You Do You, Texas

by Melanie Schwartz, Concierge, Booker & Butler

What France has known for centuries…what California has known for decades…and what Texas is quickly learning is what grows best locally.

Right now, there are over 35 grape varieties growing across the different regions of Texas. In time that number will surely shrink as each vintage brings added learning about what to plant where, how to ripen the fruit, and how to make the most delicious wine from it.

It’s fair to assume that you, Texas wine lover, have no interest in waiting to see how it all shakes out. You want to know what’s good now. The answer, based on our wholly unscientific review of recent tasting competitions and the palates of people we trust, is: Mourvèdre, Tempranillo, and Tannat for the reds. And Roussanne, Viognier, and Vermentino for the whites.

None of this comes as a surprise as the climate in Texas is better suited to thick-skinned, heat-tolerant, early ripening varieties, which all of the above are. Should you seek out wineries that produce these varietals? Absolutely. Should that be your only criteria? Absolutely not. Because you need not be an oenophile or a connoisseur to visit Wine Country. You just need to be thirsty.

Now, it may very well be that your taste in wine runs to Cabernet and Chardonnay. The heart wants what it wants. (Hat tip to Emily Dickinson or Selena Gomez, depending on your age.) If so, those wines are made very well in Napa and Sonoma. Those grapes excel there, just as they do in Bordeaux and Burgundy. But right now, who’s getting on an airplane? Exactly. So, you do you, Texas. Enjoy the Texas Hill Country.

As a private concierge, we create wine country itineraries for people with all kinds of interests. Some want to build their cellar. Some want to enjoy the scenery. And still others come to be pampered. Whatever your desire, we create experiences that are adventurous and indulgent and uniquely your own. As we have for over seven years.