Get Daily Dallas News HeadlinesSign Up Texas appellation wines walked away with a cool 158 medals last week at the prestigious 2017 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. That included an unprecedented seven "Best of Class" awards, seven double-golds and 14 single golds, plus a slew of silvers and bronzes. And to think, only five years ago, we were excited when the state got its first double-gold. "This year, Texas wineries using Texas grapes won more medals — including some of the top awards — than ever before," said Bob Fraser, SFCWC executive director. "It is not surprising to me, as I recently visited the Texas wine country and was completely impressed with the quality of their wines." The take-away punctuates what Texas wine-watchers already know: Our grape growers and winemakers are fast figuring out what makes not just the best wines in Texas, but some of the best wines, period. The linchpin: Texas has become a second home for grape varietals that flourish in countries edging the Mediterranean, from Spain's tempranillo to Italy's dolcetto and vermentino, with lots of love lavished on grapes in between, such as viognier, roussanne and mourvedre.

But wait: Of course, there's an outlier, and that's blanc du bois, an American hybrid developed in Florida that thrives in our coastal zone. It's currently being planted with a frenzy in the central and northern parts of the state, too. The SFCWC drew nearly 7,000 entries from 28 states this year. All entries are tasted blind by wine experts from around the country. Yes, California dominates, but the competition's wide-open. Among the seven sweepstakes awards — an echelon Texas has yet to crack — was Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant Vidal Blanc American Ice Wine. From Illinois.Here are the Texas appellation wines that placed in the top medal categories. Top Texas wines in the 2017 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition Best of Class Best of Class means the wine was deemed the best across one of the 100-plus judging categories. These are often divided further by price, especially for popular varietals. Texas winners included: Viognier: Brennan Vineyards 2015 Reserve Viognier, Comanche County, Newburg Vineyard  White blends: Wedding Oak Winery 2015 Sweet Alyssum, Texas High Plains, Wildseed Farms VineyardDry Rosé/Blush: Los Pinos Ranch Vineyards non-vintage Texas Sweet Blush Dolcetto: Perissos Vineyards and Winery 2015 Dolcetto, Texas High Plains, Diamante Doble Vineyards Merlot: Messina Hof Winery & Resort, 2015 Merlot, Texas Tempranillo: Haak Vineyards & Winery 2015 Tempranillo

, Texas High Plains, Reddy Vineyards Malbec: Trilogy Cellars 2015 Malbec, Texas High Plains, Amanecer Vineyards, Bolen Vineyards, Krick Hill Vineyards Double-GoldDouble-gold means a panel of judges all awarded the wine first place. Winners included: Viognier: Grape Creek Vineyards 2015 Viognier, TexasWhite blends: Grape Creek Vineyards 2015 Cuvee Blanc, Texas; and Perissos Vineyard and Winery 2015 Serendipity, Texas High Plains, Farmhouse Vineyards and Oswald Vineyard Red dessert: Los Pinos Ranch Vineyards Besitos de Chocolate NV, Texas Other white varietals: Perissos Vineyard and Winery 2015 Roussanne, Texas High Plains, Oswald Vineyard Sangiovese: Flat Creek Estate 2014 Super Texan, Texas  Tempranillo: Yates Winery 2014 Tempranillo, Texas High Plains, Bayer Family Vineyards GoldTexas appellation wines awarded gold medals: Muscat/Albarino/Chenin Blanc: Fall Creek Vineyards 2015 Headwaters Chenin Blanc, TexasWhite Native American/Hybrid: Haak Vineyards & Winery 2016 Blanc du Bois, TexasViognier: Lost Draw Cellars 2015 Viognier, Texas High PlainsWhite Blends: Lost Oak Winery 2015 Saku White, Texas High Plains, Diamante Doble VineyardOther White Varietals: Brennan Vineyards 2015 Roussanne, Texas High Plains, Reddy Vineyards;

and Duchman Family Winery 2015 Vermentino, Texas High Plains, Bingham Family Vineyards; what red wine goes best with indian foodand Lost Oak Winery 2015 Blanc du Bois, TexasDistilled/Fortified: Haak Vineyards & Winery 2014 Blanc du Bois Amnesia, Texasred wine case iphone 5 Tempranillo: Brennan Vineyards 2014 Tempranillo, Texas; where can i buy vegan wineand Spicewood Vineyards 2014 Tempranillo, Texas Hill CountryRed Bordeaux: Fall Creek Vineyards 2013 Meritus, Texas Hill Country Mourvedre: Lost Draw Cellars 2014 Mourvedre, Texas High Plains; and Rancho Ponte Vineyard 2015 Mourvedre, New Mexico/Texas All other red blends: Solaro Estate Winery 2014 Miscela, Texas Hill CountryKim Pierce is a Dallas freelance writerTop 10 Texas Wines

Those who follow this list annually will notice a few return players, and that indicates that these are not only superb wines, but consistently superb. Bending Branch is the only winery new to the list. The major grapes you should look for in the Texas wine section are grapes originally from France's Rhône valley, Italy's Tuscany, and Spain's northern half – specifically, whites like Albariño, Viognier, Roussanne, Gre­nache Blanc, Marsanne, and Vermentino; or reds like Mourvèdre, Grenache, Syrah, San­giovese, Dolcetto, Barbera, and Tem­pra­nillo. These are in alphabetical order: 2) DUCHMAN FAMILY VERMENTINO 3) MCPHERSON LES COPAINS 4) PEDERNALES CELLARS VIOGNIER RESERVE 5) SPICEWOOD VINEYARDS SAUVIGNON BLANC 1) BECKER VINEYARDS CABERNET SAUVIGNON RESERVE – CANADA VINEYARD 2) BENDING BRANCH TEXAS TANNAT 3) BRUSHY CREEK VINEYARDS TEMPRANILLO 4) FALL CREEK SALT LICK VINEYARDS TEMPRANILLO 5) PEDERNALES CELLARS TEXAS HIGH PLAINS TEMPRANILLO

Jay Trachtenberg's Top Reads of 2015 A Brief History of Seven Killings Jay Trachtenberg, Jan. 1, 2016 Joe O'Connell's Top Reads of 2015 Paradise SkyThe Best I Recall Joe O'Connell, Jan. 1, 2016 Virginia B. Wood, Aug. 28, 2015 Virginia B. Wood, Aug. 14, 2015 Bending Branch Makes White Wines, Too Pedernales Cellars Offers Another Delicious Tempranillo Top 10, Austin food news, Texas wine, Brennan Viognier, Duchman Family Vermentino, McPherson Les Copains, Pedernales Cellars Reserve Viognier, Spicewood Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc, Becker Vineyards Canada Family Cabernet Sauvignon, Bending Branch Texas Tannat, Brushy Creek Vineyards Tempranillo, Fall Creek Salt Lick Tempranillo, Pedernales Cellars Texas High Plains TempranilloThe Texas Hill Country wine region starts out just north of San Antonio and stretches halfway to Fort Worth, some 15,000 square miles. In Texas, they just don’t do small. Yet thinking small is the only way to savor a true taste of Texas Hill Country.

It's the third-largest American Viticultural Area, dwarfing any in California, so there's just too much territory for even an overachiever to cover. Follow the lead of the folks in Austin and Dallas and head to Fredericksburg, one of the Lone Star State’s most charming towns and the Hill Country's unofficial capital of food and wine. Fredericksburg (population 11,000) is an anomaly in rural, small-town America. While its cousins across the country offer Dairy Queens, hamburger joints and, if you're lucky, a family-run diner, Fredericksburg has more than 70 restaurants, some of which achieve distinction, and two wine bars within walking distance of each other. Why Fredericksburg has become popular with the food-and-wine lovers of Texas is easy to understand if you know the lay of the land. Hill Country has been a refuge for big-city dwellers for decades. It rises gradually up from the plains, offering some relief from the heat and humidity of lowland Texas. Creeks and rivers carve crooked designs into layers of deep limestone.

Scrappy oaks and mesquite offer shade, and in the spring and summer, bluebonnets, poppies and other wildflowers cover the countryside like tie-dye. Fredericksburg's buildings combine Western and German influences. Located in the heart of all that, just less than 70 miles from Austin, Fredericksburg offers its own particular appeal as a destination. It was founded by German settlers in 1846; over the years, as Main Street filled up with gift shops and German restaurants and biergartens, the town's Willkommen became known throughout the state. The old ways, however, are changing. "The town is definitely in transition," said Dawn Savanh, whose restaurant, August E's, is one of the area's new generation of upscale establishments. While German traditions remain a force in the Fredericksburg area, other influences have arrived over the years. The National Museum of the Pacific War, dedicated to World War II hero and native son Adm. Chester Nimitz, began attracting visitors in 1967.

The art scene is small but thriving, particularly the Benini Sculpture Ranch in nearby Johnson City, which has 140 acres of large-scale outdoor art. Peach and pecan trees prosper in the area, as witnessed by the many produce stands that line Highway 290. Spanish missionaries established the first vineyards in the state in 1662, but the modern wine industry in Texas Hill Country began in 1975 when Fall Creek Winery, located about 80 miles north of Fredericksburg in Tow, planted its first vines. Today there are 25 wineries scattered around the hills, and it's possible to visit most of them in a weekend. One of the first wineries to crop up near Fredericksburg was Grape Creek, which produced its first vintage in 1989. Fredericksburg was approved as an AVA in Texas Hill Country that same year. While tiny by Hill Country standards, it's almost as large as Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma County, though the two regions are dramatically different. The growing season in Hill Country is considerably warmer while having less sunshine and more rain and humidity.

Pierce's disease has become a threat, forcing wineries such as Grape Creek and Fall Creek to replant vineyards. Becker Vineyards produces 24 different wines, like the Chardonnay Reserve. It's not a terroir that seems particularly suited to producing world-class wine, but Texans don't give up easily. While Texas ranks fifth in the nation in terms of volume of wine produced, the quality of the wine continues to lag behind that of other high-volume U.S. regions. The Germans popularized sweet wines around Fredericksburg, and many wineries continue to specialize in ports and sugary versions of Muscat Canelli and other wines. Some producers, such as Alamosa Wine Cellars and Fall Creek, manage to make clean, easy-to-drink dry whites when the vintage cooperates. One success story in Hill Country is Becker, in Stonewall. Richard Becker and his wife, Bunny, started the winery in 1992 and have since planted 50 acres of vines, everything from Viognier and Chardonnay to Syrah and Petit Verdot.

Even though Becker has a busy career as an endocrinologist in San Antonio, the winery is a hands-on affair. He does most of the winemaking, having cobbled together a collection of used equipment, and he even designed much of the winery himself. "Our kids call this Château Shoestring," Becker said. Despite the limitations, Becker is producing some good wine. The best so far include the hearty Texas port, a Bordeaux-style blend and a Cabernet-Syrah that gushes pure fruit. For the inns and restaurants of the area, the wineries play an essential role in making the region a popular destination. "Probably 80 percent of our guests go to wineries," said Patti Vander Lyn, innkeeper at Rose Hill Manor. "It's huge with them." While Fredericksburg is nearly overrun by motels and bed-and-breakfasts, Rose Hill and Settlers Crossing are the premier accommodations. Settlers Crossing is unique, a small village of historic houses and log cabins that have been restored and decorated with homey country antiques.

Rose Hill is an attractive plantation-style inn that's also home to one of the city’s best restaurants, Austin's. Fredericksburg offers traditional German and upscale Southern food, plus two wine bars. Eating seems to be one of the main activities in town, and there's plenty of wiener schnitzel and fried catfish to be had. Yet restaurants such as August E's and Navajo Grill are raising the quality bar with contemporary Southwestern menus that incorporate worldwide influences. If there's room for improvement at Fredericksburg restaurants, it's in the wine lists. The pickings can be downright slim, although the lists do reliably offer a smidgen from Texas, California and France, and prices are generally reasonable. One of the best wine experiences can be found at Lincoln Street Wine Market, a cozy wine bar. Maybe sommeliers and better wine cellars will be the next evolution in Fredericksburg; as the town becomes increasingly gentrified and an influx of discriminating visitors spurs the need for new hotels, golf courses and high-end shops, it would be a logical step.