Cider + Wine = Something Different to Drink This Summer

When I was sitting at the bar at J. Henry's a couple of weeks ago, I noticed a funny looking wine bottle in their cooler. I asked to read the label, and then I knew I had to try it. It was Grafter Rosé, a small-batch cider from Texas Keeper, made with 91% Rome Beauty apples and 9% Tempranillo grapes from Texas. (Sorry the picture is orange. I was having living room lighting issues.)

  

Introduction to the Grapes of Texas

Now is a great time to get interested in Texas wine. Texas is the 5th largest wine producer in the country with more than 300 wineries and growing fast. Texas has more wine history than most people know -- vines were planted in Texas in the early 1600s, which is earlier than they came to California. In the early 1900s transplanted Texan Thomas Munson played an important role in solving the worldwide phylloxera crisis using rootstock from Texas grapes. The Texas wine industry today is often compared to the California wine industry in the 1970s -- the winemakers are still experimenting to see what works best in the climate, the quality ranges from very high to low-but-improving, and the wine is generally undervalued. Check out the Texas Wine Cheat Sheet for an overview of Texas' wine regions.

Most people think about wine in terms of grape variety. Learning about the grapes of a region is a good beginning for learning about the region's wines, but it's especially important in Texas because winemakers here are still figuring out what grapes grow best. In Burgundy winemakers have spent hundreds of years perfecting the wine identity of the region and the marriage of grape to vineyard site. In Texas these are open questions. So far, wineries and grape growers in Texas have tended to take one (or a combination) of the following approaches to their grape selection.

Beers with a Wine Influence

Check out my latest article for HomeBrewTalk.com!

Beers With A Wine Influence

See all my articles for HomeBrewTalk.com here, and for WineMakingTalk.com here.

Wine Infographic: Argentina Wine Cheat Sheet

Next in the wine cheat sheet series:  Argentina!

See the full collection of wine cheat sheets here.

To see the Cheat Sheet in full size…
…in Internet Explorer, right click on it and select “open in new tab.”
…in Chrome, right click on it and select “open link in new tab.”
…in Firefox, right click on it and select “view image.”   



You may also be interested in:
Wine Infographic:  Wine Altitude Cheat Sheet
The Wines of San Juan, Argentina
Wine Infographic: Chilean Wine Cheat Sheet

Tasting Llano Estacado's Texas Tempranillo

Since it's Texas wine month, let's taste a Texas wine.  Llano Estacado was established in 1976 near Lubbock, Texas.  In 1993 the Texas High Plans AVA, surrounding the Lubbock area, was designated as an official wine region.  (See the Texas Wine Cheat Sheet for more about Texas wine regions.)

I recently tasted Llano Estacado's Tempranillo.  Tempranillo is a Spanish grape which grows well in the Texas High Plains AVA and is increasing in importance to the Texas wine industry.  The climate of west Texas and the panhandle bear some resemblance to the climate of Spain, so it makes sense that Tempranillo would do well in Texas.

Llano Estacado 2012 Cellar Reserve Tempranillo

Appearance:  Medium ruby-garnet.

Nose:  Aromas of cherry, plum, cinnamon, black pepper, and cedar.

Palate:  Medium+ acid, moderate tannin, and medium body.  12.5% abv

I'm a fan of Tempranillo in general, and I really like this wine.  The flavor and structure are nicely balanced. It's easy to drink on its own, but food friendly as well.  Just an all-around great Texas wine! 

You might also be interested in:
The Spanish Wine Cheat Sheet
Lenoir and the Georgetown Winery

Wine Infographic: Spanish Wine Cheat Sheet

I hope you were using your Sherry Cheat Sheet this week for International Sherry Week.

To close out Sherry Week, let's broaden our focus and learn about wine from all over Spain!

See the full collection of wine cheat sheets here.

To see the Cheat Sheet in full size…
…in Internet Explorer, right click on it and select “open in new tab.”
…in Chrome, right click on it and select “open link in new tab.”
…in Firefox, right click on it and select “view image.”   

Lenoir and the Georgetown Winery

I recently visited the Georgetown Winery, which is north of Austin on the San Gabriel Wine Trail.  It has a quaint storefront on the beautiful downtown square in Georgetown, Texas, and it's a comfortable place to stop and taste.  

The most interesting wine I tasted there was Lenoir.  Lenoir is a grape, also known as Black Spanish or Jaquez, which is native to the U.S. and grows well in Texas due to its natural resistance to phylloxera and Pierce's disease.  It is a hybrid of two other grapes - one from the species Vitis aestivalis and one from Vitis vinifera (the species of most international wine grapes).  Many Texas wineries produce wine from Lenoir, to varying degrees of success.

I enjoyed Georgetown Winery's take on Lenoir.  The wine has a medium ruby color, with aromas of blackberry, cranberry, spice, herbs, earth, and vanilla.  It's initially fruity on the palate, but then develops a slightly tart, bitter edge, which balances the fruit.  It reminded me of the vegetal/green pepper notes that Cabernet Sauvignon sometimes has.  This Lenoir has moderate tannin and moderate-to-high acid.

Georgetown sources over 65% of its grapes from Texas and about 35% from other places, primarily California.  Here are my notes on the other wines I tasted.  (When I make tasting notes, I use a 4-star scale for how much I liked the wine.)  

• Tempranillo – Dry red with full body, aromas of red and black fruits, spice, potting soil, and vanilla. (***1/2)
• Cowboy Red – Dry red with full body, aromas of red and black fruits, blended from 75% Malbec (from California) and 25% Tempranillo. (***1/2)
• Super Big Texan – Dry red with aromas of blackberry, cranberry, and vanilla.  Tart on the palate, with moderate-to-high acid, moderate tannin, and high alcohol.  Blended from 70% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot. (***)
• Cabernet Sauvignon – Dry red with full body, aromas of black currant, black pepper, tobacco, and cloves.  Blended from 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Shiraz. (***)
• Portejas – A sweet red Port-style wine, fortified with brandy, and made from Red Zinfandel grapes.  It's very strong at 21% alcohol, but fruity and smooth. (***)
• Chocolate Cherry Port – In the style of a ruby Port with chocolate flavoring added. (***)
• Texas Twister – A dry white that tasted mostly like apple juice with some vegetal characteristics and moderate-to-high acid. (**)

Georgetown Winery makes more wines than I tasted.  Here's the full list with prices.  Locally, I believe we can only buy the blueberry and peach wines.  But Georgetown makes an easy day trip from Houston, so I encourage you to visit and taste for yourself.  Also keep your eyes peeled for Lenoir/Black Spanish from other Texas wineries.  It's an interesting grape with a lot of potential.

Tempranillo in Texas

This article from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram last month discusses Tempranillo's future in Texas, predicting that it will become the state's signature varietal, like Malbec for Argentina or Shriaz for Australia:

Tempranillo Hits Pay Dirt in Texas

This makes perfect sense, because the climate and topography of west Texas resemble parts of Spain, where Tempranillo is from, and where it makes some gorgeous wines.  I love this grape, so I hope it will help Texas establish itself as a great state for wine!