Happenings at TWC
Customer Service in the Tasting Room
One of the best sessions at the Texas Hill Country Wineries (THCW) Symposium, held 11,12-Jan-2018 at Horseshoe Bay Resort, was a guided panel discussion on Customer Service in the Winery Tasting Room. I have been in this business long enough to understand how important customer service is to an enjoyable wine country experience. And, it is one of the three key parts of a great winery/tasting room experience that includes a first-class location with an inviting and comfortable tasting room, top-quality wines, and great customer service. Continue »
Jul 7, 2018 at 10:28 AM
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Early Summer Vineyard Tasks
It is definitely summertime here in Texas as temperatures soar into the 90+ degree range and sometimes violent thunderstorms appear without much warning. At this point in the grape growing season, many tasks are required of the vineyard manager. Vines are showing vigorous, bushy green growth, and, unfortunately, so are the weeds under the vines. The buds from early spring have bloomed into flowers only to be replaced by grape clusters of pea-sized, hard green berries. By now most of the pests that can harm vines and grapes, like fungal diseases and insects, have made an initial appearance in the vineyard. Diligent effort is required to manage these issues to assure good development of fruit for this year’s harvest. Continue »
Jun 20, 2018 at 3:00 PM
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Grape Skins Key to Red Wines
Making red wines differs in several ways from white wines, the most important difference being skin contact with the grape juice. The grape comprises 3 basic parts, the skin, the pulp, and the seeds. For most grapes, all color is in the skin as the pulp containing most of the water and sugar is essentially colorless. So, if you want to make a red wine from red, black, or purple grapes, it is essential that the skins spend time soaking in the grape juice to extract the color (anthocyanins), flavors and tannins, resulting in a red wine. Continue »
May 23, 2018 at 8:43 AM
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4.0 Cellars Growers and Vineyards: North Central Texas Region
Last blog post was about the growers and vineyards in the Texas High Plains, this post is a compilation of the growers and vineyards in the North Central Texas Region (NCT) that produce a significant portion of the grapes used in 4.0 Cellars wines. A similar survey of vineyards in the Texas High Plains AVA is posted separately. Although not nearly so many grapes are grown in NCT as in the Texas High Plains AVA (American Viticultural Area), the number of vineyards and wineries are increasing and making an impact on the Texas Wine Industry (certainly on 4.0 Cellars). For this discussion, the NCT Region includes the area west of I-35 between Waco and Ft. Worth, south of I-20 between Ft. Worth and Abilene, and north of the established Texas High Plains AVA.This large area includes about 20 Texas counties. Continue »
May 9, 2018 at 7:00 AM
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4.0 Cellars Growers and Vineyards: Texas High Plains AVA
As a special project for 4.0 Cellars general manager, Jesse Barter, this post is a compilation of the Texas High Plains (THP) vineyards and growers that produce a significant portion of the grapes used in 4.0 Cellars wines. This is certainly appropriate since about 85% of Texas’ wine grapes are grown in the Texas High Plains AVA (American Viticultural Area). The THP AVA covers a large area (over 8M acres) of mostly agricultural land, including all or parts of 24 counties. Although the AVA boundaries extend well north, and even somewhat northeast of Lubbock, most of the vineyards are located west, mostly southwest, of Lubbock (see map of Texas below). Continue »
Apr 25, 2018 at 7:59 AM
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What’s In My Wine – Label Talk
The question is often asked, “What is in this wine? Is it all Texas fruit? Is it organic, natural, etc.?” This can often lead to a rather lengthy answer and discussion, depending on the actual interest of the questioner. So, I decided to offer in this Carl’s Corner some of the answers and a bit of discussion about what a wine label does, and does not, tell the consumer. Continue »
Mar 28, 2018 at 8:06 AM
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Fermentation Science – Good Stuff!
We all enjoy the benefits of fermentation science, but do we really know very much about the subject? Fermentation is the key to creating alcoholic beverages, and many other consumables. For wine (beer, liquors, etc.), fermentation is the biological process by which sugar molecules are converted to ethyl alcohol plus carbon dioxide and heat. There are other by-products created during fermentation that add subtle nuances of flavor and texture to wines. Since this is so important to creating our favorite beverage, it seems an appropriate subject for Carl’s Corner. Continue »
Mar 14, 2018 at 7:41 AM
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Does Wildfire Smoke Damage Wines
In October, 2017, significant portions of California Wine Country were besieged by wildfires that damaged or destroyed many homes, some wineries, and a few vineyards in Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, Lake, Butte, and Solano Counties. Most of us stared in disbelief at the TV news stories, and somewhere in the back of our minds was the question, “How will these wildfires and the smoke they produced impact the California wines that I know and enjoy?” This post covers some of the key issues and points-of-fact involved in this unfortunate, and sometimes tragic situation. Continue »
Feb 14, 2018 at 7:00 AM
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Wintertime in the Vineyard
Several times during the holidays I was asked about what goes on in the vineyard during wintertime. After the fruit harvest, the vines slow down their growth and begin to prepare themselves for fall and winter. Winter is basically a quiet time for the vineyard manager and vineyard workers, however there are several tasks that require attention while the vines essentially go dormant for a period. Continue »
Jan 5, 2018 at 7:39 AM
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Vintage 2017 – The Best Ever in Texas?
By now you have probably heard accolades and high praise from Texas growers and vintners about the bountiful and high quality grape harvest for 2017. The fruit was ripe, rich in color and flavor, and “California-esque” according to some. This bodes well for the 2017 vintage white and rose’ wines that will be released in 2018, and the red wines that will follow in 2019. My recommendation is to get your cellars and your bank accounts ready for some wonderful wines from 2017. Was this the best Texas vintage ever? Let’s look back and consider that question. Continue »
Dec 20, 2017 at 7:00 AM
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