It’s October in Texas, which among other things means football, Halloween costumes, and hopefully, cooler weather. October is also Texas Wine Month, where Texans can dedicate a whole month raising a glass to Texas wine.

While you’ll definitely find a whole host of ways to celebrate in the Hill Country, we’ve tried to put together a list of events all over the state. Be sure to take note of special rates wineries may be offering throughout the state. For instance, Duchman Family Winery is offering deep discounts on cases of their 2009 Zinfandel and Orange Muscat. A number of wineries such as Flat Creek Estate are offering special wine dinners as well. And if you can’t make it to one this month, don’t worry—every day’s a good day to toast Texas wine!

Texas Hill Country Wine Trail

A Month of Sundays – This is a special tasting series divided among 17 wineries who will host a very special wine tasting from their barrel rooms and cellars. It’s one thing to taste wine bought from a bottle on the shelves. It’s something completely different when you get to taste it as it’s developing in the barrel. You’ll also get to taste a petite food pairing with the wines while you spend time getting to know winemakers from each winery. Each ticket holder will receive a gift bag from Texas Hill Country Wineries with special gifts and offers from some of our Hill Country partners.  You will designate which winery you choose to pick up your bag at time of purchase.

Space is very limited. Click here for pricing and details.

Here’s a quick run down of the hosting wineries:

October 7 and 21

Becker Vineyards

Bending Branch Winery

Dry Comal Creek Vineyards

Kerrville Hills Winery

Pedernales Cellars

Singing Water Vineyards

William Chris Vineyards

October 14 and 28

Alamosa Cellars

Bell Springs

Driftwood Estate Winery

Fall Creek Vineyards

Flat Creek Estate

Pillar Bluff Vineyards

Solaro Estate Winery

Spicewood Vineyards

Stone House Vineyards

Texas Legato

Texas Wine Month Trail – It’s no secret that you usually have to pay a small fee to try wines in winery tasting rooms. This month you can take advantage of a one-stop pass that allows you up to 3 tastings at each of 32 wineries throughout the Hill Country for only $20 a ticket. That’s a lot of wine to sample. But don’t worry, you have the whole month of October to take advantage of it. So get your pass and get tasting! (Note: The pass also allows you a 15% discount on 3-bottle purchases at each winery.)

Texas Winemaker Vintner Dinner Series – October 18: Join one of the Hill Countries newest additions, 4.0 Cellars as their collaboration of winemakers from McPherson Cellars, Brennan Vineyards and Lost Oak Winery show off a few of their best wines expertly paired with a Texas-style dinner from celebrated Hill Country Chef Ross Burtwell at the Cabernet Grill. You’ll also get a chance to meet Notable Texas Wine expert Dr. Russ Kane whose book The Wineslinger Chronicles was released this year. (Grab a signed copy while your there!) Seating is limited. Get your reservation here.

Fredericksburg Food & Wine Fest – October 27: In its 22nd year, this festive weekend not only celebrates Texas wine, but the rich culture of Hill Country cuisine as well. The Marktplatz of downtown Fredericksburg will be abuzz with food, wine, music, and crafts.

8th Annual Texas Fall Fest – November 16-18: Technically this doesn’t fall within Texas Wine Month, but Fall Fest has always been a strong part of celebrating Texas wine and food. This year, the event will be hosted at the Horseshoe Bay Yacht Club and Resort near Marble Falls and will showcase myriad Texas wines, Central Texas chefs, live music and a few other festive events throughout the three-day festival.

Texas Bluebonnet Wine Trail – Bryan/College Station

Texas Reds Festival – Celebrating its fifth year, Texas Reds is an ode to two things Texans love most: red meat and red wine. Downtown Bryan closes its main streets for a sampling of more than 20 Texas wineries and a full-blown ribeye steak cook-off. Of course, you’ll find a whole lot more at the Texas Reds Festival including a whole host arts, crafts and gift booths and a fantastic line up of live music from The Texas Tornadoes, Johnny Lee and the Urban Cowboys and Roger Creager.

The High Plains – Lubbock

19th Annual Grape Day at Llano Estacado Winery – October 27: A celebration of the year’s harvest, Grape Day is Llano Estacado’s way of showcasing some of the best of what the High Plains of Texas has to offer. Sip special wines while listening to live music, playing with the kids or watching the Texas Tech football game, which will, of course, be broadcast from large television screens. Entry is $5 and includes a complimentary glass of wine—including the wine glass itself as a souvenir.

- Jessica Dupuy

Tagged: A Month of Sundays, Cabernet Grill, Duchman Family Winery, Flat Creek Estate, Jessica Dupuy, Llano Estacado, Texas Hill Country Wine Trail, Texas Wine Month

Flat Creek Estate Super Texan 2010 (photo courtesy Flat Creek Estate)

Any time you put the word “Super” in front of a name, it has to be good, right? At least that’s the approach the Italians took in the 1980s when they branded a new version of red wine that took the average Chianti, made primarily with the Sangiovese grape, to a blend of Sangiovese with other Bordeaux varietals such as Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon for a bigger wine with a little more backbone. (Really it was a way to re-market Chianti, which was suffering in sales at the time.) These new blends quickly became branded as “Super Tuscans” and Americans went wild for them. Today, the wines still capture a fair share of both the Italian domestic and foreign markets with names like Piero Antinori’s “Tignanello” serving as one of the original kings of the red blend.

This month we celebrate the king of a Texas take on this blend, and the winery that shrewdly nabbed the rights to market this big Texas red wine. This month’s Texas Wine of the Month is the Flat Creek Estate “Super Texan,” 2010.

It’s a top pick by Jason Harrelson, chef and general manager at the Double Horn Brewing Company  in Marble Falls who loves pairing this wine with of the bold Texas-style dishes that come from his kitchen. “This wine is perfect for classic Italian dishes, wild game and steaks,” says Harrelson who helped to open the restaurant in 2011 with owner Dusty Knight and head brewer Eric Casey. “It’s full-bodied and rich with a light spice on the end and vanilla notes tickle the nose. It’s a great stepping stone for Texas

Unlike many new restaurants throughout the state, the Double Horn originally opened with a Texas-only wine list in an effort to stay authentic to its primarily locally-sourced menu. Today, you’ll find a more diverse selection with wines from around the world, but you’ll still find picks from wineries near Marble Falls including Perissos Vineyards and, of course, the Super Texan from Flat Creek Estate.

The Super Texan first made its debut with the 2003 vintage, which soared to national attention when it won a Double Gold from the heralded San Francisco International Wine Competition in 2005. The blend has been the winery’s flagship wine every since.

Jason Harrelson of Double Horn Brewing Company

Each year, the specific blend changes for this wine. In 2003, it was a blend Sangiovese and Primitivo (another term for Zinfandel). This 2010 vintage is about 75 percent Sangiovese, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Tempranillo, and Petite Syrah.

“It’s always Sangiovese-based,” says winemaker Tim Drake. “But the rest of the blend is variable from vintage to vintage. The goal is to always have a food-friendly ‘Super Tuscan’ style of wine.”

Just like the Double Horn, Drake is a newcomer to the Hill Country. Originally from Washington with winemaking experience at Chateau Ste. Michelle and Columbia Crest, his first vintage with Flat Creek Estate was 2011. Among one of the top priorities for Drake when taking on the wine program was to make wine that was from Texas grapes. About 50 percent of the grapes Flat Creek uses comes from the Hill Country. The remainder primarily comes from the High Plains from growers including the Bingham Family Vineyards and Newsom Vineyards.

Drake’s first blend was the 2010 Super Texan. “I want this wine to have some subtlety and earthiness; something that evolves as you drink through the bottle and will give you something new with every taste you have. It shouldn’t be over-the-top with jammy fruit like a lot of ‘new world’ wines, but I also don’t want it to taste like barnyard like you get with some ‘old world’ wines. The 2010 has a nice smokey flavor to it with a few herbal components. You can pick up a little sage, maybe green peppercorn. It has strawberry and cherry but also some of the darker fruits like plumb and blueberry.”

The great news is, you can find this wine for about $20 at Whole Foods Market, Central Market, and Spec’s among other specialty wine stores.

Winery: Flat Creek Estate

Price: ~$20

Availability: Whole Foods Market, Central Market, Spec’s

Tagged: Double Horn Brewing Company, Flat Creek Estate, Jason Harrelson, Jessica Dupuy, Super Texan 2010, Tim Drake