Howdy, Ma'am, How "Bout A Sip of My Merlot?

When I say cowpoke, you picture John Wayne, maybe Clint Eastwood, coming at you bow-legged, packing a gun the size of a wine bottle, right?
Wrong. These days, if rumor serves right, that's a wine bottle they're toting, and a handful of Texas wineries make wine good enough to serve with chateaubriand, not just a bowl of Texas red.
Just last week, the Texas Wine & Food Foundation sponsored a shindig that featured wines from Alamosa Wine Cellars, Becker Vineyards, Duchman Family Winery, Fall Creek Vineyards, Llano Estacado Winery, McPherson Cellars, Spicewood Vineyards in a sip-off against some well-known Argentine wines.
Fall Creek showed up with a surprising entry, their Mission San Antonio de Valero Sauvignon Blanc. Llano Estacado brought their Texas Cabernet, along with a new Riesling, and if that's all news to you, there are six Texas wines already well-known in the wine world for their excellence.
McPherson, for instance, took home a gold medal for its 2009 Rose' of Syrah from the Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition in 2010. Duchman Estate Winery took home a Double Gold in 2010 from the San Francisco International competition for its 2008 Dolcetto. And Brennan Vineyards earned gold for its 2007 Syrah in the Finger Lakes (2010) competition.
One of the better known Texas vineyards (Landon) was the Class Champion for its Sparkling Wine Cuvee Sec in 2011. Landon took home 19 medals at the 2010 San Antonio Rodeo Wine Competition. And down in Fredricksburg, Becker Vineyards makes a Cabernet one writer [from Forbes Magazine] called "the best wine in Texas," a steal at under $15.
Finally, I'd feel guilty if I didn't mention Purple Possum Winery in Navasota. They don't make any award-winning wine, and Clint would never show up there. What they make is mead, and mead was the fabled drink of Norse gods. If that's not enough to tempt you, please note that Purple Possum makes vanilla mead, cinnamon mead, and something called Skunk Mead, which they praise for its "unique smell." You gotta get down there, podnuh. If you do, don't come home too soon, you hear?