Bending Branch Winery
Dunn was staggered to learn that the Hill Country, a 14,000-square-mile stretch just south of Austin, was the second-largest wine tourism destination in America after Napa Valley. “It reminded me of Yakima Valley,” Washington state’s wine-producing area, he says. “Rolling hills with big skies.” The hot, dry climate is ideal for the tannat grape, originally from southwestern Franc France. Try it at Bending Branch, which has incre increased production almost 20-fold over th the past 20 years.