The Growing Texas Wine Industry

An interesting article from the The Daily Texan out of Austin regarding the growth of the Texas Wine Industry that has occurred over the past few years . The article reports that Texas has grown from 45 wineries in 2002 to 85 this year. Although most of the wineries are labeled boutique (producing fewer than 15,000 gallons/year) Texas still ranks fifth in the nation in wine production. Nothing to shake a stick at. However, what I find most heartening is in this sentence from the article:

"These wineries experiment more with blends and varieties because they're
not competing for shelf space at a liquor store"

That is music to my ears. I have longed for the time when Texas Wineries would realize that what grows well in California is NOT necessarily going to grow well in Texas, and I'm glad to see that some wineries are experimenting, taking on that rebellious curious spirit that makes Texas great. We need to find the varietals that grow well in Texas, not try and force grapes to grow here, that will only produce marginal wine at best.