The wines were wrapped up tightly in paper bags when we picked them up so it would truly be a blind tasting at our homes virtually.
The esteemed panel of six included Denise Clark, of DC Communications & Certified Sommelier, Jennifer McInnis-Bending Branch Winery, Rebecca Conley-Brennan Vineyards, Ron Yates-Spicewood Vineyards, Julie Kulhken-Pedernales Cellars and last but not least Dave Reilly, Duchman Family Winery. The panel guided about 40 of us through a blind tasting and discussion of the wines and their wineries.
The wines were awesome and it was fun tasting and experiencing the blind tasting with each sniff, sip and taste. We were asked to decide which wine and I did pretty well in figuring out what we were drinking. Texas wines have become a force in wine industry due to improved growing techniques, ongoing learning, better communication and understanding which grapes grow best in our diverse terroir and most of all, the talent we have at these wineries to get the most out of the grapes were are growing and in turn, giving us fabulous Texas terroir-driven wines to drink.
Each of these wines I would drink over and over and can only hope that you too can experience all that Texas has to offer! Who knew there could be such diverse varietals successfully grown and bottled here in Texas.
Bending Branch’s Estate Picpoul Blanc is a creamy, white wine with lots of refreshing acidity traditionally grown in Rhone Valley of France and has been found to grow great in Texas. Brennan Vineyard’s Vigonier with a touch of Semillion boasts lots of peach, honeysuckle, acidity ***probably my favorite white wine in Texas!
I adored the Texas Tempranillo by Ron Yates at Spicewood Vineyards. It was awesome! Lots of flavors and aromas emanated from this bottle including dark, ripe blackberries, violets, dark chocolate, cherry with a great balance of acidity and tannins.
This wine will be served at my next paella dinner!
WOW! Just WOW! The GSM Grenache-Syrah-Mourvedre blend from Duchman was something! You might recognize this blend from Southern Rhone located in France, but guess what??? Texas is doing it right at Duchman! Strawberry, cranberry, herbs and cherry swirl around your nose and mouth. If you haven’t had this yet, you are missing out!
And last but not least, everyone’s favorite grape Malbec is growing great and tasting fabulous at Pedernales Cellars in Texas. Malbec lovers must grab you new favorite bottle of Texas wine!
This is a great time to be living in Texas surrounded by the rise of the Texas grapes. Texas wines are here and will get your attention!
