How Fall Creek Vineyards Defined Texas Hill Country Wine | Eater Austin

"Founded by Susan and Ed Auler after a 1973 trip to France, this winery helped jump-start the Texas Hill Country wine industry by planting its first vines in 1975 and apprenticing with both French vintners and leading U.S. enologists; André Tchelistcheff even consulted in the mid-1980s after praising an early cabernet. Emphasizing terroir-driven wines and local sourcing, the couple built strong ties with pioneering Texas chefs and the Southwestern food movement, promoted regional pairings through national events and a local wine-and-food festival launched in 1986 (which evolved into the Austin Food & Wine Festival), and exhibited wines in Los Angeles, New York, and Philadelphia. Ed’s geographic mapping and advocacy were instrumental in securing official recognition of the Texas Hill Country as an AVA in 1991, and the winery continues to collaborate with the University of Texas on viticulture research into heat-adapted grapes and local terroir to raise the profile of Texas wine nationally and internationally." - Gabrielle Pharms