Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/35876
High Plains pioneer Clinton “Doc” McPherson at his son Kim’s McPherson Cellars in downtown Lubbock. you want to grow grapes, it’s ideal.” It’s also low-vigor, so he can “spoon-feed” his vines with drip irrigation from the southern beds of the Ogallala Aquifer. Now in his 26th year of growing grapes, Newsom (and family) have about 110 acres under vine at an elevation of around 3700 feet. “There may be something special about that color, too,” he said, indicating the soil again. (Later, I asked Ed Hellman, a professor of viticulture working with Texas Tech and Texas A&M, about this “red” theory. His response: “There is speculation from Australia that it may contribute to better fruit color in reds and higher bud fruitfulness. We are investigating this hypothesis.”) Growers like Newsom try to keep pace with winemakers’ requests for new varieties, since just about everything tried so far has had at least some degree of success throughout the AVA, including Aglianico, Albariño, Barbera, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cab Franc, Dolcetto, Gewürztraminer, Malbec, Merlot, Montepulciano, Mourvèdre, Pinot Grigio, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, Sangiovese, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Syrah. And also my beloved Tempranillo. Winemakers from all over the state, like Dan Gatlin of Innwood Estates in Dallas (see “A Lone Star Life,” May, 2011) and Gary Gilstrap of Texas Hills Vineyard in the Hill Country, source High Plains Tempranillo. Local wineries, like Llano Estacado and Cap-Rock, also produce outstanding versions of this star red grape; while McPherson Cellers, which has its winery and tasting room right in downtown Lubbock, makes Viognier and Roussanne that about knocked my boots off. Owner Kim McPherson says he’s seeing an increase of drop-in visitors, most of whom are pleasantly surprised at the levels of quality and innovation being achieved in this part-time dustbowl. (It’s also become quite standard tasting-room humor to say that the winds blow the terroir all over the grapes.) But others are coming specifically for the wines, which increases the street traffic and the lines at the restaurants, although it’s not like Lubbock isn’t used to crowds. After all, Texas Tech is here, and the Buddy Holly Center attracts thousands of devotees to the area. But will the good people of Lubbock ever have to get used to the term “Texas Wine Country”? The answer comes in next month’s column: a roundup of the “Best of the High Plains.” july 201 1 / the tasting panel / 37