Texan sparkling might be in its infancy but it could just help to write the next chapter of the state’s wine story, writes LM Archer. “Texas is the fastest growing wine state in the country for a reason,” says Dr. Akhil Reddy, CEO of Reddy Vineyards in Brownfield, Texas. His father, pioneering agronomist/viticulturist Dr. Vijay Reddy, established the family estate in 1997 upon the Texas High Plains. “We’re reaching critical capacity for grape growing, and now a large growth rate of wineries,” Reddy says. “Sparkling is a part of that, and will continue to grow as clients prefer locally produced, small batch wines with a sound story.” But first Texas bubble makers must battle misconceptions, microclimates, and a miscellany of grape choices. Misconceptions What misconceptions, exactly? “The same misconception people have about all Texas wines – that they may not hold up to other wines of the world,” says Randy Hester, winemaker/co-owner of C.L. Butaud in Austin. Houston-native Hester founded his winery in 2014 with wife Brooke, after working in Napa for more than a decade. “I make wines that I’m proud to serve on the same table with wines from Napa Valley, France, Spain, or any other great wine region,” he contends. Beyond quality misconceptions, uncertainty swirls about the Lone Star state’s ability to even fashion fine fizz. “One of the most common misconceptions people have is “oh, you mean a pét nat?,” and we have to explain what we mean by méthode champenoise,” says winemaker/co-proprietor Elisa Jones of
This Article was originally published on The Drink Business - Wine
