When you speak vintages, you normally refer to a wine of high quality that is made primarily from grapes harvested in one specific year — as in, “the 1959 Bordeaux vintage is both sensual and delicious, and is worth searching for in efforts to gain an understanding on exactly why a fine wine is one that has been aged for decades.”
In this case of course, ‘59 was considered a good year. Such is also the case for the year 2015. It’s ironic, considering the first reference is in terms of decades, however the second refers to the overall success of the Texas wine industry as a whole. And friends, 2015 was a great vintage for the state!
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A remarkable time for Texas wine and grapes, 2015 marked the state of Texas surpassing New York and becoming the fourth largest wine producer, just behind Washington and Oregon (second and third, respectively, with California being first.) Containing a large share of more than 4,000 acres of producing vineyard farmland state-wide, the Texas Hill Country has quickly become one of the two great wine regions in Texas.
And, although the number of operating wineries within the entire state is not known, it is estimated as ranging from 350-400 in total, with numerous quality grape varietals. In order to have a wine varietal mention an AVA (American Viticulture Area) on its label, at least 75% of the volume of that wine must come from grapes that are grown in that particular area. An AVA is known as a wine grape-growing region, designated by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, with distinguishable geographic features and boundaries.
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The state of Texas has 8 AVA’s, the largest of which is the Texas Hill Country, containing more than 9 million acres in total. THC is also recognized as the second largest AVA in the entire United States! (The largest is considered the Upper Mississippi River Valley, stretching across 4 states.)
Likewise, the Texas High Plains is another significant AVA for the state, consisting of more than 8 million acres, and growing more than 80% of the state’s wine grapes. The other 6 AVA’s in Texas include Escondido Valley, Bell Mountain, Mesilla Valley, Texas Davis Mountains, Texoma, and Fredericksburg – host location for the prestigious 2016 Wine Marketing & Tourism Conference.