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I recently went to a winery in WI and wanted to bring any wine back with me. They said they could not ship to the state of texas currently and did not know when they could. I wanted to get more wine than what I got through the flight back home (1 Bottle). Is there an alternate way to ship wine to TX. The Winery is named Parallel44. Thanks for your input. Basically… I am not sure why they wouldn’t be able to unless it is a WI law. I work with a vineyard/winery based out of CA named Wineshop at Home. We specialize in Wine Clubs, Gift baskets and of course our own wines all of which can be shipped to your door step in 32 different states including Texas. With UPS their is an option to require proof of age over 21 at delivery where the UPS driver of location has to check and validate your license and age at delivery this prevents underage sales.

I might have mentioned before that my wife and I are planning a late summer trip to Branson, Missouri. In order to get there, we must travel east through New Mexico before arriving at El Paso. Starting at El Paso, what lies before us is approximately 800 miles of travel across the great state of Texas. The primary decision factor will be whether to race through in 2 days or go more leisurely in three or more days. My wife got two votes, I got one vote, and consequently, I lost the election. If we were going to take several days, I felt that some pit stops to investigate the Texas Wine Country were in order.

Texas is huge! It is a land mass of over 262 thousand acres that is over 800 miles north to south and 733 miles from east to west. Guadalupe Peak at 8,749 feet is the highest point and the Gulf coast sea level the lowest. You can travel any where in Texas because it has a nation leading 305,951 miles of road. The state divides into four wine growing areas: Northeast Texas, East Central Texas, Southeast Texas and Western Texas. Texas has a long history of wine production starting near El Paso in the 1650′s. If you drew a line from Corpus Christi west to San Antonio, north to Wichita Falls, and follow the Texas state boundary east and south back to Corpus Christi, you would have a polygon containing most of the wine production. There are important but scattered wine growing areas in west Texas near the key cities of El Paso, Fredericksburg and Lubbock.

Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay are by far the key wines grown in Texas. Syrah, Tempranillo, Sangiovese, Viognier and Pinot Gris are also leading grape varieties. A total of 3,200 acres is currently under production. Nearly 2 million gallons of wine were produced in Texas in 2005, making this state the fifth largest producer in the United States. The University of Texas System is the largest wine producer with nearly 1/3 of all acres currently under cultivation in the entire state. The advent of Prohibition (1920-1933) in the U. S. virtually eliminated the Texas wine industry until a modern time revival in the 1970′s. The wine industry in the state still feels the effects of Prohibition with a quarter of the counties still having “dry laws” on the books.

The Texas Hill Country has become a major wine tour destination that is only rivaled by California’s Napa Valley. The area is characterized by rolling hills, small quaint towns, rambling old farmhouses, and scattered vineyards with up-and-coming tasting rooms. A great location to start an adventure in this area is Fredericksburg. You could do a drive-yourself tour or gather a group and take a luxury bus tour. Letting someone else drive, which allows you to have fun and try mostly all wine you come across, makes a lot of sense. Many communities have their own wine festivals and people are attending them in ever-increasing numbers.

Many of us have danced the Texas Two-step. I found another Texas tradition, the Texas Two-sip. The Texas Two-sip is a challenging, blind taste test of a collection of in state and out of state wines. The goal is to use your taste buds to find the best. There are special rules and forms to fill out, but no specific rules on what food you can eat. Sounds like a party to me. The only caution I have is I did not find out the rule when you get to take your blindfold off. Be careful where you step.

When I was in the military traveling home on leave, I had car trouble in Fredericksburg. The people took me in, fed me and housed me, while the resident mechanic repaired my heap. When I was getting ready to leave, they gave me the gift of a thank you for my service and covered all my bills. Because of the wine growing there, I now have another reason to take a pause there. Look out Highway 290 here we come.

Author: Ronald Senn, Vice-president, Ideal Wine Coolers, June 2010

Go Texan wine. Texas Two-Sip Tele-tasting part 1 of 5. Award-winning sommeliers Devon Broglie and Craig Collins guide you through a Texas Two-Sip blind tasting. Theyve paired one Texas wine with a comparable non-Texas wine from regions around the world. Www. Gotexanwine. Org

If a trip to visit the famous vineyards of Napa Valley, California is not in the budget this summer, try a scenic drive through any local wine country. Central Texas offers a number of locally produced wines, from the nationally recognized to smaller family owned operations.

A trip down Highway 290 West not only offers rustic Texas landscapes with it’s own kind of beauty, but also several vineyards along the way. Johnson City has the Texas Hills Vineyard, with soil considered to be like the coveted Tuscan countryside in Italy. Becker Vineyards in Stonewall boasts 46 acres of grapevines and three acres of lavender, which blooms in May and June. Also in Stonewall is the Grape Creek Vineyard with the only completely underground wine cellar in Texas. Continuing west on Highway 290, Fredericksburg has a number of vineyards, including Bell Mountain Wine Cellars in business for 33 years and Chisholm Trail Winery.

If taking in lake views while tasting Texas wines sounds nice, head north on Highway 281 to the family owned Spicewoods Vineyard in Marble Falls. Fall Creek Vineyards on the shores of Lake Buchanan is composed of 65 acres of vineyards making award wining wines in the “French tradition and California technology. ” Take in any Lake Travis views at Lago Vista’s Flat Creek Estate Vineyard and Winery.

Heading south a wine lover can find the Sister Creek Vineyards in Boerne, which is housed in a historic cotton gin. Or, in New Braunfels try the Dry Comal Creek Vineyards and one might as well stop in Gruene Hall while in that area.

Most these wineries offer tours and tastings and visitors are encouraged to taste the lesser known wine varieties that Texas is gaining a reputation for producing. Ever heard of a sangiovese or malbec? How about a syrah? Texas soil is better suited to any of these more obscure wine varieties. During times when one can certainly find a Texas chardonnay, a viognier made in Texas may taste better. The Austin-American Statesman recently picked any favorite local wines like the Becker Vineyards Malbec 2006 or the Tuscan-style red Flat Creek Estates Super Texan 2006.

If wine tasting without the driving sounds a little more appealing, there are a number of local wine bars that offer a unique tasting experience. From the trendy to the cozy to the ostentatious wall of wines, Austin-American Statesman’s XLent section recently highlighted any local spots for a good glass of wine. Cork & Co. on South Congress was described as cozy while Cru: A Wine Bar has a “plush ambiance. ” There is also Taste on Cesar Chavez Street and Uncorked Tasting Room and Wine Bar on East Seventh. An impressive wall of wine can be seen at Vino Vino on Guadalupe Street.

Whether hopping in the car to head downtown for the evening or driving west for the day, Austin and the surrounding Hill Country can offer something from the mildly curious wine-drinker to the passionate oenologist.

Highlights from the 2011 North Texas Wine Opener benefiting Cystic Fibrosis