Texas Locavore

If you’ve been paying attention, you’ve probably heard that Texas wines are getting better. From the panhandle to the coast, grape growers are learning the terroir and winemakers are localizing their techniques. In the Hill Country, especially, some great vintages are emerging. The biggest impediment to the industry? Pierce’s Disease. Caused by a bacterium that is, itself, transmitted by a flying insect called a sharpshooter, PD, as it’s known to the trade, can knock out an entire vineyard with devastating efficiency. Growers employ a variety of strategies to keep this pernicious enemy at bay. They keep weed growth to a minimum to reduce the draw to the bugs, they spray pesticides to deter them, and they remove infected vines at the very first sign of trouble, in hopes of stemming the spread. A few vintners are using a different, not-so-novel approach: They’re growing grapes that are native to this region, and thus have evolved alongside PD, adapting to tolerate its ravages. Whereas well-known French grapes like Cabernet and Chardonnay lack any kind of defense to PD and succumb to it without a fight, these native grapes can survive the invaders. The downside: The common wisdom has long held that you can’t make drinkable wine out of native grapes. But a few winemakers are bucking that idea to great effect. Angela Moench at Stone House Vineyard in Spicewood makes a wine called Claros from the Norton grape that’s winning international awards. And at Chisholm Trail winery in Fredericksburg, Paula Williamson blends native Lenoir (also called Black Spanish) grapes with Syrah to great effect in her “Diablo” wine (above). You can only find Diablo at the winery right now, where it goes for $30 a bottle, but it’s a great excuse to hit the Hill Country Wine & Wildflower Trail. Two local wine shops, Grape Vine Market and The Austin Wine Merchant, sell Claros for around $22.