Where Texas Wine Comes From, Part One: Newsom Vineyards

If you’ve drunk your fair share of Texas wine, chances are you’ve heard of Newsom Vineyards. Winemakers almost always include the vineyard designation on their label–the grapes are well worth the recognition. Newsom grapes help many winemakers win gold at competitions across the state, nationally, and internationally. I first heard of the vineyard from LightCatcher Winemaker Caris Turpen. Her Newsom Cabernet Sauvignon solidified my belief that many Texas wines can stand up to top-quality producers from around the globe. A few other standouts include Inwood Estates Cornelius Tempranillo, Llano Estacado’s Viviano, Texas Hills Kick Butt CabNewsom, Becker Vineyards Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Fredericksburg Winery Late-Harvest Orange Muscat, and San Martino Winery’s Dolce (follow the jump for notes).

On a recent visit to the High Plains I had the chance to meet Neal and Janice Newsom, visit their vineyards, and taste grapes off the vine. For a wine geek like me, you can compare the experience to a Star Wars fanatic getting the chance to meet (and lunch) with George Lucas. When I finally got over my starstruck moments of nerdiness, I found out that Neal is not only a dedicated family man, he’s a passionate farmer dedicated to growing the best possible grapes with his soil. Much of his 92 acres of vines are grown on a red sandy, loamy soil on top of caliche limestone at an elevaton of 3800 feet.

I was a little shocked at first–limestone in Texas. Winemakers the world over seek grapes grown on top of limestone. It lends a complex minerality to the wine that cannot be manufactured. It’s in the grapes or it’s not. Winemakers can’t finesse that kind of complexity. He grows Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo, Sangiovese, Malbec, Pinot Grigio, and Orange Muscat. Click here to see a slideshow and more notes from my trip to Newsom Vineyards. Follow the jump to read about Inwood Estates Cornelius Tempranillo (named after Neal–it’s his middle name), LightCatcher Etain’s Rose as well as Llano Estacado’s Viviano.

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Report: Texas Wine Month

Hey winos, we are already 8 days into Texas Wine Month. Have you swirled any good local vino yet? I wouldn’t be surprised if there is any left–our loyal reader, and resident wine chick, Lisa, has been doing more than her fair share by traveling all over the state and writing a book called Wine Girl. (Guess our little chick has grown into a girl. Dang, I feel old.) Anywhoo, today our wine girl wants to share her hangovers highlights with you. So, without further ado, here is Miss Lisa:

Hey, Dishers! Enjoying Texas Wine Month so far? I hope your corkscrews got a workout last week! [Ed: Y'all be nice to her.]

As mid-month approaches, let’s take our exploration of Texas wine to the next level. Time to hit the road! Maybe you tried some local wine in the comfort of your own home last week, and now you’re ready to get up close and personal. Or maybe you’ve heard about wonderful wineries in the area, but you’re a little fuzzy on the details. No worries - that’s my department. Today I’ll highlight a handful of wineries right here in our own back yard.

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Texas Wine Report From The Texas Wine Chick

Dishers, Texas Wine Month starts tomorrow. And Lisa, one of our loyal readers, is so excited about it she wants to offer up some suggestions. So without further ado, here is our Texas Wine Chick, Lisa:

As Miss Nancy first reported here , October is Texas Wine Month.  At the stroke of midnight tonight, happy girls and boys throughout the city will sing “Deep in the Heart of Texas”, while corks pop and wine flows into goblets and flutes and tumblers, everyone taking a celebratory sip to ring in the happiest month of the year–well, maybe that’ll just be at my house.

You see, I’m a huge fan of Texas wine.  First and foremost, I love it because it’s good. And in many cases, it’s great.  Texas wines are winning awards left and right, and our state’s wine industry is in the midst of quite a boom.  Lone Star wine is also local - yet another reason to fall in love. When you choose Texan, you’re supporting a Texas business, a Texas farm, or both.  I mean, I like a good farm stand as much as the next gal, but a basket of veggies doesn’t get me half as excited as a great bottle of wine.

So, to celebrate October, I’ve listed four excellent Texas selections below.  All are readily available in Dallas, and all will run you less than $20.   If you’re into adding noisemakers, streamers or fireworks to the celebration, you’re on your own. (more…)

October is Texas Wine Month!

And the month-long festivities will start next week with a special luncheon at Fearing’s (Hi, Susan!). After that, our slogan for the next 30 days will be: Go Out. Go Eat. GO TEXAN. Read SideDish. Ok, I added the last part but the good folks at the Texas Agricultural Department have been working hard to promote all things Texan and we will support them here.

If you can’t make it to Fearing’s on October 1st, click here to find another restaurant participating in the first-ever statewide dine-out day. These restaurants will offer special Texas menu items and wine pairings and many of them have pledged to donate a portion of the day’s proceeds to Texas food banks. Win, win, win.

In the mean time, here are some fun food foodie facts about Texas:

- Last year, approximately 28,000 sample glasses of Texas wine were poured at the State Fair Wine Garden. (And I didn’t even go last year!)

- Texas is the fifth-largest wine producing state, with 163 wineries producing an estimated 2.4 million gallons a year. There are more than 280 vineyards that cover 3,100 acres. (People, we can’t be fifth at anything. Forget that California Cab. Drink Texas.)

- Of the nearly $1.35 billion that Texas wines contribute to the state’s economy, a majority is directly related to tourism. (Oh, for a second I thought that read “voyeurism.” Tourism/voyeurism? Is there much of a difference? Who cares, drinking wine is healthy for Texas.)

- Nearly 1 million tourists visit Texas wineries each year. (Seriously? That’s all? Go to a Texas winery now. It’s the perfect time of the year. Let’s get that number way up.)

- There are 8 viticultural areas in Texas: the Texas Hill Country viticultural area is the second-largest in the U.S., covering 15,000 square miles. (Yes, viticulture is a big word, but these stats are coming from agri-types, so it’s up to you to get smart. Vinticulture is just a fancy Latin word for growing grapes.)

- The Texas Hill Country is the #2 wine destination, just behind Napa-Sonoma, according to an Orbitz survey. (Screw Orbitz, let’s measure the snob factor in Napa-Sonoma–that will bring those numbers down. Next.)

- Texas has dedicated more than $4.5 million to supporting and growing the Texas wine industry. (And hopefully after writing this post, my check will be in the mail.)

- Varietals that show promise in Texas include, among others, Tempranillo, Sangiovese, Viognier and Syrah. (OK kids, breathe into it. You’ve tasted all of those grapes even though you may not have known it. The next time you reach for a Chardonnay, pick out a Viognier. (Becker makes a bitchin’ one. I think the pleasantness of the wine and the lower price will win you over. Plus, they rhyme!)

LightCatcher Winemaker Dinner

If you’re looking for something to pique your palate this weekend, then head over to LightCatcher Winery in Fort Worth on Saturday to get a chance to taste the Sangria Summer Port (a new release) at this month’s Winemaker Dinner. Winemaker Caris Turpen sets the menu and pairs each dish with one of her wines. The paella paired with a refreshing rosé sounds like the perfect summer nosh. Click here for details.

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Gay Boys Two-Time Me

OMG, I feel like Susan Hayward in I’ll Cry Tomorrow. You know, the movie with the greatest tagline EVER: ” Filmed on location; inside a woman’s soul.” At one point Hayward’s character, Lilian Roth, has it all–fame, fortune, a thriving career, and a stable of gay men to style her fabulous wardrobe.

Then–poof–and the puffs are gone. (Sorry I’m mixing my FagHag movies here.)

I backfill here to get you up to speed: just a couple of weeks ago Les Boys over at Gay List Daily ran their first their “Hooray for Hags” profile which featured me. Today I wake up to find they are recommening THIS!

Oh, I’m spinning out. My inner-Lilian is coming forward: “I can’t be anything except what I am! Look, look–what did you drop that bottle for? What are you trying to do, drive me crazy? Go on, GET THE BOTTLE! GET IT NOW!”

(Exit stage left.)

Calling All Chefs: Go Texan for Dine-Out Day

Come on, chefs. We don’t need Sonoma’s fancy Cowgirl Cheese when we have the mother of all artisan cheeses (Paula Lambert’s Mozzarella Company) in our own backyard. This Oct. 1 is the inaugural Go Texan Dine-Out Day and the Texas Department of Agriculture is asking chefs all over the state to create special Texas menu items served with Texas wines as part of its Go Texan Restaurant Round-Up. October is also Texas Wine Month. The whole month. It will be your duty as a Texan to drink wine. When will you ever hear that again? Click here to sign up for the Go Texan Restaurant Round-Up. Why should local restaurateurs consider this? Follow the jump to see the perks listed in the TDA’s press release.

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Ten Times the Wine Fun in Dallas

Times Ten Cellars is a cozy little place tucked away in residential Lakewood. While most of their wines are made from Californian juice, they have a vineyard just outside of Alpine, Texas and plan on bottling their first Texas vintage by the end of 2008/early 2009. This Sunday is the winery’s Jazz Sunday. Get a glass of the rose and relax to tunes by the Rich Jasin Group from 3-6 p.m.

Love Travel? Love Wine? Think You Work Hard?

Then you’ll love Kim “Fresh Face” Pierce’s story on Neal and Janice Newsom in today’s Food Section of the DMN. Great read, Kim.

The Black Crows Set to Play Taste of Addison

The town of Addison will be rocking next weekend when the Taste of (Bill) Addison opens the doors at 5:00PM Friday May 9. Check out the website for all of the activities. Highlights? Pinkalicious: The Musical, Flair Bartending Exhibition, and a Saturday night performance by The Black Crows. Good, clean, cheap fun. Hit it, boys.

LightCatcher Releases Off-Dry Rosé

LightCatcher Winery in Fort Worth just released the 2007 Texas Kiss Merlot Rosé ($14). Winemaker Caris Turpen said:

This year’s version is true to form - light, crisp, and just sweet enough to push the fruitiness right up to the front (technically it’s “off-dry”).  The flavors are strawberry, cherry, watermelon and cranberry - a perfect complement to spicy and warm-weather dishes.  And, the color is gorgeous - a transparent ruby red, clean and enticing.

You can expect that this will sell out soon, as it does every year. I love this wine with fish and shellfish dishes that have a bit of sweetness in the glazes or sauces. Turpen also has a dry-style Merlot rosé, Etain’s Rose ($18), that I cannot leave the winery without buying drinking at least one bottle. It is crisp and refreshing, but has structure and complexity. Try it with chicken, Asian food, even steak.

Acoustic Grooves at Bluff Dale Vineyards

You might think that because it’s Monday, I’d want to save posts about weekend events until, say, Thursday at noon. Well a visit to Bluff Dale Vineyards, between Stephenville and Granbury, takes a little more planning than your average jaunt to Uptown for entertainment. If you’re one that can linger on a Texas highway on a lazy Sunday afternoon, then steer your wheels southwest. Every Sunday you can claim a spot on the porch overlooking vineyards and Texas countryside, grab a bottle of wine (try the Texas White or the Texas Cream Sherry), and listen to some good music. This Sunday’s headliner is Acoustic Blend, tradional bluegrass and old country. Oh, and did I mention it’s free? 1-4 p.m. Click here for contact info and directions.

North Texas Wine Update: Fuqua Wins Gold and Silver

Local winemaker Lee Foster Fuqua’s 2002 FUQUA Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon won a Gold Medal at the Fingerlakes International Wine Competition. About 2300 wines were entered. Only 161 won gold. Fuqua Winery also produces a Texas Red made from grapes grown in West Texas. It’s a blend of Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc. Visit the winery any Saturday from noon-6 p.m. It’s on the outskirts of Highland Park by Love Field. 3737Atwell Street, Suite 203, 214-769-1147.

Update: Just found out the the 2004 FUQUA Texas Red Wine won a silver at the same competition. We love it when Texas wine takes the spotlight.

North Texas Wine Update: LightCatcher Releases 2007 Unoaked Chardonnay

LightCatcher Winery in Fort Worth is the place to be this weekend. This Sunday is the winery’s oh-so-relaxing Jazz Sunday (We gave it a Best of Big D nod in 2006). You can sit back on the patio, listen to The Rhett Butler Trio, order some tasty nosh, and  a bottle of the 2007 LightCatcher Chardonnay ($26). Winemaker Caris Turpen just released this bright gem last weekend. It’s unoaked, which means you won’t taste any buttery vanilla notes in this Chardonnay. I had the pleasure of sampling a bit straight from the tank and can say that you’ll love this wine with salads, fish, and anything with a hint of lemon. Click here for directions. Jazz Sunday is from 4-7 p.m. and is $10 per person.