TNWG Wine Times: Ep 38: Wines of Texas, USA
- aplofthouse
- Mar 25
- 6 min read
Good afternoon all!
Time for a weekly dose of The Northern Wine Guy š·
Just a quick reminder, as to what is upcoming over the next couple of weeks and months for general public participation - and a chance to learn more about wine too!
š· UPCOMING EVENTS š·
1) The NEW ARRIVAL of The Wine and Cheese Network in Sheffield - SOLD OUT - Thursday 30th January 6-8pm
January's Event isĀ SOLD OUTĀ but fear not, you can now book for February.
Sponsored by:Ā The Sheffield TableĀ
2) February's The Wine and Cheese Network - TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE
Thursday 27th February 6-8pm
This will be rolled out with 10% of your ticket fees going toĀ Cavendish Cancer CareĀ as our supported charity of the month!
š We are also looking for firms who wish to speak at the event too - so give us a shout for details.
3) The Manchester Wine Club - Thursday 13th February
Held at the impressive Kargo.mkt, part of theĀ Blend FamilyĀ in Salford Keys - this is the start of something BIG #Manchester !!
Come down and join us for some fun, informative and relaxed Wine Tasting - also perfect for those celebrating Valentines Day or those wanting a night out - whether in a group or on your own. It will be a fun, filled experience for all! š·
Ā Thursday 13th February 7pm-9pm at Kargo MKT, Central Bay, Unit 32 Quays, Quayside Media City Salford, M50 3AG
Wines of Texas
Okay so this week we are heading to Texas, yes Texas, for wine!
Introduction
In fact, like a large majority of the USA states, wine production in Texas began in the 1650s due to the Spanish influence - with plantations taking place in El Paso.
By the early 1800s, the sandy soils near El Paso were creating a light styled red wine, this coupled with the arrival of Italian immigrants using the native LENOIR grape led to the establishment of theĀ Val Verde WineryĀ - the oldest winery in Texas!
Like most wine regions in the world, in the 19th century there was exploration around usage of different varietals like Mustang and Muscadine and testing of soil and climate patterns - most notably from the pioneer in the region, T.V. Munson in Denison, Texas.Ā
Lubbock (the top red area of Texas from the diagram) saw in the mid 1970s some early winery pioneering post research which set the pace for Texan wine grape production. In the late 1970s this region got an American version of an appellation, known as an American Viticultural Area (AVA) - namely Texas High Plains AVA.
Today, the Texas High Plains AVA accounts for nearly 4,000 acres of vineyards, predominantly with Spanish and Mediterranean red grape varietals (most notably Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo, Merlot, Mourvedre, Sangiovese and Malbec). They do also produce white grapes in the state (Viognier, Roussanne, Marsanne, Blanc du Bois (see below) and Chardonnay).
In 2021 legislation was passed which now requires wines labelled with a Texas county AVA or single vineyard to be made from 100% Texas grapes - aiding further ratification of the substance coming out of the region and giving consumers better understanding of what is in the bottle.
Looking at it from a wider state perspective, Texas has commercial vineyards in more than half of their counties, with more than 70 different grape varietals AND is the 5th largest wine producer in the US! That accounts for 2 to 4 million gallons of wine annually with over 440 wineries!
Did You Know....?
The TOP 10 grape varieties planted in Texas are almost ALL red! Albeit there is a white which is a French-American hybrid called Blanc du Bois, which makes fruit forward white wines.
Texas now has 8 AVAs and a proposed further 3.
The Texas High Plains AVA climate is typically cold and semi-arid, with 3000-4000 feet of elevation and 13-20 inches of rain a year.
Contrary to popular belief that Texas is 'too hot' for successful grape production, it actually has 10 degrees of latitude and 3 major climate classifications - continental, maritime and mountainous.Ā
Texas has had great climatic variations like most of the world. It has the threat of late spring frosts and hailstorms
Texas the state is essentially the same size as France the country.
Notable Wineries in Texas (not exclusive nor paid to partner - just suggestions)
Llano Estacado WineryĀ - est 1976 in Lubbock.
Fall Creek VineyardsĀ - est 1975 - in the Texas Hill Country.
Messina Hof Winery and ResortĀ - est 1977, located in Bryan.
Becker VineyardsĀ - est 1992 in Texas Hill Country.
Pedernales CellarsĀ - est 2005 in Stonewall.
Look out for wine festivals such as The Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association's Annual Conference and Trade Show or Fredericksburg Food and Wine Fest as examples.
ā ļø TNWG HOT TIPS ā ļø
1) Whilst we have talked a lot about Texas High Plains AVA, if you are heading to Austin for a holiday, why not stop in on Texas Hill Country AVA - it was established in 1991 and is largely due west of Austin. Some of the most award winning varietals in this region actually come from Tannat, Petite Sirah, Tempranillo, Aglianico and Syrah.
2) Given the HUGE size of the state, pick a home point if visiting wineries such as Fredericksburg, Johnson City or Luckenbach to limit your driving.
šļø LATEST DRINKS INDUSTRY ARTICLES šļø
I'm a big advocate, every January, for making sure that 'us' as consumers, make a habit of still going to the places we love to eat and drink. Even if it is Dry Jan and you aren't drinking, still attend and buy something. The cost of keeping the on-trade alive is a very real thing and again this article only goes to highlight this. Please make sure you keep visiting your favourites or using your favourite service providers in these hard months!
OTHER ARTICLES THAT CAUGHT MY EYE:
š MARKETS IN BRIEF š
On the week (as at 23rd January 15:00 LDN) changes:
EQUITIES: ā¬ļø FTSE 100 up 2.41%; ā¬ļø DAX up 3.49%; ā¬ļø S&P 500 up 2.37%; ā¬ļø Nikkei 225 up 3.65%; ā¬ļø Dow Jones up 2.54%;
COMMODITIES: ā¬ļø Brent Oil down 2.21% ; ā¬ļø Crude Oil down 2.69% ; Gold flat; ā¬ļøSilver down 3.71%; ā¬ļø Copper down 2.9%
BONDS (in yield terms): ā¬ļø UK 2yrs lower 0.06%; ā¬ļø UK 10yrs lower 0.0865%; ā¬ļø German 10yrs lower 0.031%, ā¬ļø US 2yrs lower 0.004%; ā¬ļø US 10yrs lower 0.013%
Interesting week for the markets! All major equity indices were up on the week, with commodities largely having a pain week. We got some bearish European economic data and coupled with US tariff threats do cause some cause for concern, especially in the manufacturing industry.Ā
This is in somewhat stark contrast to the US where economic data continues to remain strong, with the expectation that we continue to see US long end yields increase. Momentum models seem to suggest that the bearish bonds, bullish equities will remain and that has certainly been the case this week.
The FED has their interest rate meeting next week and expect them to keep rates on hold with a 'wait and see' approach largely adopted. Outside of the central banks, Trump is very much still the key to global market directionality. The 'will he, won't he' thought process from market participants on tariffs being executed has been somewhat muddled and some markets may well have already priced in the euphoria of him coming to the White House once more, especially with the strength of the US dollar - which could be good for all those looking to head to the US in the coming months!
In the fine wine world, as James Miles from Liv-Ex (CEO and Chairman) pointed out a couple of days ago, the Liv-Ex 1000 Index is down 12% over the year and 24% since the start of 2023. Not amazing reading BUT there is cause for optimism and therefore an opportunistic time to start considering entering the market.Ā
1) The market has repriced, the worst hit are those areas that have needed a positive consumer correction (eg Champagne and Burgundy).
2) With global interest rates still seen to be going down - and if not, inflation still at above trend levels, then investing in something that over the long term can help diversify your risk makes sense.
3) This is a short term squeeze. Fine wine markets are markets which you invest in over for a long time period, there is little to no expectation of it performing YoY, every year.
4) Trading levels are increasing once more, with more wine being exchanged and noticeably in the last week, Bordeaux has been the strongest region to trad with Chateau Lafite Rothschild the region's top traded wine (especially the 2018 and 2021 vintages).
š DRINKS EDUCATION ZONE š
Did You Know......?
ChampagneĀ was actually made my accident. Sparkling wine was discovered because when the fermentation process (simplistically put when yeast is consuming the sugars and creating alcohol and CO2) wasn't completely controlled, the wine fermented for a second time in the bottle - thus creating bubbles from the CO2 that now define it.
This is also why sparkling wine made the 'Traditional Method' way - ie all of Champagne production, is said to be double fermented. It has two fermentations, the second in bottle.Ā
That's all from me this week.
I hope you enjoyed reading and do shout if you would like any ofĀ The Northern Wine GuyĀ services.
CheersĀ
Andy a.k.a.Ā The Northern Wine Guy
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