, but actually get together for the full monty of European wine experiences….Start of Cooperative. They buy grapes from themselves, make wine, market and sell the wine under a cooperative name. It doesn’t have to be all the grapes they grow, only the excess in this “Vintage of the Century” year woud give this venture a good start and be a safety value to keep grape prices where they need to be to lauch a sustainable new Texas wine industry.
This operation would be in the fine European tradition of winemaking – think Burgundy, Baberesco, and Bandol. No us’s and them’s, no one to blame. All are in it for the long haul.
But, the question is, could they, would they do it? I have seen these operations up close in France and Italy. The questions are:
Would they take kindly to one grower getting paid more for his or her grapes than somebody else even if it is based on quality?
Would they get the distribution support that they need to make it happen?
Do they have the capital and vision to pull this off (vision is one thing sorely lacking right now in the Texas wine industry)?
It would really shake up the Texas wine industry, an industry that really needs to be shaken up and given a new direction.
Will the Texas High Plains Growers step up to the plate and hit a home run? Keep your fingers crossed.
I will keep you posted.
— — — — —
Auction details at: https://vintagetexas.com/?p=1876
Im all for it!
Places like Newsome already have a crush pad. And supply allot of the grapes for many wineries in Texas. This COOP would provide competition in the market place and would inevitably drive the price of Texas Wine down and not to mention get more Texas wine out there. A coop is what I think many of the smaller West Texas growers need right now!
I say GO FOR IT!
I do not know if the Newsom facility has gone active yet.
Russ
Been watching CapRock Auction while talking to ex-#TXWine maker Don Brady @RobertHall. Just broke the news to him on Laurent Gruet ownership. The winning bid was placed by a gentleman from Champaign France via New Mexico. More in tthe next blog.
Thanks Special High Plains Wine Correspondent, Ben Simons @Vintology on Twitter for the updates.
Russ
Good for Gruet, Russ. It’s a class operation and will bring much to Texas. But I don’t see how they can do this without using California fruit.