History of Texas Wines
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/861474/posts
Do you know who Thomas Munson is? How Texas Saved the French Wine Industry
june/july 1999
In 1880, the vineyards of France were on the verge of destruction, courtesy of the phylloxera root louse. This grapevine plague was spread throughout France, and in the Charante Region (Cognac) in particular. With their very economy at risk, France selected French scientist Pierre Viala to find a cure for the plague. Viala's search lead him to Denison, Texas and scientist Thomas Volney Munson. Seeking a solution, Viala and Munson studied the native grapes of Texas. Because the soils of the Charante and Denison are very similar, and Munson knew the Texas rootstocks were resistant to phylloxera, Munson suggested that the only way to save the French vineyards was to graft the Texas rootstocks with the French vines. Viala agreed and thousands of bundles of Texas rootstocks were shipped to France to be grafted with the French vineyards. The grafting continues to this day.
France awarded Munson the Chevalier du Merite Agricule, the highest award that could be given to a foreign civilian. In 1888, Munson was inducted into the Legion of Honor and, to commemorate the award, a Centennial Celebration was held in Cognac and Denison 100 years later.
Thanks to Thomas Volney Munson, there's a taste of Texas in every glass of French wine.
http://austin.bearingsguide.com/2012/08/08/texas-wine-country/
Texas Wine Country
While the Texas landscape often conjures up images of cattle ranches, cowboys and cacti, and not verdant vineyards, our state is in fact one of the oldest wine regions in the U.S. – with wine production starting about a hundred years before it did in California.
Franciscan priests near El Paso produced sacramental wines in the mid 1600s. In the 1800s, German and other European immigrants to Texas brought grapevine cuttings from their homelands, fueling a golden age of wine-making. Prohibition brought that era to a halt, and it wasn’t until the 1970s that the industry regained momentum. Now with about 250 wineries and eight American Viticulture Areas (AVAs), Texas has built a significant wine industry. (An AVA is a federally designated distinctive wine growing region which consumers have also come to recognize, such as Sonoma Valley, Napa Valley and increasingly, the Texas Hill Country.)
Debbie Reynolds, executive director of the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association, told us, “What most do not realize is the huge impact the Texas wine industry has on the state’s economy. At the end of 2009, the impact was $1.7 billion.”
Despite the scale and history of wine, the Lone Star State’s vineyards still get overshadowed by the better-known wine regions of California, Washington and Oregon. One explanation is the common misconception that Texas is just too hot to grow grapes. This oversimplification is challenged by the state’s diversity of climates and soil conditions, not to mention that certain grape varieties excel in warmer conditions. Texas in fact has 15 native vitis, or grapevines.
Levi Lambert, who has eight years in Texas wine sales, mentions several varieties that do well: Syrah, Grenache, Viognier, Roussanne and Sangiovese. Texas wineries also import grapes from cooler regions like California to expand their offerings. However, to put “Texas” on the bottle’s label, 75 percent of the grapes must come from the state.
Levi points to more reasons why Texas is less known as a world-class wine region. First, early on, the state produced abundant sweet red wines, popular but often shunned by wine raters. Second, branding is critical: some Texas wineries are just now starting to brand their local AVA (e.g., Mesilla Valley) or producing single vineyard wines (e.g., Granite Hill Vineyard Merlot). This local branding drives name recognition – case in point, Sonoma Valley. Finally, most Texas wine is still sold through retail stores, making it less likely to be encountered at your favorite wine bar or steakhouse.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 8th, 2012 at 1:12 pm and is filed under Drink.
FOR SALE IN TEXAS ONLY - WHAT IT REALLY MEANS
http://sidedish.dmagazine.com/2012/08/13/report-from-texsom-2012-%E2%80%9Cfor-sale-in-texas-only%E2%80%9D-label-on-wine-bottles-misleads-consumers/#more-46632
“For Sale In Texas Only.” While the phrase may initially connote purity or exclusiveness, they imply the exact opposite. You will find the same phrase on bottles of wine made from grapes grown in California and front labels designed to convince you that the wine is from Texas. The sole purpose of the phrase is to conceal the origin of the grapes. It is an anti-consumer measure favored by people who want to import the cheapest fruit for mass-market wines and conceal the source of the grapes from consumers.
The problem is that these actions generate a reaction. Consumers smell the rat and stop buying California wine masquerading as Texas wine, and to save themselves the problem of discerning when wines are real Texas wines vs. fake Texas wines they stop buying Texas wines at all. According to Lindsay, that is what has happened in Austin.
For small Texas wineries striving for quality and using Texas grapes, this is a marketing nightmare . It makes it a lot harder for them to convey to consumers that they are committed to quality and make their wines entirely from Texas grapes. Certainly, with enough effort, small wineries can still survive, but this measure is something that makes their job harder.
The Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association has a legislative agenda each year. They should make the abolition of the “For Sale In Texas Only” provision a priority as part of a campaign to promote clear labeling. Require state labeling to include the origin of the grapes. The result will be increased consumer faith in Texas labeling and willingness to try Texas wines. Texas wineries that want to use California fruit can still do so, but clearly label it as such.
