guest post: austin wine scene

We welcome Paul Courtright of Pioneer Wine Company for this guest post:

I’m yet another one of those Austin transplants. Four years ago my partner and I decided to move here because of the potential. The things that I love—food, wine, and music—are so vibrant and unique here, and the enthusiasm is infectious.

It’s no revelation to say that the food landscape in Austin has changed radically in the last four years. The downtown farmer’s market has grown from a small, if energetic, city block to a really exciting and distinctive showcase of local food culture. A number of truly exciting restaurants have expanded the idea of Central Texas cuisine, and are starting to make food yet another reason for people to visit and relocate to Austin.

As a part of the food world, the beverage scene in Austin has taken off. We have truly great coffee at Caffé Medici and Houndstooth, world-class cocktails at Bar Congress and Fino (to name just two), a score of new and exciting local breweries like Jester King, and a growing number of restaurants with cool wine lists.

Now, when Austinites seek to discover a new wine, they can do so at a number of locally owned and operated wine shops. When choosing a wine shop to frequent, I look for an atmosphere where I can start a dialogue with someone who is passionate and knowledgeable. With this in mind, I set out to find some warm weather refreshment by stopping in at three of Austin’s best retailers:

Wiggy’s is iconic. The two locations downtown are so full of personality, they’re just great to spend an afternoon in, getting lost among the bottles. Their suggestion for summer was a nice rosé from southern France.

The producer, Mourgues du Gres, is in the Costières de Nîmes (in the hillsides of Nîmes, an ancient city east of Provence also famous for being the birthplace of denim fabric). Dry rosé is a staple in southern France, the combination of refreshing acidity and a bit of weight is ideal for the warm Mediterranean climate and rolling limestone hills which resemble Austin in the summertime. François Collard is a young farmer bringing this traditional style into our modern lives.

My next stop was East End Wines. The shop is still young, but the staff combines years of experience in the Austin wine scene. They also suggested a wine from southern France, but their candidate was an esoteric white from Corbières.

Domaine Faillenc Sainte Marie, has been producing wine in the stony hills just north of the Spanish border since the reign of Louis XIV. Dominique and Marie-Therese Gibert farm the land nowadays. In a region much better known for reds, this white is really something special—full bodied, yet refreshing. It’s great both for sipping on the porch and grilling with friends.

The Austin Wine Merchant has earned a great reputation over the years. It’s a serious wine shop, without pretense. Just steps away from the downtown farmer’s market, it’s also a convenient option for stocking up on summertime thirst quenchers.

I’m a big fan of white wines from the Basque region of northwestern Spain. Txakolina looks intimidating on paper (it’s pronounced “chalk-oh-leena”), but there’s nothing challenging about the tangy, tart wines. Just like the Hill Country, the steep coastal mountains of the Basque region are inhabited by livestock (sheep, in this case). Instead of lemonade, the local tradition is to knock back a few copas of the low-alcohol local wine after a long day in the hot sun. A bottle of Gurrutxaga Txakolina is the perfect refreshment to share with friends around the pool.

After four years, I’m proud to live in Austin. This is a city with exciting opportunities, a place where local and imported food traditions are co-mingling and creating something new and unique. There are some great local purveyors of produce as well fine food and drink. By stopping into your local wine shops this summer, you not only support these invaluable small businesses, but you stand a great chance of getting turned on to some groovy, interesting wine—and maybe a little history to go with it.