The Wine Enthusiast

Chances are that you’ve only tried Texas wines from two or three wineries. And chances are that you’ve missed some of the best Texas wines–great wines crafted in the Texas Hill Country.

That’s because Hill Country wine is a hand-crafted artisanal creation, made from Texas grapes in small batches at out-of-the-way wineries nestled in remote valleys. Some of the best wines seldom reach retail shelves. Most are snapped up by visitors and by a small number of local outlets; discovering the full range of Hill Country wines requires a journey.

Fortunately, the journey is into the sweet spot of Texas–into countryside often compared to Tuscany, a place where graceful oaks shade rocky slopes that descend to cool, spring-fed streams. Local wineries adopt the classic Hill Country architecture: limestone walls, steep-pitched metal roofs, colors and forms that blend into the surrounding landscape. Whitetail deer emerge at dusk and graze the green pastures; bright purple flowering cenizo dots the roadside.

Touring the wineries of the Hill Country is like visiting the Napa Valley forty years ago, before their passion turned into an industry. You can still shake the winemaker’s hand, still taste young wines from the barrel. You can sit in the shade on a quiet afternoon, sipping a glass of a new discovery while watching the sun drop slowly behind the trees. As night falls, retire to an old stone inn or a rural B&B that offers comfortable lodging and Texas hospitality.

The sophistication of the wines consistently surprises newcomers. The best regularly go toe-to-toe with formidable competition in international competitions and come away with the medals. Familiar varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Malbec, Syrah, Tempranillo, Viognier, and Sangiovese strut their stuff. Thoughtful blends combine the strengths of several varietals, creating nuanced, layered wines.

Winemaking in the Hill Country stands in stark contrast to industrial wine production that dominates nationwide. Most of the wines that you find on store shelves are fast-food beverages, manufactured in millions of gallons from tanker-truck loads of anonymous juice, then hauled to retailers in 18-wheelers. West-coast wine factories have figured out popular generic flavor profiles, and their laboratories deliver standardized products. They put one label on the bottles today, another on the same wine tomorrow. Not in the Hill Country.

Visitors will find some whose product is more to their taste than others. That’s as predictable as the variation in wine drinkers’ preferences. But there’s no question that the overall quality of the wines is solid and continues to rise–again, as was the case in Napa a few decades ago.

When you visit a Hill Country winery, ask your host about the grapes in his wines and where they were grown. Ask him whether they are crushed at the vineyard, whether they are aged in oak or steel, how the winemaker decides on his blend. Ask what they’re growing in their vineyard, and how the crop did this year. Before long, you’ll get a feel for the winery and its winemaker, you’ll begin to understand their wines, and you’ll begin to appreciate the craftsmanship and passion that goes into every barrel.

It takes a journey. If you want to taste Hill Country wines, if you want to go beyond the one or two on your local retailer’s shelves, then there’s only one solution: take a tour of the Texas Hill Country. Enjoy the scenery, restaurants, inns, and hospitality, but above all enjoy a visit to the many small wineries that measure their success bottle by bottle.

Learn more at Hill Country Wines.

Texas Hill Country Wineries