Texas Wine Journal Texas Wine Talk & Tasting

Whole Foods Market Voss – Houston

The Texas Wine Journal recently hosted their latest Texas Wine Talk & Tasting event at the South Voss Road Whole Foods in Houston. The theme of these events is a Texas vs. the World Roadshow, so Texas wines are tasted side-by-side against wines from some of the most famous and established wine regions of the world. This gives a chance for participants to directly experience how Texas wines are stacking up against what the rest of the world is producing. The tastings are done blind making it very difficult to lean on any personal biases. There are two tasting flights, one of white wines and the other for red wines. Each flight had two Texas wines and two wines from an Old World wine region. The white wine flight had Viognier and Vermentino varietal wines, and the red flight had Tempranillo and Sangiovese varietal wines.

Daniel Kelada, Tasting Director of Texas Wine Journal, led the event. Daniel did an excellent job of both providing lots of great information about Texas wines and comparing Texas wines to what is found in other wine regions. Daniel discussed New World vs. Old World styles of wines and what participants can expect from the different styles of wine. He also discussed terroir, including cool vs. warm climate, different soil types, and how the Texas grape growing regions compare to the regions of the wines we were comparing. Over the course of the tasting, Daniel shared tips on evaluating visual characteristics and the typical aromas and flavors of the types of wines we were tasting.

Now onto the wines:

Flight 1: White Wines

• Duchman Family Winery, Texas High Plains, Vermentino, 2015
• La Spinetta, Tuscany, Vermentino, 2016
• Pedernales Cellars, Texas, Viognier, 2015
• Vignerons d’Alignan du Vent, Pays d’Oc, Viognier, 2016

Flight 2: Red Wines

• Flat Creek Estate, Texas High Plains, Lost Draw Vineyard, Tempranillo, 2012
• McPherson Cellars, Texas, Sangiovese, 2015
• Poggio Anima, Toscana IGT, Sangiovese, 2015
• Bodega de Bardos, Ribera del Duero, ‘Ars Mitic’, 2014

I think the Texas wines faired very well when compared to the competition, especially considering the Old World regions have been producing these styles of wine for many generations. The Texas wines were at comparable price points to the Old World wines as well. Being able to match quality with well-established regions is a great accomplishment, but being able to match quality for the dollar shows how far Texas wines have come in recent years.

The Texas Wine Journal has a series of similar events, and they can be found on the Texas Wine Talk & Tasting Facebook page. The events are typically held in Austin, Houston, and Dallas. There’s a Dallas event in August and a whole new round of events starting in September, so be sure to check them out!