This month is more of a look ahead, than a roundup. Harvest is well underway in Texas. Some locations are done, while others are just getting started. So I thought it would be fun to share some harvest reports from some Texas wineries. Overall, the wineries are reporting a good crop with minimal issues, which is always good news given the temperamental Texas weather. You just never know. And speaking of harvest, I’m fresh off the Messina Hof Grand Finale Gala, which marks the end of their annual Harvest Festival. The gala was reason to celebrate as they’d just competed harvest of their estate Lenoir, which they reported they were quite pleased with.
Texas Wine Month is Coming Up!
Before, I get to the harvest reports, I just want to remind you that next month, October, is the big month – Texas Wine Month! The wineries are planning a ton of cool events, so I hope y’all get the chance to head out there to see what they’re up to. It’s a great time to go because it will be much cooler. I plan to get my October roundup done early so y’all have plenty of time to plan.
One of the things that they are doing to promote the industry is joining the ‘Come Over October’ campaign, with their own Texas twist. #ComeOnOverYall.” If you’re not aware, the global ‘Come Over October’ campaign seeks to encourage people to invite family and friends, new and old, to come together during the month of October to share some wine and friendship. It’s all about the simple act of sharing wine and sharing other things that matter— generosity, caring, and a belief that being together is an essential part of human happiness.
With all the flack that wine has been getting, not to mention all the drama in the world, I absolutely love this idea and am thrilled that the Texas wine industry is getting involved. Spearheaded by the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Uncork Texas Wines program, the Texas “Come On Over Y’all” initiative is supported by the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association, Texas Hill Country Wineries, Texas Wine Growers and Texas Fine Wine. The collective group and its wineries and vineyards will promote the Come Over October campaign as part of Texas Wine Month and celebrate the role of wine in community, culture and lifestyle.
Want to get involved? Just pick up a bottle of your favorite Texas wine (or one that you’re curious about), invite friends to ‘come on over y’all’ to your home, and share photos of your gatherings on social media with the hashtags #ComeOverOctober and #ComeOnOverYall. Take it a step further and plan some visits to Texas wineries and share photos of your gatherings with the hashtags on social media. I’m still trying to decide what all I want to do. I’m supposed to host National Night Out on October 1, and definitely think I’m going to uncork several Texas wines for my neighbors to discover. Just need to figure out what else I’m going to do. And yes, I’m open to ideas…
Now for the harvest reports…
Van Johnson, Winemaker, Wedding Oak Winery
It promises to be another year of high yields of high-quality grapes, thanks to favorable growing conditions in the vineyards. I believe the harvest quality and yield will be excellent this year. We are experiencing another period of surplus similar to that of 2023. The warm winter led to a notably brief hibernation period for most of the grapevines and an early bud break. The warm, wet spring and an early summer in Central Texas accelerated the fruit bloom by about two weeks ahead of expectation. This shift in the natural cycle has set the stage for a unique and promising growing season. In addition to warm weather conditions, we experienced a substantial amount of rain throughout the main ripening phase in the hill country. Due to the wet weather, however, we decided to pick the Roussanne grapes a little early to stay on target with the natural acidity and natural sugars needed for our wines. I’m particularly excited about our first Tannat Rosé, which we’re sourcing grapes for from Hye Top Vineyards. They have freshly grafted Tannat vines, and since these vines are still young, they are perfect for producing a Tannat Rosé. We will employ a direct-press method, resulting in minimal skin contact. This approach will allow us to craft a lighter, vintage-style rosé that promises to be both unique and delightful.
David Kuhlken, Co-Owner and Executive Winemaker, Pedernales Cellars
Our estate Kuhlken Vineyards, still in young-vine mode from replanting several years ago, looked good and vigorous and we got 1 or 2 tons of fruit from it, with first pick in the latter half of July. Quality was on track given the generally moderate temps and timely rains.
We expect to get the majority of our fruit from the Texas High Plains, where everything is looking better than most of the last few years. At the moment, most of our vineyards appear to be carrying anywhere from 2 to 5 tons an acre on most blocks, with only a couple trending toward higher yields. Thankfully, almost all of our vineyards have hail nets, which has helped reduce hail-damaged fruit. In all, harvest is trending well and we got our first High Plains harvest of Viognier in August and the rest of the varieties to be on schedule over the course of September.
Ron Yates, Owner, Spicewood Vineyards
Harvest began about two weeks early in the Texas Hill Country. Bud break occurred in February instead of March so it’s not surprising that we’re ahead of schedule for veraison. We have had abundant rain – about 13 inches since March – so everything is looking good. We harvested Sauvignon Blanc first, in mid-July. While our crop was slightly smaller than last year’s record estate harvest, we are excited about the quality of the fruit. We also get fruit from the Texas High Plains and far west Texas in Dell City. It has been unusually hot in Dell City so I expect to get that fruit in before the High Plains.
Dr. Bob Young, Co-Owner and Executive Winemaker, Bending Branch Winery
We are looking forward to quality fruit from across the state. Tallent Vineyards in Mason County, which has avoided hail damage and enjoyed good rains this spring and summer, is expecting a good quality crop. Fruit from a couple of the vineyards located closest to Bending Branch is also looking really good. Spring hail caused mixed levels of damage for a few of the Texas Hill Country vineyards where we get fruit. And in general, the wetter spring and summer had a lot of benefits, but in many cases, it has also created additional work in the vineyards.
Fruit begin arriving mid-July. Again this year we are working with around 30 different vineyards and approximately 30 different grape varieties. This will be our second harvest of Charbono from Tallent Vineyards, and we are eagerly anticipating higher yields from these vines after another year of development.
Dave Reilly, Winemaker, Duchman Family Winery
The 2024 crop is looking terrific – a big crop, coming in a bit earlier than usual, and excellent quality. We source our fruit from some of the most experienced Texas High Plains growers. Our 18-years-long relationship allows us to make last-minute decisions on the absolute best time to harvest based on the weather and fruit maturity. Harvest kicked off in August, with Roussanne coming in first, followed by Vermentino. For the reds, Sangiovese will be the first, followed by Montepulciano and then Aglianico.
Those are just a few harvest reports, but you can best believe, that everyone is the vineyards. It’ll be great to see what the 2024 vintage gives us. See y’all next month…
No Comments