Write Off the Vine – Texas Wine News

Write Off the Vine – Texas Wine News

Houston International Wine Competition Winners

The results are in from the sixth annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo International Wine Competition. More than 1,800 entries from 585 wineries from Texas, U. S. and abroad were judged recently at the Reliant Center in Houston. Here are the Super-Award winners:

* Grand Champion Best of Show: 2006 Vina Robles, Suendero Paso Robles

* Reserve Grand Champion Best of Show: 2007 McManis Family Vineyards Petite Sirah

* Top Texas Wine: Piney Woods Texas Moon Magnolia NV

For a complete list of all medal winning wines, go to: http://www.alawine.com/archives/12-01-2008_12-31-2008.html

Texas’ Best Holiday Wine Selections

Get ready for the year end holidays with a selection of Texas’ Best Wines for 2008.

It’s time to start seriously thinking….wine selection. Holiday festivities are just around the corner. Don’t be caught empty handed and even worse, don’t be caught without a few Texas wines that can amply compliment your best holiday fare and please your friends and family. I have made this list of Texas’ Best Wines of 2008 based on my travels and experiences during the year.

More at: https://vintagetexas.com/?p=214 

Holiday Wine Books

This season’s wine book offerings seem slimmer than past years, and especially for pretty, coffee table books. This is not necessarily a problem, since pretty, coffee table books can cost as much as a case of well-made cheap wine. But there are a variety of worthwhile books for sale this year. Among the most interesting….

More at: http://www.winecurmudgeon.com/my_weblog/2008/12/holiday-wine-books.html

No Sour Grapes Here: Texas Wine Industry Blossoms
by Bruce Wright

When people ask Ed Auler why he got into the wine business, he gives them a three-word answer: “low cattle prices.” But what started as an interest in diversifying his ranching business ended with him becoming one of the founders of a modern Texas industry. Wine has a long history in Texas – very long, dating back to the late seventeenth century, with vines planted at the Ysleta mission near present-day El Paso. For the next two centuries, European settlers planted grapes, often beginning with varieties from home but switching to hardier native plants.

More at: http://www.window.state.tx.us/comptrol/fnotes/fn0810/wine.html

Texas Hill Country Holiday Wine Trail

The first weekend of the trail was covered by Russ Kane at www.VinetageTexas.com. The trip involved three days on the trail, full of tasting fine wines from San Marcos to Lamapasas to Fredericksburg and discussions with winemakers and fellow aficionados. Also included interesting features: A talking dog, a time machine and Jalapeno wine…

For more information and access to Russ Kane’s trail diary go to:
Holiday Wine Trail Introduction – https://vintagetexas.com/?p=272
Day 1 – https://vintagetexas.com/?p=283 
Day 2 – https://vintagetexas.com/?p=291
Day 3 – https://vintagetexas.com/?p=298