STW2

Question 1

The first Texas vineyard: when, where and by whom?

Answer 1

between 1662 and 1668 near El Paso by Fr. Garcia de San Francisco

Question 2

What was the first wine grape used in Texas

Answer 2

Mission grape (aka Listan Prieto a Vitis vinifera variety) Native Americans had no tradition of wine making before the arrival of the Europeans.

Question 3

What are the main synonyms of Listan Prieto?

Answer 3

Mainly related to Spanish conquests of the Americas: Mission, Misión, Criolla Chica, Pais, Palomina Negra, El Paso

Question 4

According to Russ Kane, what is the lowest rated Bordeaux red grape for Texas viticulture? Why?

Answer 4

Malbec, early budding

Question 5

According to Russ Kane, what is the lowest rated Mediterranean red grape for Texas viticulture? Why?

Answer 5

Sangiovese, early budding

Question 6

According to Russ Kane, what are the highest rated Mediterranean red grapes for Texas viticulture?

Answer 6

Mourvedre, Tempranillo

Question 7

What is the main challenge for Syrah in Texas viticulture?

Answer 7

wind and a resulting sail effect on the canopy that can pull down grapevines

Question 8

According to Russ Kane, what are the highest rated Bordeaux grapes for Texas viticulture? Why?

Answer 8

Merlot and Cabernet Franc, better tolerance of heat

Question 9

What is the main challenge for making Grenache wine in Texas?

Answer 9

grapes fail to impart color in the vinification process

Question 10

According to Russ Kane, what is the main approach to hedge variable viticulture yields?

Answer 10

use of blends

Question 11

What are the highest rated Mediterranean white grapes for Texas viticulture?

Answer 11

Rousanne, Vermentino

Question 12

What was the first V. vinifera grape cultivated in the US?

Answer 12

Listan Prieto (Near El Paso, ~1668, 100 years before California)

Question 13

What is the striking aspect of Herbemont grape?

Answer 13

Black skin with clear juice

Question 14

Name 5 hybrid grapes grown in Texas?

Answer 14

Blanc Du Bois, Hebemont, Jacquez, Norton, Lomanto

Question 15

When was Listan Prieto first planted in the Rio Grande Valley? (on the Mexican side)

Answer 15

1629

Question 16

What is the oldest active winery in North America?

Answer 16

Casa Madero in Parras, about 75 miles west of Monterrey (1597)

Question 17

What grape product other than wine was widely produced in early Texas viniculture?

Answer 17

brandy

Question 18

What were the main grapes used in early Texas viticulture?

Answer 18

Listan Prieto and then later Jacquez

Question 19

What was the main impetus for the transition from Listan Prieto to Jacquez in Texas viticulture?

Answer 19

probably disease

Question 20

What were the main reasons for the demise of early Texas viticulture by the early 1800’s?

Answer 20

disease, border/political disputes, water rights, Rio Grande floods

Question 21

What was the main impetus for the revitalization of the Texas wine industry after 1835?

Answer 21

European immigration

Question 22

How many varieties of Texas native grapes have been catalogued?

Answer 22

200, more than any other state

Question 23

Who said “nature seems to have intended Texas for a vineyard to supply America with wines”?

Answer 23

Stephen F. Austin, used for recruitment of European immigrants

Question 24

Where is Montague County?

Answer 24

100 miles NW of Dallas along the Oklahoma border in Texoma AVA

Question 25

How many wineries were in Texas prior to prohibition in the early 1900’s?

Answer 25

about 30

Question 26

What is the critical advantage of hybrid grapes over V. vinifera in Texas

Answer 26

Disease resistance

Question 27

Name two German immigrants that pioneered Texas wine making in the late 1800’s.

Answer 27

John Berger (Bernardo Vineyard in Columbus county, between Sealy and Schulenburg) and Frank Laake (Oak Hill Vineyard in New Ulm, between Sealy and La Grange, 1878)

Question 28

When was prohibition in effect in Texas?

Answer 28

Nationwide prohibition was in effect from 1920 to 1933, but prohibition started many years before that in some areas of Texas and is still the law in 17 counties (in contrast to California where there are no dry counties.)

Question 29

What is the textbook orientation of vineyard rows? What variation is common in Texas?

Answer 29

The optimum textbook orientation of vineyard rows is north to south in order to maximize sunlight exposure on both the east and west sides of the canopy. In Texas orientation of rows with the prevalent wind direction can maximize production.

Question 30

In the early 1800’s which wild Texas grapes were used to make wine?

Answer 30

V. rotundafolia (aka Muscadine) and V. mustangensis (aka Mustang).

Question 31

How long is a Glassy Winged Sharpshooter (GWSS)?

Answer 31

½ to 1 inch

Question 32

What is Cotton Root Rot?

Answer 32

Fungal soil-borne pathogen widely found in Texas esp. in alkaline soils

Question 33

What is the most common symptom of Cotton Root Rot?

Answer 33

a sudden wilt and death of the infected vine; all of the leaves on the vine usually turn yellow and quickly become brown and dry.

Question 34

What areas are at greatest risk for cotton root rot?

Answer 34

the calcareous soils of Central, South, and West Texas where soil pH is well above 7.

Question 35

Are there chemical treatments for cotton root rot?

Answer 35

These options are a recent development. As a result of four years of research on control of CRR in winegrapes, a fungicide has been found to reduce losses caused by this deadly disease, TOPGUARD® Terra.