Oh October, You Get Me Everytime

October is the busiest month of the year, at least for me. The best part is my birthday, and Sean's of course. Of course, there is always Halloween. On top of that, it is Texas Wine Month. And even at work, October is midterms. I barely made it through this year, and celebrated my 40th as well. The highlight for the month was going to the Texas Renaissance Festival (which we returned to the Saturday after Thanksgiving as well).

We found our selves happily surprised by the amount of Texas wine (and other libations) available at the festival. Messina Hof is a sponsor, and they provide three wines special for the festival. They also have Enchanted Manor Meadery on-site, with their current portfolio available. There were plenty of Texas beers to choose from, as well as Austin East Ciders. We knew we would be in good shape.

The October visit centered around wine. We made reservations for the King's Wine Tasting.

The King’s Som-meller Alotta Burns leads her group of adventurous drinkers through eight wines. She guides experienced and not so experienced wine drinkers through the basics of wine. But the main goal of the tasting is fun. 

Along with Alotta, Haley Welshwine encourages inappropriate behavior. Her bawdy jokes and mischief add to Alotta’s more relaxed approach to enjoying wine, and even makes the 5 S’s (See, Swirl, Smell, Sip and Savor) more fun than it probably should be. Sprinkle in some rather embarrassing games, like a dance contest, and the laughter and joy never stops (yes, I made a fool of myself, and no, I am not providing those pictures). In fact, it can become difficult to get those gathered to leave.

We chose the 1pm tasting to make sure we had plenty of time for other diversions (there is a 3pm also). At the tasting there were no Texas wines; we instead drank frizaante, reisling, albarino, chardonnay, a surprising cab-shiraz blend, a surprising California red blend, and delightful Cotes de Rhone. But the ending ends with a bit of Texas: Enchanted Manor Mead. 

We returned to the scene of the crime for the 5pm mead tasting. Enchanted Manor was a highlight, but so was Griffin Meadery. To present a more balanced view,  a few other meaderies were included; the one from Colorado was my favorite.

The next time out, we stuck to just tasting as we went. We spent some time with the owner of Enchanted Manor Meadery. The wines are available at Specs and similar sites; however, there is no tasting room. Right now, money is an issue, so the only time there is a tasting room is during the festival. Guests can taste the mead, buy some mead, and see a show. 

I have to say, the drinking was fine at the Texas Renaissance Festival.

NEXT TIME

We braved some bad weather and cold. It was worth it. New fun and new wineries were on the list, so I could go back to work in January well "rested."

A Busy Fall: The Beginning

I found myself overwhelmed right after Labor Day. I had little time to attend to any writing. I stepped away from a project I am working on with my intrepid partner, Sean Bircher. And I provide only a small bit of content for my other writing gig, Texas Wine Lover. Mainly, I graded papers; I focused on providing detailed feedback to my many students, which left me with very little spare time.

In that spare time, we did squeeze in a bit of wine. We got away one day a week, and we wisely used that to try new wines and relax. We did take some notes here and there, as well as a whole lot of pictures. So during the next few weeks, I will post some of those pictures from Sean's and my adventures.

First up for our fall had both a beginning and an end.

The Beginning

One of my first fall assignments for Texas Wine Lover was to cover the grand opening of Torr Na Lochs in Burnet.

We arrived at a busy time, but toured about and learned a lot about this new gem. When we finished, we enjoyed a snack and some wine while appreciating the incredible view.

For more on this new winery, check out my post at Texas Wine Lover.

The End (and a new beginning)

Despite the joy of this new adventure, one of Sean's and my favorite wineries "rode off into the
sunset." On Labor Day, Alamosa Wine Cellars in Bend welcomed guests one last time.

The news may have seemed bad, but it was actually good news. Owners Jim and Karen Johnson retired. They celebrated for a few months leading up to the big day. Now they get to travel more and enjoy the days ahead.

And we found ourselves very lucky during our visit. Longtime Texas Wine Friends Jim and Julie Baker happened to swing by the same day. It lead to a great day remembering old times.

Though we will miss the bold wines of Alamosa Wine Cellars, we wish Jim and Karen the best of luck on their next adventure. To learn more, check out Jeremy Wilson's article on Texas Wine Lover.

NEXT TIME:

October is always a whirlwind of a month: midterms, Halloween, etc. But this year, we celebrated my fortieth birthday. Check out how we celebrated our birthday!

#IamanIconoclast

Very soon, the blog will be three years old. In that time, my Texas wine experience has been extensive. I have learned so much and continue to learn. I have met so many great people and made lots of friends. And I finally put my MFA to use; I began to write professionally (besides the blog). As it is the new year, I engaged in retrospection, specifically, what got me here. The answer was easy: Becker Vineyard's Iconoclast Cabernet Sauvignon.

I never really drank wine. I tried to do so during college, but I never found anything that really appealed to me -- I likely made some BAD choices. After I finished grad school and Sean and I moved back to San Antonio, we started having regular dinners at his grandparent's house. At dinner, Sean's grandmother would pour a glass of wine (or two, or three), but only she partook. So she didn't have to indulge alone, she tried to convince Sean and I to join her; we gave in. One of the first wines she shared with us was the Becker Iconoclast. She liked to support local businesses, and Becker vineyards was relatively local. Well, as the wine opened up and we proceeded to finish the bottle, we all decided that we were new fans. After that, Sean and I bought the wine quite regularly (we were on a tight budget and the normally under $10 price tag meet our requirements).

After awhile of regular indulgence, my parents decided to take us on a winery day trip to Fredericksburg. We were both a bit skeptical; mainly, we still thought of Fredericksburg as an antique town. Once there, we found ourselves in a vibrant local community. And we found our way to the wineries. Becker, Grape Creek, and Pedernales Cellars became the first wineries he visited. Every trip after, we returned to Becker (this was when they only had the front bar). Before long, we found ourselves making regular sojourns to the Hill Country.

As we became exposed to more and more wines, and the increasing number of wineries, we moved beyond our Iconoclast. Like many wine drinkers, we enjoyed the full body Cabernet, but we started to crave something a bit more complex. Sean quickly moved on to the Becker Claret and I to the Becker Malbec. We also moved out of our comfort zone. At Pedernales Cellars we became enamored of Viognier (the first white we really took a liking to). At this time, our budget expanded, and these new wines, though a bit more costly than our Iconoclast, became our new go to wines. But when we needed to, we turned back to our old favorite.


In addition to drinking more wine and adventuring into new wine territory, we started to learn about wine, wine making, and grape growing. It did not take long to learn the truth about Texas wine. If we looked, the numbers were everywhere: Texas bought more wine than the state could produce, and even more wine than our vineyards could even keep up with. About this time, I took up the blog and dove headlong into the Texas wine industry.

How wineries operated, how wine is made were early lessons. But I had to understand the source, so I started to learn about the vineyards. I found out where most were located and who tended those vineyards. I learned about the grapes and the obstacles these brave farmers faced. And then I learned about the outsourcing.

Most wineries buy grapes from vineyards other than their own; they just cannot make enough for the demand. For many, these grapes only come from other Texas vineyards. Due to the limited quality -- and in some years, limited quantity -- the wineries can only produce so much wine. For many, that works, as they would prefer to remain a boutique winery. For others, Texas grapes just can't cut it.

To make up for the demand and limited supply, many wineries look to out of state vineyards. Some wineries due this, especially in their early years, to make sure to have enough product as they develop their own vineyards and vineyard contracts. Others source from out of state because they wish to experiment and explore other avenues for their grape growing and wine making. For these sorts of wineries, they hope to change from out of state to state grapes, but vineyards are expensive and generally take 3-5 years before the grapes can make wine (and then add on another 1-2 years for the reds). These dedicated Texas wineries work to achieve their goal, but they need a help to get there.

And other wineries buy out of state fruit and juice for financial reasons. Often done by larger, more commercial wineries, the out of state grapes and juice lead to more wine. These numbers allow for many things. One, the money helps to build Texas wine and all its aspects, as well as pay for workers at the wineries -- in the vineyards, in the winery, in the tasting room. This large production allows the wineries to sell to distributors; as they do that, the wine finds its way into more retail locations and restaurants.

These large operations spread Texas wine. The wine gets to people who do not live in the wine communities. The wine gets to people who would never think Texas made wine, let alone stellar wine. The wine reaches people who are curious but do not want to spend a lot on an experiment. The wine gets to people on a budget. In the end, the wine made from out of state grapes and juice introduces new drinkers to Texas wine. And once, that has begun, those new converts cannot turn back. Becker Iconoclast is one such wine.

And I am grateful for Becker Iconoclast. When I did not know much and had little disposal income, the wine started a spark. Even though the wine generally has no Texas grapes, it still made an impact. If I never had that wine, would I have taken my parents up on the offer to visit the burgeoning Hill Country? Would I have ever joined my first wine club (which was Becker by the way)? Would I have started drinking more and more Texas wine from more and more wineries? Would I have started writing about wine (and got back to my other dormant writing)? Would I have met all the wonderful people I now know? I'm not sure, but I am here now and I started with that singular wine.

Even one of our cat's approves!

Though I started with the Becker Iconoclast, I rarely drink it today. Recently, when deciding to go back and see what began this journey, I began a journey back to my early wine days. With every sip, I relived a past that means so much to me. I also remembered that this wine is actually pretty good. Yes, I have had far better wines, and yes, I have even had worse. Also, I drink more 100% or close to 100% Texas wines, but I drink ones that have nothing to do with Texas too. That doesn't make the Becker Iconoclast less special for me.That one simple little wine opened a door I hope never closes.
I am thankful that #IamanIconoclast.

More Attention for Texas Wine? A new wine show has Texas in its sights

On Christmas Eve, a trailer for a new Youtube show appeared. Dudes Being Dudes in Wine Country is a project from the guys at Nocking Point Wines. They plan on traveling the US to visit lesser known wine regions.

From their site:

Over 1/3 of that wine comes from overseas and a vast majority of the remainder comes from Northern California. We've all heard of Napa, Bordeaux and Burgundy. What about Paso Robles? Or Austin, Texas? How about wine from Michigan? Did you know Canada makes world-class wines? Mexico too? The list goes on...and we're going to take you along with us as we explore each of these new world-class wine regions and the people that make them so awesome to visit.

So, does that mean there will be a Texas Hill Country episode? Who will the dudes visit? What will they think of Texas wine? Will this publicity be good for Texas wine?

And this is a big deal because Nocking Point Wines, though young, has quite a following. The winery and production company is made up of the duo of Andrew Harding and Stephen Amell (who is currently Oliver Queen on the CW's Arrow). Besides, they look like they are having fun and will fit in well. Well, here's hoping this is good for everyone.
 
Cheers!

Looking Back to Look Forward: Fly Gap December 2014

I am returning to the blog. My worked quickly filled November and December. However, my three short weeks of vacation has begun, so I am returning to these pages. And it so happens, that the following post is another return.

The clouds seemed to break for us, as we sat down at the picnic table to drink wine and catch up. A chilly breeze blew along the open fields in Mason County. The collection of buildings around us were transforming, slowly developing from dream into reality. This day was very different from the day in early June when I first stepped foot here. As 2014 draws to a close, I see growth and a bright future for Fly Gap Winery.

Mason Punch and Johnny Rojo

In June, Brock Estes allowed me to see his dream. We road through the hills along sandy, red dirt roads to see a place ripe for new life. When we finally arrived at the location that would soon be his winery and tasting room, I looked out on a clean block that would one day become a statue. The production facility had no siding, just an ever developing foundation of concrete vats that, one day, would flow with Mason County grapes. The future tasting room was filled with a collection of many pasts, not yet ready to become a future. The cellar was a roof and three walls with a rough dirt floor. But, I knew that this was only the beginning.

Concrete Vessel, June 2014

Just six months later, the form has begun to take shape. It is rough yet, but it shows signs of what is to be. The production facility now has siding and is better prepared to protect the wine. Boxes of the newest wine fill the space. This wall of white cardboard holds something precious: Brock's first 100% Mason wine and the first to be bottled on the premise. The cellar dives deep into the red earth, on schedule to begin its next phase. The tasting room has begun to let its memories go, and in it is the future back bar.

Production Facility, December 2014

Despite the cold breeze, Brock, my husband Sean, and I sat outside to take everything in. We sipped on the last release – Johnny Rojo – enjoying its growth since the late summer. This wine has begun to mature. It has relaxed into itself, softening its rougher edges and growing more harmonious. This wine lulled us into forgetting that it was December, its warmth a relaxing touch.

Mason Punch, front

And we tasted the newest wine – Mason Punch. This wine is special. The four previous wines, though made from Texas fruit, do not bear the name Fly Gap. These four wines are Dank. The Fly Gap name is reserved for those wines born in Mason County. Mason Punch is only the first. But it is young, much like the ever changing landscape of the winery. On that day, a youthfulness, new spring life, moved through the blend of 44% Touriga and 56% Tempranillo. The dusky terroir was quiet, and the fruit engaged in a frenetic dance. In the bottle, a dream is taking shape. But much like the world around it, it is finding its way.

Mason Punch, back

The sun moved across the sky; we were reminded that it was the shortest day of the year. We let the day slip by: witnessing a dream take shape does that. So we gathered up our wines – the maturing Johnny Rojo and the youthful Mason Punch – and set out into the setting sun.

Note: We all noticed a greenness to the newest wine, indicating that it may yet be too young to drink. However, there is a lot of potential, so we brought a few bottles home and plan to let them age a bit.