As a Texan and long-time visitor to this ever-popular wine region, I am glad I missed this article when originally published. Once again, a NY Times writer doesn't miss the opportunity to sound haughty and not-a-tad-bit elitist while dealing in broad, derisive generalities. Certainly, the wine has improved immensely in the 15 years I've been visiting (and drinking); however, Mr. Asimov would, apparently, have us believe that the Meadors are the first in the area to venture into emerging varietals or experiment beyond convention. He gives short shrift to many of the winemakers here who have been ever-evolving and innovating for years while producing some high quality wines.
Tone and arrogance aside, Southold is well worth the visit for both its wine and its natural beauty. The Meadors' property is breath-taking and the views unmatched anywhere for several states. They have done an excellent job already, and the addition of their new on-premises restaurant will only serve to further elevate and complement their inventive wines.
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First I googled "The Grower Project," which was on the back of a bottle of Sangiovese I grabbed at a wine spot in touristy but tiny and lovely Gruene, Texas (a historic German district within the San Marcos, Texas, boundaries in our Hill Country), then I found "Letkeman Vineyard" on that website, and googled that, then I found this article. I was so determined to learn more because a) Y'all, this wine, called The Source, is so clear, dry and beautiful, and b) I'm so pleasantly surprised that Gaines County, where my mother is from, has put out something as lovely as this wine. This article has educated me further on wine growing in the High Plains region (what we regulars just call "West Texas"), and I'm actually kind of proud. West Texas has its charms, but I never thought that would include delightful wines.
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Hill Country, Texas? Austin and Houston mentioned, but no mention of San Antonio (closest city to Fredericksburg). Perfect NY Times piece on Texas.
So sad and frustrating. The wines produced here in the hill country are certainly terrible. What makes this frustrating to a native of this “terroir” is that these businesses and their ilk attract only the nouveau riche neo-cons from Dallas and their counterparts from Austin. It is an environment in which discrimination flourishes. It is the gentrification of the countryside and it is awful. The gaudy new buildings and “tasting rooms” only serve to bring traffic and attention to one of our most unattractive regions. A place of clear cut forests and horrible man made plains on either side, only broken up by small towns that make it dangerous to be anything other than white. I am from here, have spent my life here, and can say after visiting wine making regions the world over, do not waste your time or money supporting these awful places. They should die out and be left alone for the forest to reclaim that which was destroyed by settlers so long ago.
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@Herbert Johnson I'm hearing everything you're saying, as someone from south of Dallas who enjoys road-tripping down to Hill Country, and sometimes to its wineries. Guilty (apart from the characterization of nouveau riche, which I still haven't achieved, and neo-con). Being a POC in certain swaths of Texas has to be maddening. However, I definitely wouldn't call Central Texas one of our "most unattractive regions." Maybe it's because I'm from a decidedly unattractive section of the state, but Central is always a gorgeous respite to these North Texas eyes.
One of the outstanding High Plains wineries is McPherson Cellars; they deserve a mention in this space.
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It's "the Hill Country," and I also wish that Calais had gotten a mention, though it's clear that the article is focused on a particular style of Texas wine.
This article is about more than the Meadors -- it's about Texas terroir. As a wine lover based close to if not in the heart of California wine country, I'm glad to be able to follow the development of an industry that's coming into its own and gaining the courage to define itself outside of the market that California created.
For the record, I have tasted a number of excellent (and excellently approachable, which is what you want when the weather is 100 +) wines by producers mentioned in the article. I can't wait to see what the Meadors, and the other venturesome winemakers like Ballou and Crowson, make in the years to come.
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Thank you. My first reaction was:it's not Hill Country; its "the Hill Country". I grew up in Texas and never heard it called anything else.
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@s.g. I mean, I'm native Texas, too, and I've thrown off the "the" before, depending on the sentence structure. So I'm not sure that's the hill — if you will! — that we want to die on re: the NYT coverage we get.
No mention of Calais Winery...one of few boutique producers in the hill country that we followers would like the rest of the wine world know about.
We're planning a trip back to Fredicksburg in the fall when it cools down. Hubby and I love visiting the wineries, especially our favorite Santa Maria.
Fredericksburg and Kerrville are delightful towns with good food and friendly people. We can't wait to return.
Texas and France have long cooperated in rootstock, grape, and wine development. In 1887, a young Frenchman, Pierre Viala, was sent to the United States to find a suitable American rootstock that would help save the Cognac vineyards from phylloxera and also allow the vines to thrive in Cognac’s chalky soil. In the U.S., Viala met Thomas Volney Munson, an American horticulturalist who was working on cultivating grapes in Texas. Munson had been cataloging grape varieties and found vitis berlandieri growing in the limestone-laden soil of central Texas. This rootstock seemed to be the right solution for the chalky soils of Cognac and was grafted onto existing vines with success. So both French wine and cognac were saved. In 1888, Munson was awarded the Chevalier du Mérite Agricole (named a knight of agricultural excellence). He was inducted into the Legion of Honor. And the French remembered him more than a century later: in 1992, the towns of Cognac and Denison, Texas, officially joined to become sister cities.
**For further reading, consider the book, “The Grape Man of Texas: The Life of T.V. Munson”
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It's definitely not "Hill Country" (proper). It's "the hill country" (a general region). Love this article, however!
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@Mike
Yes! The hill country, the high plains.
I wonder if Eric Asimov tasted the North Fork of Long Island wines that the Meadors made. Did he taste other NF of LI wines in comparison.
As a North Fork wine professional, I support modesty as much as I support achievement. The Southold wines were unimpressive in my opinion. They ranged from drinkable, simple, or flawed, and certainly not worth the money nor the marketing efforts they attracted.
Impressed by the P.R. successes.. we wondered if the wine critics were tasting the same wines that we tasted. Whether they were right to criticize Southold Town's regulations and laws, the Meadors were not crafting wines that we fellow wine growers thought would burnish the reputation of the North Fork.
The pioneering spirit the Meadors brought to the North Fork, and now to Texas, is always welcome. Trying new varieties and methods is important to a young region. We hope that behind the marketing glow of "new and different" there are results that consumers are willing to pay for.
Many excellent wines are made on the North Fork in the same price range as the Southold wines. They may not be from newly discovered varieties like Teroldogo, but they are more complete, more complex and more attractive wines than what Southold Farm was able to produce. And they are still selling and supporting the East End of Long Island wine industry, even after the departure of the Meadors.
We wish them well and hope that we can all receive the media support that helps a business succeed.
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I live a few miles from where the Meadors attempted their vineyard in Southold, NY. Their bad luck here unfortunately is the norm for entrepreneurs, farmers, and small business owners. The town board is insane - wielding their sad power to make for a very inhospitable economic environment. Then they turn around and complain that their children once grown have to move away for affordable housing and jobs. It’s so backwards. I’m happy the Meadors have found success in Texas but miss their wine here on the North Fork. It’s our loss for sure.
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I wish the Meadors well in their new endeavor. But just to be clear, the zoning regulations governing their land on Long Island were in place before they purchased it. In some news stories on their dilemma, it appears they had not made themselves aware of all the regulations before buying. They sought variances that were denied for good reason.
So, please, while it’s fine to celebrate their new venture, let’s not cast them as victims. Those who find parts of Long Island less than desirable can thank zoning variances of the kind the Meadors sought. The regulations are there for a reason.
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@LIChef
The term is caveat emptor. It means buyer beware. They use of their house and land was clear. These very nice people chose to sell and move because they were not granted a variance so they could be an exception to the rule. There are several wineries on the North Fork where there are tasting rooms and residential dwellings and grapes growing.
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There are currently 45+ wineries in and around Fredericksburg. Of those, a handful are superior. It's a growing region inspired by its Gerrman forebears. Our palates are improving along with the vines. It is a region to watch.
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Please, it's "the Hill Country," not "Hill Country.
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@Lauren
Not necessarily.
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Amazingly Holbrooke (call me Richard, sir) was not the only one out there.
@Lauren Honestly? Not necessarily. It depends on what's being said and how it's being said. I'll give NYT a good dose of critique on how it covers our region from time to time. But Hill Country vs. the Hill Country isn't it, in my opinion.
Huh! Compare this article to "The Next Chapter for the Wineries on Long Island’s North Fork" by CLAUDIA GRYVATZ COPQUIN, May 17, 2019, in NYT Real Estate Section.
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@Tuvw Xyz
Compare the articles? They are both superficial and misleading. The winery business is a business like any other. In addition it is farming which is done all over the world in a variety of climates.
A little more facts and a little less pontificating. The next big crop in Texas and else where is legal marijuana used both for recreational and medicinal purposes.
I was lucky enough to get a chance to taste through the wines at Southold a few weeks ago. It was recommended by a winemaker friend down in Hye. Driving up to the property I was blown away by the beauty of it and the vineyards. I had no appointment but Carey was so sweet and accommodating to me and let me join a group that actually had an appointment and tasted me through the wines. All were amazing, very different from many Texas wines I have had that can be flabby with little to no acid. It was refreshing to see most if not all of their wines in the 12-13 abv range. You can definitely taste not only the terroir in the wines but Regans idea of what he wants to make, and what the vineyard has given him. They're ethos, passion, and commitment are rare in this day and age. Thank you Southold NY for being so short sighted and bureaucratic and forcing Regan and Carey to abandon their dreams in NY and start a new dream 30 minutes from my house.
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@Pat
They were not forced to sell and move, they chose to do so. They bought a house and land that did have zoning to allow for what they wanted to do. That was their problem. They wanted a variance , in other words they thought they should be allowed to do what they wanted even though the current laws did not permit the use. There were and are locations in the North Fork Wine Country where they could have done so. They chose to move to Texas . Best wishes to them. They can always come back . There are a few wineries with tasting rooms and residential homes all on one site for sale on the North Fork right now!!!
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Failure to understand and comply with standard zoning law doesn’t make them heroes. I wish them well, but this was a story that did not need to be told!
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