by Andrew Chalk
The importance of out-of-state wine competitions to Texas wine is that they put the state up against wines from outside Texas, providing a real-time measure of how Texas wine is doing. The San Francisco and New York competitions are especially important as wines from the best wine state in the US (California) dominate the entrants in the former, and Europe is well represented at the latter.
With that context, the content of the press release below is absolutely fantastic news for all Texas wines.
FROM THE WIRES
TEXAS WINE COUNTRY (Dec. 7, 2022) – Bending Branch Winery, Duchman Family Winery, Pedernales Cellars and Spicewood Vineyards – which make up Texas Fine Wine – all won Double Gold and other top awards at recent international wine competitions, showing the quality and diversity of Texas wines.
Bending Branch Winery won double gold for its 2019 Estate Tannat, Lost Pirogue Vineyard at the 2022 San Francisco International Wine Competition; double gold for its 2019 Texas Cabernet Sauvignon at the 2023 Houston Rodeo Uncorked! International Wine Competition; and double golds for its 2019 Mourvèdre, Desert Willow Vineyards and 2019 Tannat, Tallent Vineyards at the 2023 San Antonio Rodeo International Wine Competition.
Pedernales Cellars won two Jefferson Cups at the 2022 Jefferson Cup Invitational Wine Competition, one for its 2018 Block Zero, the last vintage of its Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Tannat and Malbec blend from Kuhlken Vineyards, and for its 2020 Texas High Plains Grenache. The Block Zero also won a double gold at the San Francisco International Wine Competition.
Spicewood Vineyards won a Jefferson Cup for its 2019 Tandem. The winery won double golds at the San Antonio Rodeo competition for its 2018 Syrah (Texas Class Champion), 2019 Tandem and 2019 The Independence.
Duchman Family Winery won a double gold and best in Montepulciano for its 2018 Montepulciano at the 2022 Lone Star International Wine Competition.
“Being known for its big, bold reds, Bending Branch Winery, AKA ‘The Tannat House of Texas,’ is super excited to receive four double golds, including two for our Tannats, both from Texas Hill Country vineyards, and one each for Cabernet and Mourvèdre,” says Bob Young, MD, co-owner and winemaker of Bending Branch Winery in Comfort. “We, along with our colleagues in Texas Fine Wine, have demonstrated once again that outstanding wine is being produced by our wineries from a wide diversity of grape varieties being grown in Texas – from Roussanne and Picpoul Blanc to Tannat, Tempranillo, Syrah and Montepulciano.”