Here’s the engaging narrative I crafted about Texas’s wine culture:

Individuals outside Texas can harbor any perception about the state’s wine. It could sway towards love, indifference, or even disdain. Yet, for a true Texan, these views are inconsequential. They stand firm in their enjoyment and adoration for Texas wines.

While it’s uncertain how much of this narrative is factual, I cannot turn a blind eye to the ongoing rivalry between Texas and New York for the fourth rank in terms of wine production volume. What’s remarkable is the exponential growth of Texas’s wineries, from merely 20 in the 1980s to a whopping 450 today. These wines may not regularly grace the shelves of retailers or restaurant wine lists, yet they are consumed in significant volumes. Undoubtedly, it’s not the non-Texans who are relishing these Texan wines.

White, Red, Rosé wine glasses

Several weeks ago, I hosted a gathering of friends and wine enthusiasts to sample a selection of wines from Texas. For many, it was their first encounter with Texan wines. Given the unfamiliarity, it was expected to face some level of doubt about the quality of these wines, heightened by personal preferences for renowned international wines from regions like Spain, Italy, and Oregon.

As we each approached the tasting experience, we held onto a mix of preconceived notions and expectations, all impacting our perceptions of the Texan wines being tried. Throughout the course of the tasting, we discovered, articulated, and challenged these biases, concluding with some shared insights about the sampled Texan wines.

Just a note: this informal tasting wasn’t designed to cover a comprehensive range of Texan wines. I’m certain a different set of wines would elicit different reactions and evaluations. However, from our selection that evening, the red wines definitely impressed us. Although we tried white and rosé wines, we found our attention swiftly shifting back to the reds. Memorable in particular was the 2021 Montepulciano Reserve from Hillmy Cellars. It’s distinct notes of dusty leather, plum, tamarind, and horseradish reminded some of us of beloved Spanish reds, with added unique flavors. Multiple tasters expressed that any winery, regardless of geographical identity, would be proud to offer this particular wine.

The intrigue and novelty of these wines sometimes sparked exceptional and imaginative interpretations about the tasting experience. For instance, Hillmy’s Montepulciano Reserve was noted for tamarind and horseradish flavors, while the 2021 Invention LB from Heath Family Brands was described as more French than Italian, with flavors of red pepper seed and even reminiscent of grape jelly in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

One of the most flattering comments I received during the evening pertained to participants suggesting they would intentionally consume a certain wine, implying that they would deliberately search for it even if it wasn’t adventitiously provided at this group sampling. This was accurate for the Montepulciano and Invention LB wines as well as the 2021 Nichol from Airis’Ele Vineyards, a fusion of Petite Sirah and Petit Verdot. One tester declared it to be the star of the evening, while another testified to its authenticity, indicating an agreeable interaction between aroma and flavor: the scent showed potential and the taste fulfilled that potential.