This was my first time tasting wine from Texas.  I was impressed with the high quality and value of the wines…

This month our group of Wine Pairing Weekend (#WinePW) bloggers is taking a virtual road trip to the great state of Texas to explore Texas fine wine.

Thanks to travel and wine writer Michelle Williams, and our sponsor Texas Fine Wine, we received media samples of wine.  Texas Fine Wine is a privately funded marketing initiative representing five of Texas’ benchmark wineries committed to making wine from Texas grapes.

About Texas Wine

Wine has been produced in Texas since the mid-17th Century (about century before California!)when Spanish missionaries planted vines in the area around the modern-day border between Texas, Mexico and New Mexico.

Prohibition in 1920 dealt a devastating blow to the Texan wine industry, and it did not recover until the late 20th Century. Today, the state ranks fifth in terms of production, just behind the more famous U.S. wine states of Washington, Oregon, New York and, of course, California.

Texan viticulture is divided into three core regions: North-Central, South-Eastern and Trans-Pecos.  There are eight AVAs in Texas (see map below).

There are two major regions.  The finest vineyards of Texas are generally found within the confines of the Texas High Plains AVA (American Viticultural Area) which is situated in the Texas Panhandle, west of Lubbock. This area produces wines of both quality and quantity and has the highest density of wine-bearing vines in the state.  It has a dry climate with longs days of sunshine and cool nights.

The other major region is the vast Texas Hill Country and its two sub-regions, Bell Mountain and Fredericksburg. It is a humid and lush region.   As a point of reference, Austin and San Antonio are the two major metropolitan areas in  Texas Hill Country. The majority of Texas wineries are located in the scenic Texas Hill Country AVA.

The Texas wine industry is exploding. With over 500 wineries registered with the Department of Treasury—up from less than 300 in 2009—Texas now ranks fourth in number of wineries per state, passing up New York in 2018. Thanks to the Hill Country, Texas is also the second most-visited wine tourism destination in the U.S. according to San Antonio Magazine.

Additionally, according to winesearcher.com, a debt of honor is owed to Texas by wine producers all over the world – or rather, to a particular Texan grapevine breeder. During the late 1800s, Thomas Volney Munson established a vineyard, which he ran both for his own studies and as a commercial nursery. It was here that he grafted European Vitis vinifera vine scions onto native American rootstocks, creating the first truly workable solution to the phylloxera crisis. At that time, the sap-sucking pest was laying waste to vineyards in Europe and across the world, and no solution had been found. In recognition of Munson’s achievements, the French government made him a Chevalier (knight) of the Ordre du Mérite Agricole (Order of Agricultural Merit).

Disclosure: I received these wines as a media samples. I received no compensation for this post, and all opinions presented are my own.

The Food and Wine Pairings

I paired the three Brennan Vineyards wines with a variety of cuisines.

Wine	Food Pairing
2016 Brennan Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon	Afghan Lamb Kabobs
2018 Brennan Vineyards Roussanne	Poke Bowl
2015 Brennan Vineyards Cellar Select Viognier	Massuman Seafood Curry and Pad Thai

See below for my tasting notes on each wine and my thoughts about the pairing:

Fruit for the 2016 Brennan Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from the Texas High Plains AVA.  It is a blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Alicante Bouschet.

It pours a translucent garnet color with cassis, black cherry, leather and a hint of mint with a pleasing herbaceouness that brings to mind Cab Franc for me.  On the palate it’s light-bodied, and fresh with supple tannins and bright cassis, black cherry, with hints of red plum and spice flavors. It needed a bit of air to open up and show its charms. 13.9% abv| SRP-$28. It was fabulous paired with the Lamb Kabobs. 

Fruit for the 2018 Brennan Vineyards Roussanne is sourced from the Texas High Plains AVA.  It is 100% Roussanne.

It wine pours a pale straw color with inviting pip fruit, pineapple, honeysuckle, apricot and citrus aromas. On the palate its medium-bodied, dry and fresh with an appealing texture and Gala apple, dried apricot, honey, pineapple, pear, melon and a bit of mandarin orange confit flavors. 14% abv|SRP-$18. This mid-weight wine paired very well with take-out Poke Bowl with Salmon, yellowtail, tuna and octopus and fixings. 

Fruit for this wine was sourced from the Comanche appellation.  It is a skin-fermented white wine (a.k.a. “Orange Wine”) made from 100% Viognier that was fermented 5 days on skins, then pressed continued fermentation for 10 days.

The wine pours a brilliant amber color with green apple, patchouli, honeysuckle, dried apricot and a hint of wet stone aromas. On the palate it’s medium-bodied, and dry with vibrant acidity and a hint of tannins. It shows white peach, candied green apple, dried apricot, Meyer lemon and a kiss of almond flavors with a satisfying finish 15.3% abv| SRP – $25. It was a wonderful partner to take-out Thai of Massuman Curry with Shrimp and (not pictured)Tofu and Seafood Pad Thai.

About Brennan Vineyards

“Brennan Vineyards is in one of the oldest remaining homesteads in Texas, dating back to 1876. Its adjacent 10-acre estate vineyard, established in 2002, provides beautiful Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Viognier fruit. The Newburg Vineyard just outside of Comanche is home to Semillon, Muscat of Alexandria, Viognier, Mourvèdre, Tempranillo, Nero d’Avola, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Ruby Cabernet. The winery philosophy is based on taking a minimalist approach, blending Old World traditions with modern innovations” according to Texas Fine Wine. 

They were the first Texas winery to receive two double gold medals  for Texas appellation wine in 2015 at the San Francisco International Wine Competition.  They also earned the first ever TEXSOM International Judge’s Selection for “Top Texas Red” and “Top Texas White” in 2017.

My Takeaways

• This was my first time tasting wine from Texas.  I was impressed with the high quality and value of the wines I received.
• Texas is an emerging wine region that has evolved rapidly over the last 10-15 years as they have homed in on which grapes are best suited to specific growing regions and/or sites.   The future is bright for Texas wine!

Be sure to check out what my fellow Wine Pairing Weekend bloggers discovered during their virtual visit to Texas and their food and wine pairings:

• A TexMex Fiesta featuring Texas Tannat by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Don’t Mess with Texas: Two Reds from Bending Branch Winery Paired with Sliders by Wine Predator
• Duchman Family Winery – Exploring Texas Wines With Italian Grape Varieties by Syrah Queen
• Low and Slow Grilling with Texas Wines by FoodWineClick!
• Oven Roasted Sirloin Steak with Onion Sauce and Texas Wine by Cooking Chat
• Pedernales Cellars: Pairing Texas Fine Wine with Spice 3 Ways by Asian Test Kitchen
• Rooting for Emerging Wine Regions: Celebrating Texas Wine With Our Everyday Meals by the Traveling Wine Profs
• Slow Cooker Short Rib Ragù with Texas Montepulciano by Always Ravenous
• Spicewood Vineyards: A Taste of Texas for #WinePW by The Swirling Dervish
• Texas Connections, Beef Flautas, and Bending Branch’s Tannat by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• #Texasfinewine Pedernales GSM, Rose, Viognier with Dim Sum by Chinese Food and Wine Pairings
• The Texas Wine Party Continues with Fall Creek Vineyards by The Corkscrew Concierge
• Tuscan Farro With Texan Vermentino by Avvinare
• Uh, oh! My Texas Wine Craves Barbecue by My Full Wine Glass

If you’re up early enough, please join our Twitter chat about Texas Fine Wine on Saturday, November 9 at 8am PST.  You’ll learn more about this emerging wine region and get some great food pairing ideas to boot. Just follow the hashtags #WinePW and #TexasFineWine on Twitter .