The Rhone Rangers: Why Texas is the New Frontier for Rhone Varietals
Texas Under VineApril 02, 202500:52:54

The Rhone Rangers: Why Texas is the New Frontier for Rhone Varietals

In this bonus episode, Wine Guide Scott hosts his first-ever Zoom interview with Larry Schaffer, President of the Rhone Rangers and owner of Tercero Wines. They explore the fascinating world of Rhone varietals—from the "acoustic" style of Cinsault to the bold expressions of Mourvèdre—and discuss how these grapes are thriving in the Lone Star State. Larry shares his unique "coffee preference" method for finding your wine palate and provides all the details on the Rhone Rangers’ upcoming Texas Roadshow. Whether you're heading to the Hill Country or Austin, learn why these "wines without pretense" are a must-try for every Vine Tripper.

*Rhone Rangers (https://rhonerangers.org/)*

00:00 Intro and the Texas Wine Lover App
03:06 Welcome from Wine Guide Scott
04:01 Overcoming the Texas wine reputation
06:19 Who are the Rhone Rangers?
08:25 Introducing Larry Schaffer of Tercero Wines
09:40 Larry’s background: From music to UC Davis
14:10 The wine journey: Science vs. Art
17:44 History and goals of the Rhone Rangers
19:53 Main Rhone varietals: Reds and Whites
22:43 Mourvèdre and the expression of Texas terroir
24:47 The Coffee Test for understanding your wine palate
28:56 Why wine is subjective (The music comparison)
33:01 Why the Rhone Rangers are coming to Texas
34:46 Texas Roadshow event details: High and Fredericksburg
36:19 Austin event at Wanderlust Wine Co.
38:39 Wines without pretense
42:50 Final thoughts and how to support the podcast
49:45 Texas Under Vine merchandise and Patreon

Become a Patreon of Texas Under Vine and get access to bonus content, like photo galleries from the episode, video walkthroughs of the location, and sneak peek videos of where I'm headed next for future episodes! (https://www.patreon.com/texasundervine)
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*Locations mentioned in this episode:*
UC Davis (https://www.ucdavis.edu/majors/viticulture-and-enology)
Fess Parker Winery (https://www.fessparker.com/)
Tercero Wines (https://www.tercerowines.com/)
Becker Vineyards (https://www.beckervineyards.com/) - Also check out TUV Episode 54 (https://texasundervine.com/episode/becker-vineyards-hill-country)
William Chris Wines (https://williamchriswines.com/) - Also check out TUV Episode 29 (https://texasundervine.com/episode/william-chris-vineyards-hill-country)
Lewis Wines (https://www.lewiswines.com/)
Halter Ranch Winery (https://www.halterranch.com/texas)
Wanderlust Wine Co. (https://wanderlustwine.com/) - Also check out TUV Episode 16 (https://texasundervine.com/episode/wanderlust-wine-company-hill-country)
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*Texas Regions Guide (see the Texas Under Vine website for map):*
(https://texasundervine.com/episode-region-map)
*CT* - Central Texas
*ET* - East Texas
*GC* - Gulf Coast
*HC* - Texas Hill Country
*HP* - Texas High Plains
*NT* - North Texas
*ST* - South Texas
*WT* - West Texas
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