Happenings at TWC
Carl’s Corner Annual Summary for 2022 –
It is always fun, and sometimes surprising, to look back at all of last year’s Carl’s Corner blog posts. There is usually a relatively wide range of topics besides the regular Wine Club Release announcements. In 2022, the major theme was the 10-part series on American Viticultural Areas, AVAs, specifically the eight AVAs in Texas. And a newer topic, the Texas Tasting Series events. that compared wines of a specific type or grape variety from various wine regions with similar versions from the Texas Wine Collective winery partners, Brennan Vineyards, Lost Oak Winery, and McPherson Cellars. Enjoy this review of Carl’s Corner Memories from 2022 and remember that you can always go to the TexasWineCollective.com website to read or re-read any of these posts. May your holidays be truly “wine-derful.” Continue »
Dec 13, 2022 at 1:46 PM
Permalink
Blended Wines – Why and How?
The production of blended wines, those produced by mixing different grape varieties together in the final wine, goes back thousands of years. One of the key reasons for blending, then and to a large extent now, is to avoid loss of fruit due to calamities – weather, diseases and pests. The goal has always been to have a successful grape harvest to make the final product - wine! Continue »
Nov 29, 2022 at 11:44 AM
Permalink
Holiday Wine Selections
It’s the middle of November and Thanksgiving week is rapidly approaching. Christmas and the New Year are just a few weeks further on. It’s been a crazy, fast-paced year for Texas Wine Collective, and we’ve had opportunities to enjoy and share a lot of good times with you in 2022 featuring a number of delicious wines from our partners, Brennan Vineyards in Comanche, Lost Oak Winery in Burleson, and McPherson Cellars in Lubbock. Now it’s time to consider wines that will accompany your special dinners and fun gatherings with family and friends. Here are some suggestions from the Texas Wine Collective portfolio that should brighten and enhance your holidays. Continue »
Nov 16, 2022 at 10:59 AM
Permalink
Wine Club Releases for November-2022
As we approach the holiday season, it is time for the Texas Wine Collective Wine Club Release and Pick-up Events, scheduled on Sundays, 6-Nov and 13-Nov, with sessions at 11:00-1:30 pm or 2:30-5:00 pm. The format will remain consistent with the opportunity to taste all 6 dry wines, red and white, along with 3 small-bite food pairings. Or, club members and their guests may visit the Wine Club Lounge to choose a complimentary single glass of wine from the release list. Tasting the sweet wines is also an option if these are your club selection. Continue »
Oct 31, 2022 at 10:29 AM
Permalink
The Impact of Yeast on Wine Aroma and Flavor: Part One
A recent article by Daniel Pambianchi in WineMaker Magazine inspired this Carl’s Corner post on some key impacts of yeast on the development of aromas and flavors in wine. If you would like a deep dive into biochemistry, take a look at the original article. What follows is a less scientific synopsis of key points relating to aromas and flavors that are produced or influenced by yeasts while doing their primary job of converting sugar in the grapes to ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide. A few other actions that create aromas and flavors, not necessarily primary functions of yeasts, are also mentioned. Please enjoy the read. Continue »
Oct 30, 2022 at 1:36 PM
Permalink
Efforts to create Additional AVAs in Texas
Some members of the Texas Wine Industry are working on petitions with the required documentation for submission to the TTB requesting the establishment of more AVAs in Texas. The two key goals appear to be 1) better definition of the primary grape growing areas within the very large Texas Hill Country (THC) and Texas High Plains (THP) AVAs and 2) develop AVAs for those large areas of the Lone Star State not already included in an AVA. This author is aware of at least one effort underway to create a sub-AVA in the Texas Hill Country, and suspects that similar efforts are being considered in other parts of the state. Continue »
Sep 27, 2022 at 7:47 AM
Permalink
Updated Label Laws to Designate 100% Texas Wines
Since the beginning of the modern Texas Wine Industry, let’s say the mid-1970’s, there have been questions about how to officially designate that a wine sold by a Texas winery was produced from grapes grown in the Lone Star State - or as some folks like to say, a REAL TEXAS WINE. Various categories of definitions and designations are described below, including some recent legislation that narrows the scope and better defines what can be classified a REAL TEXAS WINE. Continue »
Sep 13, 2022 at 10:11 AM
Permalink
Wine Club Releases for September-2022
It’s been a long hot summer and I know that you, like me, are excited to see some cooler weather in September. The September Texas Wine Collective Wine Club Release and Pick-up Events, are scheduled for Sundays, 11-Sep and 18-Sep, with 11:00-1:30 or 2:30-5:00 sessions. The format will remain consistent with the opportunity to taste all 6 dry wines, red and white, along with 3 small-bite food pairings. Or, club members and their guests may visit the Wine Club Lounge to choose a complimentary single glass of wine from the release list. There is also the option to taste the sweet wines if that is your club selection. Continue »
Sep 8, 2022 at 1:55 PM
Permalink
Texas Tasting Series: Italy vs Texas- August 2022
Welcome to another Texas Tasting Series event – this one featuring Texas and Italy, designed to allow attendees to compare and contrast wines grown and produced in Italy versus those from our Texas Wine Collective partners, McPherson Cellars, Lost Oak Winery, and Brennan Vineyards, using the same grape varieties grown and produced here in the Lone Star State. This event is scheduled in the Texas Wine Collective Event Center on Sunday, 21-August-2022, with sessions at 12:30 and 2:30 pm. Chef Amber Saidler, TWC tasting room and events manager, will prepare several delicious small food bites to accompany the wines. Advance ticket purchase is required, please check the website to make your reservations, www.texaswinecollective.com. Continue »
Aug 19, 2022 at 1:00 PM
Permalink
Important Areas of Texas Not in an AVA
As noted in previous parts of this series, an AVA designation on a wine label allows vintners to more accurately describe to consumers the origin of the grapes used to produce their wines and help consumers identify wines with characteristics they prefer to purchase. Wine consumers are becoming more curious about the origin of grapes used to produce the wines they enjoy. In the broadest sense, grapes can come from anywhere – another country, anywhere else in the U.S. (another state), anyplace in Texas, or from a more specifically defined area or region in Texas. Continue »
Aug 7, 2022 at 10:39 AM
Permalink