We are now into the 50th year since Llano Estacado Winery was established in 1976. Except for a small Family winery in Del Rio called Val Verde Winery, Texas had no wineries since Prohibition ended on December 5, 1933.
Val Verde Winery was started in 1883 by an Italian Family and lasted through the 13 years of Prohibition by making Sacremental Wines. In 1976, a Texas Tech Professor by the name of Dr. Clint McPherson and his associate Bob Reed established Llano Estacado Winery in the “hub of the Texas Bible Belt.” Doc as he was affectionately known told me he found out while permitting his Llano Estacado Winery that the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Agency had not permitted a winery in Texas for 56 years which equates to three generations of TABC.
He showed me his 12-inch-thick cinder block walls around his winery and told me it was thick enough to keep his wine fermentation tanks from being shot at. In 1984, Llano Estacado Chardonnay earned a Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco International Wine Competition. Last year, Texas wines earned 28 Double Gold Medals. This year, one Texas winery earned eight Double Gold and Gold Medals for its wines made with Texas grapes. Ab Astris Winery near Stonewall in Texas is one of those up-and-coming wineries receiving a train full of awards. William Chris Winery near Fredericksburg was named as one of the top fifty wineries in the entire world with the judging staff of over 700 reviewing selections of remarkable wineries. William Chris Winery was tagged at number 31 in this elite list of fifty.
It is hard to find great Texas wines in the wine section at grocery stores or at wine shops. These stores require thousands of cases of committed wine just to make the list of wines at their stores. The best Texas wines are found in the wineries since their releases in the one or two thousand case production do not make it to these stores. My experience is that if you want the best wines is that you shop at the wineries whether they are in Texas or California. It is there at the wineries that you will find the best wines. If you cannot make it to a winery, an option is to join their wine club for their best wines.
If you insist on going to the local wine section at your local grocery store or wine shop in Texas, try these wonderful award-winning wines:
• William Chris Skelton Key Red Wine Blend or Cabernet Sauvignon
• Bending Branch Tannat
• Llano Estacado Viviano (red blend) or Viviana (white blend)
• Becker Viognier or Tempranillo or Cabernet Sauvignon-Syrah Reserve Blend or Malbec
• Messina Hof Sangiovese or GSM
• McPherson Texas High Plains Red
• Federalist Red Blend
• Pedernales Viognier
• Duchman Montepulciano
• Lost Draw High Plains Arroyo Rojo
Texas is making some awesome wines and is earning a loyal following of wine lovers. The awards and accolades keep piling which shows to the world that Texas is a great wine-producing State. In the next year, Texas will become the number three and ten the number two largest producing wine state in our Country. Next time you dine, ask for an award-winning Texas wine!
Dining and Cooking