Duchman Family Winery – Exploring Texas Wines With Italian Grape Varieties

Grape growing and winemaking is a trend across the United States and today there is wine being made across the 50 states.  One

state that stands apart from many of the newer emerging wine regions is Texas.  This month our Wine Pairing Weekend group explores Texas Wines.

I can say I have heard all the buzz about Texas wines, but I have yet to try them,  so I am thankful for Michelle Williams from Rockin Red Blog for coordinating samples from our sponsors Texas Fine Wine.  Texas Fine Wine was organized to promote its five-member wineries collectively and is dedicated to producing benchmark wines from Texas grapes.

Texas Wine Country

Though Texas wines may be emerging today, it has a deep-rooted history with grape growing.  The first vineyard established in North America was in the state of Texas as Franciscan priests planted vines around 1662. As European settlers followed the development of mission outposts, they brought more grapevine cuttings, further developing the industry through the 1800s. Today Texas has over 4,000 acres of producing vineyard farmland.

EIGHT AVA WINE GROWING REGIONS IN TEXAS

• Texas Hill Country (2nd largest in the US, largest in Texas)
• Texas High Plains (2nd largest in Texas)
• Fredericksburg in the Texas Hill Country
• Texas Davis Mountains
• Mesilla Valley
• Texoma
• Bell Mountain
• Escondido

Duchman Family Winery

The Duchman Family Winery was founded in 2004 by Drs. Lisa and Stan Duchman in a quest to bring world-class winemaking to Central Texas and the Texas Hill Country. They are experimenting with unique Italian grape varieties like Vermentino, Sangiovese, and Dolcetto.

They source the majority of its fruit from the Texas High Plains AVA.  Here the cooler temperatures and a more “continental” climate are ideal for the production of fine wine made from Italian grape varieties.

If you find yourself in Texas, be sure to visit Duchman Family Winery.  It is one of the top wine destinations in Texas. The winery was listed by HGTV as one of the 20 most picturesque wineries in the country.

Duchman Wines

Vermentino is a light-skinned wine grape variety, primarily found in Italian wine. It is widely planted in Sardinia, in Liguria primarily under the name Pigato, to some extent in Corsica, and in Piedmont under the name Favorita.

Vermentino is widely recognized as one of the finest wines made in Texas and Duchman Family makes a beautiful Vermentino. The 2017 Duchman Vermentino is an award-winning wine,  most recently scoring 90pts and winning Gold at the San Francisco International Wine Competition!  This Vermentino is truly a world-class white wine.

Dolcetto is a black Italian wine grape variety widely grown in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy. The Italian word dolcetto means “little sweet one”, but it is not certain that the name originally carried any reference to the grape’s sugar levels: it is possible that it derives from the name of the hills where the vine is cultivated. The wines produced by dolcetto grapes are nearly always dry. They can be tannic and fruity with moderate or decidedly low levels of acidity and are typically meant to be consumed within a few years after release.

The Duchman Dolcetto 2017 is a lovely deep red wine that offers aromas of red plums and black fruit completed on the palate with a delightful complexity and balance.

Texas wine is all the rage right now, and the wines just keep getting better and better.  I typically like to enjoy American wines during Thanksgiving. These are the perfect wines for you to explore for your holiday entertaining.  Your guests will find them educational and they are great conversation wines.

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Its a month-long celebration of Texan wines.  See what other suggestions my fellow Wine Pairing Weekend writers have for Texan wines.

• A TexMex Fiesta featuring Texas Tannat by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Cooking to the Wine: Duchman Family Winery Texas Aglianico with Instant Pot Brisket by Somm’s Table
• Don’t Mess with Texas: Two Reds from Bending Branch Winery Paired with Sliders by Wine Predator
• Duchman Family Winery – Exploring Texas Wines With Italian Grape Varieties by Syrah Queen
• Low and Slow Grilling with Texas Wines by FoodWineClick!
• Oven Roasted Sirloin Steak with Onion Sauce and Texas Wine by Cooking Chat
• Pedernales Cellars: Pairing Texas Fine Wine with Spice 3 Ways by Asian Test Kitchen
• Rooting for Emerging Wine Regions: Celebrating Texas Wine With Our Everyday Meals by the Traveling Wine Profs
• Slow Cooker Short Rib Ragù with Texas Montepulciano by Always Ravenous
• Spicewood Vineyards: A Taste of Texas for #WinePW by The Swirling Dervish
• Texas Connections, Beef Flautas, and Bending Branch’s Tannat by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• #Texasfinewine Pedernales GSM, Rose, Viognier with Dim Sum by Chinese Food and Wine Pairings
• Texas Wine Pairing with Pedernales Wines and ParmesanCrusted Chicken by Vino Travels
• The Texas Wine Party Continues with Fall Creek Vineyards by The Corkscrew Concierge
• Tuscan Farro With Texan Vermentino by Avvinare
• Uh, oh! My Texas Wine Craves Barbecue by My Full Wine Glass

Please be sure to join our Twitter chat on Saturday, November 9 at 11am EST to learn more about Texas wines along with some wonderful food pairings. Look for the hashtag #WinePW.