Look for the Texan Wine Label

Everything is bigger in Texas, so why not look for the Texan wine label when selecting my next bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon to compliment a nice Texas T-bone steak? Many readers of this site enjoy the golf lifestyle of great food, great wine and interesting travel destination as much as they enjoy the great game of golf. It made perfect sense to me when planning a getaway for golf and wine touring in Texas to seek out the best of the best when it comes to Texas wine and the Texas wine industry. I called on the services of Jane Nickles, who is a Wine Educator at The Texas Culinary Academy, to educate me on the wine industry in Texas.

 

 

Golf Bistro: When I think of Texas, I think of cattle, oil wells and great golf. How long has the wine industry been around Texas?

 

Jane Nickles:That’s right!  We’ve got cowboys, football, and the Alamo…but we also have some mighty fine wine!  Texas is actually the fifth largest wine producer of the 50 states.  We have 3,500 acres of vineyards and, at last count, 164 wineries.  Wine has been made a very long time in Texas, most likely since the 1700s when Spanish missionaries brought vine cuttings with them to make sacramental wine.  However, the modern wine industry in Texas has been around since the mid 1970s.

 

GB: Which is more prominent, red or white wine in the Texas wine industry?

 

JN:The superstar wines of Texas tend to be red…including rich, robust, and flavorful wines made from well-known grapes such as Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.  We also do very well with reds made from Sangiovese and Tempranillo.  We also make some good white wines from Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay, in addition to my personal favorite white wine, Viognier.





GB: Are the vineyards and wineries located primarily in one region of Texas or are they as diverse as the state itself?

 

JN:The wine regions of Texas are fairly diverse.  The highest concentration of wineries is in the Texas Hill Country, located around the town of Fredericksburg in Central Texas.  The Texas High Plains, located in the Texas Panhandle, has both some of the oldest and the biggest wineries in the state.  Wineries as also located in North Texas and the Gulf Coast.

 

GB: Are wine tours available in areas of the state where quality golf is located, so our readers can plan a winery tour in conjunction with a golf holiday? 

 

JN:Yes, and we have fabulous golf all over Texas!  Wineries all over the state love tourists and tasters, and most are open to the public 7 days a week.  The best up-to-date wine tourism  information can be found at the website known as “Texas Wine Trails”… http://www.texaswinetrail.com/index.html/

 

 

 

GB:Where can our readers get information on having their favorite Texas wines shipped directly to their home or office?

 

 

JN:Shipping wine from Texas is currently a legislative hot button…some states allow it, and some do not.  Your best bet for shipping wine is always to contact the winery directly.  The best website listing of Texas wineries, which lists just about every winery in the state, is on the site of the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association… http://www.txwines.org

 

 

As you can see, Texas has a lot to offer for wine enthusiasts and the golf is outstanding in many areas of the state. A wine touring and golf adventure to The Texas Hill Country, with detours in San Antonio to visit the River Walk and Austin for the music scene sounds like a great trip that will satisfy all members of your traveling party.

 

 

More information about Jane Nickles:

 

Jane A. Nickles

Certified Specialist of Wine

 

Jane A. Nickles is the wine instructor at the Texas Culinary Academy in Austin, Texas and the owner of “WineSpeak 101”, a wine education and consulting firm.  She has been called "the hardest working sommelier in Texas" and is a “Certified Specialist in Wine” recognized by the Society of Wine Educators.

 

"Miss Jane", as her students call her, is the author of “WineSpeak 101”, wine columnist for Eat and Drink Austin Magazine, and the wine writer for the website "The Texas Wine and Food Gourmet".  In July of 2006, Jane was invited to introduce her book and unique teaching methods at the 30th National Conference of The Society of Wine Educators in Eugene, Oregon.  Her signature seminar, “WineSpeak 101,” has been named a “Best Bet” by the Austin-American Statesman and has been presented over 100 times!

 

In April of 2007, Miss Jane received a grant from the Wine and Food Foundation of Texas to support further research and writing about her favorite subject...pairing wine and food.  Thanks to the generous support of The Foundation, her new seminar, "When Wine Met Food" is now making the rounds of wine enthusiasts across the U.S.  

 

In December of 2007 Jane was honored by being named the Career Education Corporation “Educator of the Year”, from a field of over 90 colleges and 6,000 faculty members.  She calls this award her “proudest moment.”

 

In addition to writing and teaching, Miss Jane is the wine director for the annual Umlauf Garden Party and faculty advisor for the TCA student wine club "The Grapeheads".  In her free time, she spreads the word about good wine and good living at Wine Festivals, Restaurants, and Wine Clubs all over the country. 

 

To contact Miss Jane, visit her website at  www.WineSpeak101.com