25 Sep 10 Outstanding Texas Wines That Are A Good Value
From the Dallas News comes this article which outlines the 10 most outstanding Texas wine values.
Revving up for Texas Wine Month in October, the wine panel looked for outstanding Texas wines that are good values. We sampled a cross-section of the wines made with Texas grapes that are widely available in stores for less than $30.
It would take many hours and panels of tasters to try all the Texas wines sold in stores; that’s a feat best left for wine competitions. We stuck to our typical two-hour tasting, sampling 26 wines. Our choices came from acclaimed and promising producers, and we included wines that piqued our curiosity based on appellation, vineyard or reserve designations.
Ten years ago, a trip to the liquor store would have netted only a small pool of true Texas wines. That’s no longer the case, as the Texas wine industry has since grown significantly, both in the number of wineries and the number of varietals and blends produced. Mediterranean varietals have put some Texas producers in the national limelight, and this has inspired more winemakers to seek grape varieties well-suited to the Texas soil and heat, even if the varietal names are unfamiliar to the average consumer. Texas wineries continue to rack up awards at prestigious wine competitions.
You’ll see rows and rows of Texas wines on the aisles of the larger liquor and wine stores around Dallas. At Spec’s Wine and Spirits, statewide Texas wine sales are up 21 percent over last year, says Sam Clark, the chain’s Texas wine buyer. At wine boutiques as well as chain supermarkets, you can buy inexpensive bottles of award-winning Texas vermentino, viognier and claret (a Bordeaux blend); that’s a sure sign that these value gems are reaching a wide audience.
Our tasting netted 10 outstanding Texas wines that represent good values. Our picks range from restrained, balanced reds to aromatic, food-friendly whites. There’s even an $11 rosé that was a double gold winner at the San Francisco International Wine Competition in June. It’s worth noting that half of the wines we selected can be found for less than $15.
Yep, everything’s bigger in Texas — including the bargains on great native wine.
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