Texas Wine, Closely Observed
My wife and I began visiting Texas wineries shortly after 2010. At first, it was simple curiosity: passport events, tasting rooms, wine clubs, and weekend drives through the Hill Country. Like many people, I had a narrow idea of what I liked. I would say I liked “bold red wines” and think that settled the question.
The turning point came quietly, during a tasting at a Texas winery. I remember telling Caroline that I wanted to learn how to appreciate a wine for what it is — not just whether it matched the style I already thought I preferred.
That moment changed the way I approached wine. Over the next eighteen months, I completed five formal wine courses and traveled through nine European wine regions, tasting with growers and winemakers in places where wine, landscape, history, and craft are inseparable. Those experiences gave me a broader frame of reference — but they also sharpened my interest in what was happening here at home.
Texas wine is no longer just a promising idea. The quality is real, the progress is visible, and the conversation is becoming more serious. Across the state, growers and winemakers are making decisions — in the vineyard, in the cellar, and in the marketplace — that are shaping a more confident future for Texas wine.
Explore Texas Wine is my way of following that story closely.
I write about the wines, vineyards, people, regions, and choices that define Texas wine today: from elevation and climate to AVAs, grape varieties, vineyard practices, winemaking decisions, critical recognition, and the growing community behind it all. My goal is to make the story more understandable, more visible, and more connected to what ultimately matters most — the wine in the glass.
Texas wine does not need to imitate anywhere else to be taken seriously. It needs to be understood on its own terms.
Texas wine is still being written in real time. My goal is to help document that progress with seriousness, context, and respect for the people doing the work.
Questions, story ideas, and collaborations are always welcome.
Don Huse
Formal Study:
WSET Level 3 Award in Wines (Advanced) – Wine & Spirit Education Trust
WSET Level 2 Award in Wines – Wine & Spirit Education Trust
Level 1 Certificate – Court of Master Sommeliers
Advanced Specialist of Texas Wine – Texas Wine School
Specialist of Texas Wine – Texas Wine School
Follow Explore Texas Wine on Instagram for winery visits, tasting notes, article updates, and closer looks at the people, places, and wines shaping Texas wine.
