Texas Hill Country & Napa Valley Wines—

Texan Vintages—

The State of Texas in the United States is almost three times as large as the United Kingdom, or 26% larger than France, or one third larger than the size of Spain. It is the second largest U.S. state, after Alaska, and is larger than the state of New South Wales in Australia.

Yet France and Italy produce hundreds of times as much wine as Texas, which is the fifth largest wine producing state in the U.S. But wine production within Texas (measured by vineyard acreage and estimated wine volume) has tripled during the past decade, and the number of state wineries has tripled during the past 25 years.

Most Texas wines (about three quarters) are red, dominated by the grapes Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo, Merlot, Mourvèdre, Sangiovese, Malbec, Syrah and Cabernet Franc—which fare well in hot, variable climatic conditions.

Below is a rapid video from a recent visit to the Texas Hill Country wine region near the city of San Antonio in the central/south portion of the state. The state has eight American Viticultural Areas (AVA's). Texas High Plains in the north supplies about 80% of grapes to other wine production regions in the state, including a large supply to Texas Hill Country—the third largest AVA in the U.S.

A Napa Valley Winemaker & Steak Grilling Guru—

Moving locations from Texas to California, meet Chris Phelps and his son Josh—both renowned winemakers living in Napa Valley, California. We met there years ago, a few days before Covid-19 shut down international flights and I had to flee on the first plane back home to France. On a second visit three years later, Chris—who studied enology in Bordeaux in France and interned with Petrus in Pomerol—cooked steaks using a method he learned in Bordeaux: grilling beef over dried dead vines. The method gives intense heat and his steaks (cooked on his backyard grill in Napa Valley's Saint Helena) are succulent sensations! They also pair beautifully with his famed Ad Vivum Cabernet Sauvignon.

Chris gave solid praise for The Winemakers' Cooking Companion cookbook, which I will publish in a month.

“Tom Mullen is a compelling writer and can articulate impressions with clarity and feeling. Tom happens to love food and wine—anything he writes on either subject is required reading.”

—Chris Phelps, winemaker of 100-point Ad Vivum Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California.

Insider Insights—

Read more about The Winemakers' Cooking Companion cookbook at this site.

Josh, son of Chris Phelps, also produces a range of amazing very affordable wines from all over California. Check out his Grounded Wine Company here.

Recipes—

For this wine I'm including two recipes from my cookbook The Winemakers' Cooking Companion which go well with a firm Cabernet Sauvignon wine. The first is for an appetizer of Balsamic Asparagus.

The second recipe is for a main course of Roasted and Barbecued Rack of Lamb.

Let Me Notify You When The Winemakers' Cooking Companion Cookbook Is Published

Click the button below to be notified when my cookbook is published in June.

At the end of June I'll put all names of those who contacted me into a hat and randomly select three people who will also receive free copies of my book Vino Voices (to be republished in hardback/paperback this summer).

What's Coming

I'll soon feature:

• Bordeaux 2025 wines & retasting of Bordeaux 2023 wines.
• Limoux sparkling wines from southern France.
• Italy wine tasting notes.

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