Five Texas Wines That Wow

Some people are downright goofy for the grape.

Some people think there are few things better in life than sipping a newly discovered wine on a back patio as the sun sinks slowly in the west and a faint breeze makes the crisply autumnal weather even more delicious.

Full disclosure: We like those people.

Our roving wine correspondents – Rowan and John Halliday, that married couple of oenophiles – are two of those people we like.

We’ve sent the Hallidays on forays into the Texas Hill Country before, to report on the tours and the hotels, to give us a gloss of the first annual Texas Wine Auction, and so on. Figured we should probably do something like that again – this being our Drinks Issue, after all.

Of course, our Food editor Melanie Haupt has already provided a look at Summer Revival Wine Co. and C.L. Butaud in nearby Dripping Springs …

And your current reporter recently wrangled up a sweet bunch of wine-adjacent ciders and meads from around these here parts …

And we’re glad to note that Rae Wilson’s Wine for the People will move, in mid-November, from the Texas AVA tasting room off Fitzhugh Road to Spread & Co. in the Jefferson Square Shopping Center (1601 W 38th) …

We’re also big fans of Saba San’s wine club and its array of low-intervention wines from small natural growers, and not just because they’re so conveniently located at 2600 E. Cesar Chavez, inside that popular powerhouse of delectable food called Bento Picnic …

And we just about swoon at the thought of wining-and-dining at South Lamar’s excellent Aviary – or at the Austin Winery in that foodie paradise known to mortals as The Yard on St. Elmo …

But, yes, we recently got our favorite freelancing couple hooked up with one of those excellent Texas Wine Month Passports that’s like a key to unlocking the best of what the Hill Country has to offer. Then we sent them out on a discovery mission and had ’em report back. Thus do we now present, for your edification and future wine-trip-planning consideration:

ROWAN HALLIDAY'S FIVE BEST WINES TO FIND
WITH THE TEXAS WINE MONTH PASSPORT

Carignan, Hilmy Cellars: Fucking phenomenal. Solid fruity nose, good structure. Straight up stopped me in my tracks. I had to stare at it a minute.

Calcaria, Kuhlman Cellars: I buy this wine every time I drive past. I never have any, because it's the first white wine I pull off the rack. Rich and a little buttery, amazingly versatile food wine.

Nebbiolo, Hye Meadow: Super smoky nose, spicy on the palate. Rejoice that it's finally cool enough to barbecue and drink with smoked meat. It's stunningly good.

Cinsaut, Blue Lotus Winery: Light red, deliciously fruity. It's friendly enough to drink on its own, but it'll go nicely with game or barbecue.

Bourbon Barrel-Aged Tannat, Lost Draw Cellars: If someone from Lost Draw offers you “bourbon barrel-aged” anything, don't ask questions, just thank your gods and take it. The Tannat is no exception. It's glorious. It'll benefit from a little aging, so drink the rest of the list first and give this a bit.