|
Grape Growing in Texas
|
by Christine Millar,
HCMG |
|
Texas is the oldest
grape growing state and
has the third highest
grape industry for wines
in the U.S. Prohibition
shut down the older
wineries that had been
in operation since the
Spaniards brought grape
vines to the New World.
Val Verde Winery in Del
Rio is the only
pre-Prohibition winery
in existence now and
survived those tough
times by producing
sacramental wine for the
Catholic Church. |
|
Texas was also the home
of Dr. Munson, the man
who saved the European
wine industry from
extinction back in the
1800s. Grape varieties
native to the Americas
were imported into
Europe to see if they
could make suitable
wine. A tiny
yellow-orange aphid
which mutually coexists
with native American
grape vines in the roots
were unwittingly brought
in as well and was
responsible for the
insect plague in Europe
known as phylloxera. The
aphid spread quickly
throughout all of
Europe, killing off
susceptible European
grape vines by attacking
the roots. Peasant
farmers who relied on
the sale of grapes from
their small vineyards
for part of their income
were the first to lose
their land. Some of the
larger vineyards were
able to weather the
disaster. |
|
Dr. Munson was
instrumental in
selecting suitable
American rootstocks,
resistant to the aphid,
onto which susceptible,
traditional wine grapes
could be grafted. Thus
the devastated vineyards
in Europe could be
replanted. The book “The
Botanist and the Vintner
- How Wine Was Saved for
the World” by Christy
Campbell recounts this
fascinating story and is
well worth reading. It
has taken decades to get
European wine production
back up. |
|
Today, the only European
grape vines being grown
on their own rootstocks
are found in South
America where the aphid
is not present. There is
still much speculation
today among European
winemakers whether there
is a difference in the
taste of wine from
grafted grapes or those
vines growing on their
own rootstock. Large
European wine companies
are expanding their
operations and planting
vineyards in Chile and
Argentina. Today we
enjoy an abundance of
good wines grown from
all over the world. Now,
with a global glut of
wine grapes, the
European Community is
considering pulling up a
percentage of grape
vines to support their
pricing structure as
wines made in countries
like the U.S.,
Australia, New Zealand,
Argentina and Chile, to
name a few, have
successfully competed in
the global wine market. |
|
Wine grape growing is
strictly regulated in
Europe. Only certain
varieties can be planted
in some prime areas.
Irrigation is
historically not
allowed. The grapes are
expected to manage on
available rainfall.
European growers feel
that better wines are
produced when the vines
undergo some stress.
However, Europe has more
rainfall and is
generally not as hot as
certain parts of Texas. |
|
There is a large body of
amassed local knowledge
in grape growing
throughout Europe that
has been passed down
over the centuries.
Texas growers often have
to experiment and tweak
official guidelines that
advocate European
practices. These
European guidelines may
not be suitable for the
local conditions with
the result that the
vines do poorly,
requiring tremendous
amounts of pesticides
and fungicides, and
finally die anyway.
Prohibition destroyed
our base of local
growers and their
knowledge. Grape growing
practices in Greece and
the Mideast, such as
Lebanon, may be of value
in Texas. These
countries do produce
good wines but they are
not seen much in the
marketplace. |
|
A small local grower
that I talked with has
had more success the
second time around by
planting the vines
farther apart than
recommended and deep
watering once a week
rather than continuous
drip irrigation. They
are trying a more
organic approach to
fungus and pests by
experimenting with a
mixture of cornmeal,
greensand, compost,
sulfur and Epsom salts.
Every week during the
growing seas, each plant
gets dusted with a half
cup of this mixture. The
excess powder is shaken
off the leaves and falls
to the ground. It
remains to be seen
whether there will be
fewer problems, but the
vines are far healthier
now. |
|
The leaf canopy must be
carefully managed in
semi-arid regions.
During a drought excess
leaves are removed to
stop water loss,
however, enough must be
left to shield the
developing grapes from
sunburn. “The grapes may
see the sun but the sun
should never see the
grapes” is an old
European axiom, which is
true of tomatoes as
well. The grapes grown
in semi-arid climates
are more concentrated
and the wines generally
can be expected to have
a higher alcohol
content. |
|
A grape vine takes two
to three years to come
into commercial
production.
Well-cared-for vineyards
can produce for up to 60
years, after which the
vines are usually
uprooted and burned and
the vineyard replanted
with new stock. Newer
varieties are
continually being
introduced to improve
production and quality.
The harvest in Texas
starts at the end of
July and August whilst
in Europe the harvest is
in late September and
October. |
|
Wine grape varieties
that do well locally are
cabernet, zinfandel and
Muscat canelli, although
there are many other
varieties planted in
Texas. It is a local
opinion that of all the
varieties planted,
tempranillo, syrah (or
shiraz), viognier,
Muscat blanc and Muscat
canelli are certainly
the best suited
varieties for Texas.
Genache (also known as
Garnacha), Sangiovese
and Barbera grapes are
other hot climate grapes
which deserve to be more
widely planted here as
well. The other
varieties are better
known but require much
more care to make
suitable wines. The best
wine grapes at present
are grown in the Texas
Panhandle. |
|
Texas Wine Grapes, Red
Varieties: |
|
Malbec - complex,
tannin-laden red with
lush flavors of plums,
berries and spice...good
with beef, turkey
and hearty stews.
(Region 1) |
|
Tempranillo -
lush, smoky red with a
hint of vanilla and
rich, dark fruit.
Sometimes you will taste
leather and occasionally
tobacco. Good with
pizza, cabrito and
tamales.
(Region 3) |
|
Syrah - smoky red
with soft tannins,
toasted oak, berries and
plums. Good with beef
steak, grilled meats,
pizza and wild game.
(Region 3) |
|
Sangiovese -
smooth-textured red
spiced with wild
raspberries and
licorice. Good with
beef, pork, pasta and
cheese.
(Regions 3, 6) |
|
Zinfandel - full
bodied, bold and fruity
bursting with berries
and spice. Good with
BBQ, red pasta sauce and
pizza.
(Region 3) |
|
Merlot - medium
to full bodied with a
subtle, herbaceous
flavor and soft tannins.
Good with meatloaf,
grilled tuna and
eggplant parmesan.
(Region 3) |
|
Cabernet Savignon
- complex, hearty with
bold flavors of cherry,
cedar and chocolate.
Good with lamb, T-bone
steak and wild game.
(Region 3) |
|
Pinot Noir - rich
smooth with delicate
notes of black cherries
and cloves. Good with
duck, salmon and turkey.
(Region 1 but is very
marginally suited there) |
|
Lenoir -deep,
dark red with notes of
raspberry cinnamon,
cherry-chocolate, cloves
and brown sugar. Good
with raspberries and
chocolate, duck, venison
and brisket.
(Region 3 but is very
marginally suited
there.) |
|
 |
Note: See the newly
revised
Starting a Vineyard
at the
Go Texan Wine
website sponsored by
Texas Wine Marketing
Assistance Program
and the Texas Department
of Agriculture |
| |
|
Graphic by permission of
Robert Champion, TWMAP |
