Touring Texas wine culture with one of the state's best known connoisseurs

The Wineslinger Chronicles (ebook)

Texas on the Vine

Russell D. Kane, with foreword by Doug Frost

Doc Russ is the kind of guy who can mix blues, barbecue, and Barbera in a truly Texan way, and as he writes I can smell the mesquite smoke, hear the wailing guitar and chew the High Plains ripe red fruit. —Oz Clarke, author of Pocket Wine Book and 250 Best Wines Wine Buying Guide

In his pursuit of Texas terroir, the sense of place manifest in Texas wine country’s sun-baked soils, variable climate, and human intervention, Russell Kane has traveled the state tasting wine, interviewing the major players in Texas wine culture, and reflecting on the state’s extraordinary history and enterprising peoples. Here is the total immersion experience.

Texas Wineslinger, the moniker now synonymous with Kane, sprouted from a blog of an Australian wine writer after Kane compared the big red wines that originate from the red sand and porous limestone common to both the Texas High Plains and Australia’s Coonawarra wine region.

Kane’s reflections include explorations of Spanish missionary life and the sacramental wine made from Texas’s first vineyard as well as the love for grapes and wine brought subsequently by German and Italian immigrants from their homelands.

Kane also relates stories of the modern-day growers and entrepreneurs who overcame the lingering effects of temperance and prohibition—forces that failed to eradicate Texas’s destiny as an emerging wine-producing region.

A postscript, “A Winegrower’s Prayer,” serves as a poignant reminder of the challenges that weigh heavy on those still defining the terroir of Texas’s wine frontier.

In this rollicking good read, Russ Kane shares his passion for telling the tales of pioneering Texas winemakers and grape growers. Kane takes us on a fascinating journey down the back roads and into the vineyards, wine labs, and heads of innovative winemakers from the Gulf coast to the Texas high plains. The conversations and observations he chronicles are as entertaining as they are illuminating, and unveil the true grit and glory of this new Texas frontier. —Marla Camp, publisher, Edible Austin

Every upcoming wine region needs a champion, and Russ Kane, relentless in seeking out and understanding what Texas wine has to offer, appears up to the task. —Alice Feiring, author of Naked Wine: Letting Grapes Do What Comes Naturally

On his blog, VintageTexas.com, and now in The Wineslinger Chronicles, Russ Kane is our faithful guide across the wild frontier of Texas wine. . . . Settle by the campfire, pour yourself a Texas-sized glass, and let Ol’ Russ tell you a story. —Dave McIntyre, Washington Post wine columnist and co-founder of DrinkLocalWine.com

Russ Kane helps to bring Texas wine to the forefront of the regional wine movement with his knowledgeable criticism, interesting stories, and top-flight commentary. —Jeff Siegel, co-founder, DrinkLocalWine.com

With wine now made in all fifty states, the gift of the gods is on the way to becoming a national drink. But each state has unique growing situations, and it’s not yet certain where truly great American wine will be produced. In The Wineslinger Chronicles, Russ Kane tells the tale of Texas wine in an educational, friendly style. . . . So sit back and enjoy both Texas wines and Kane’s book. —George M. Taber, author of Judgment of Paris

Russell Kane divides his time between Houston and Fredericksburg, Texas. A technical writer whose research spans three decades and has garnered two awards for writing excellence, he has covered Texas wines and cuisine since 1998 and now blogs on the subject of Texas wine at VintageTexas.com.

Doug Frost, Master Sommelier and America's eighth Master of Wine, is one of three people in the world to hold both distinctions. The host of Check Please, a weekly public television show in Kansas City, he also writes and lectures extensively about wine, beer, and spirits.

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