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Austin Wine Festival - Showcasing Texas Wineries
Written by Melissa May   
Thursday, 21 May 2009 05:21
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I never cared much for Texas.

 

It’s too humid along the coast. It’s too dry as you move farther north and west. It has three seasons:  Hot, hotter and hotter-‘n-hell.

 

So getting out of my home state of 22 years should have been a welcome vacation.

 

Instead, I’ve come down with a severe case of nostalgia for things like breaking out in a sweat just by walking out the door or inhaling a chicken fried steak dinner with a side of sweet tea. And perhaps more surprisingly, I’ve felt a growing nostalgia for something I adopted not long before leaving Texas—its wine.

 

“Texas has wine?” a friend recently asked me upon viewing a poster in the kitchen of my everything’s-smaller-outside-of-Texas apartment. It was a map of my state, detailing its wine regions and the wineries found in each.

 

My friend’s reaction was nothing new. Few people, including Texans, have any idea how many wineries the state boasts (163 and counting) or how the Lone Star State is growing in popularity as a wine destination (No. 2 behind Napa, according to Orbitz Insider Index).

 

But deep in the heart of Texas, excitement for local grapes is taking root.

 

“There are great wines here,” said Bill Skrapits, a Texas wine expert. “People don’t know about them. Many of [the wineries] simply don’t have the tools or the knowledge that they need.”

 

Enter the Austin Wine Festival.

 

“The whole point of the festival is to create an environment where people can … learn about the wines that are out there and really combine efforts to get the word out,” Skrapits said.

 

Held May 23-25, the festival features more than 30 wineries, local food, music and seminars.

 

The event, which spanned only a few city blocks when it started in 2007, now covers 11 acres and will draw between 8,000 and 10,000 people, according to spokeswoman Katy Jane Bothum

 

Industry experts hope visitors will help cultivate a greater appreciation of Texas wines, which still suffer somewhat from negative images incurred in the 70s and 80s when they were viewed as jug wines.

 

“That really put a damper on the industry,” Skrapits said.

 

Smaller wineries, which make up the majority of Texas’ wine industry, “didn’t get the kind of respect that they would in California or New York, simply because people already had this impression,” Skrapits said.

 

Even today, Texas lags in nationwide popularity. A 2006 survey conducted by the Texas Wine Marketing Research Institute found that respondents preferred California wine to Texas wine 3 to 1.

 

Despite this, Texas is the fifth largest wine-producing state and ranks fourth in total wine consumption. Its sales continue to grow.

 

And while local wine remains relatively unknown elsewhere, it’s thriving in-state. 95 percent of Texas wine is sold in Texas, where producers can’t keep up with high demands. So for the time being, vintners are focusing on an audience of nearly 24 million Texans. They sell mostly from their tasting rooms or local retailers, and until these wineries grow up a little, they won’t need to look beyond state lines.

 

“If you don’t have to sell out of state then why do it?” said Ed Hellman, a professor of viticulture at Texas Tech University. “It’s not that the opportunity isn’t there, it’s just it has to fit the business situation, and for a lot of wineries, doing that in a big way doesn’t make sense right now.”

 

For it to make sense, Texas wine production will have to grow—something Texas Tech is trying to encourage by ramping up its wine and grape education program. In the fall, the university will add a degree specialization in viticulture and enology, the first of its kind in the state.

 

Experts understand that growing the industry to full capacity will take several years. But for now, the buzz around Texas wine, like my case of nostalgia, continues to swell.

Last Updated ( Thursday, 21 May 2009 05:33 )
 
Texas Hill Country Wine Trail
Written by Bill Skrapits   
Saturday, 28 March 2009 07:53
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The Texas Hill Country has been labeled the Napa Valley of Texas.  With over 24 wineries in the region, innumerable bed and breakfasts and resorts, and 5 million visitors per year, the Texas Hill Country has become the #2 fastest growing wine destination in the nation.  Often recognized as one of the best wine regions in Texas, this area is home to many internationally award winning wines and wineries.

 

Download the list of Texas Hill Country wineries into your TomTom GPS; you can then create any route you want to visit the wineries in this beautiful wine region.  The download for your TomTom device is available to anyone who registers for our free membership.  Just click here: sign up

 

For more information on the Texas Hill Country Wine Trail, please visit the Texas Wine Trail web site.

 

Last Updated ( Saturday, 28 March 2009 08:33 )
 
Jasenn McNair Celebration and Fundraiser
Written by Bill Skrapits   
Wednesday, 21 January 2009 23:51
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Updated 2/21/2009

In October of 2008, Jasenn was diagnosed with kidney cancer after lesions were discovered in his brain.  The cancer had metastasized to his brain and lungs.  He underwent difficult chemotherapy, radiation and steroid treatments, only to be released to hospice care.

Jasenn was at Christopher house just over three weeks.   His spirit and stand for others is an inspiration.  No matter what pain he experienced in his fight with cancer, his first thought was how to help others who are going through the same or worse.

The William Bower Foundation is created to bring dignity and comfort to the families of those in need of hospice care.   To celebrate the will and determination of those in hospice, we are holding fundraiser event to support those in hospice care in the Hill Country.  Jasenn was so moved by the people who came out to help him and his family that he has not asked us to help his family, but to help the families of the other 97,000 people who have been diagnosed with cancer in Texas this last year. 

Jasenn is so moved by the people who have come out to help him and his family that he has not asked us to help his family, but to help the families of the other 97,000 people who have been diagnosed with cancer in Texas this past year.

Jasenn McNair was an intelligent, ambitious man.  At the same time his friends say he was one of the most laid-back people you could ever meet. Throughout his life he had taken on various challenges and recreated himself as someone new in the face of those challenges.  In his words, "you just decide to do it, then you do it."  In the last four years he had demonstrated that everywhere in his life.  He lost over 200 pounds, met and married the girl of his dreams, bought a wonderful house in Leander, and in 2008 welcomed his first-born son, Tegue Owen McNair, into the world.

Many cannot afford the cost of treatment or the cost of hospice if the treatment does not work.  In the end the families end up suffering for years because of the bills and debts that accumulate.  This is where you can make a difference.

You are invited to the festivities this Saturday, January 24 at 6:30 PM.  We are providing hors d'oeuvres. Wine and non-alcoholic drinks are available for purchase.  The evening includes an incredible silent auction with a wonderful list of items and services up for bid.  We are requesting a $50 minimum donation at the event.  Flat Creek Estate is graciously hosting the event at their winery.  For driving instructions, check http://www.flatcreekestate.com/map.html

You are invited to contribute.

You can make the difference.

Donate Now

Last Updated ( Tuesday, 24 February 2009 15:49 )
 
Personalized Wine of the Month club
Written by Bill Skrapits   
Friday, 12 December 2008 06:35
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Coming Soon!

Wine of the month clubs are great.  You get to try new wines and learn about the wineries and winemakers who created them.  What could be better than that?

How about a wine of the month club that is customized just for you?  We're in the process of building exactly that!

Register now and you'll be one of the first to have the opportunity try it out and help us create how it will work.

Last Updated ( Monday, 22 December 2008 07:12 )
 
Local Wine Expert Presents Wine-Making Class
Written by Brad Shannon   
Friday, 05 September 2008 04:25
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Award-winning Texas Wine Evangelist shares his passion and everything you need to know to make wine


Austin, Texas

Local Winemaking Expert and Texas Wine Evangelist Bill Skrapits will present a winemaking class starting Wednesday, September 17 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. The award-winning winemaker will teach six Wednesday classroom sessions at One Cameron Place, 7901 Cameron Road, Suite 3-150. An optional crushing event will demonstrate how grapes are processed, crushed and de-stemmed before fermentation.

Last Updated ( Monday, 22 December 2008 07:15 )
 
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