International recognition for Texas Hill Country Winemaker

AUSTIN TEXAS -Veteran Australian born winemaker Craig Parker located at Flat Creek Estate in the Texas Hill Country has clinched international spotlight with his recently-released own brand -PARKER Sangiovese 2003. Parkers’ wine has just been tabled in the prestigious International ‘Wine Report 2007’ written by London based wine writer Tom Stevenson as one of ‘the 100 most exciting wine finds in the world’. In a group of impressive contenders from as far a field as Australia, New Zealand, Italy, France and California and the West Coast, internationally acclaimed English wine writer Tom Stevenson placed Parkers’ 2003 Sangiovese in the category of “greatest-quality wines. Parkers’ Sangiovese is only one of ten US wines to make the International list.

In commenting about Parkers’ wine Mr. Stevenson said “If only 95 percent of Italian Sangiovese were this good! It looks light in color compared to most other US reds, particularly those from California and Washington, but it has more elegance than weight, so it is not lacking in fruit, flavor, or length”

“This is quite an honor”. Said Mr. Parker, “I am thrilled that we received this recognition and have managed to show the world that wines produced from varieties suited to our Texas climate and environment really do make consistent world-class wines. It is cause for all of us to celebrate. We should all be proud as Texans, as a state and an industry. It’s a sign that great Texas wines are really garnering serious respect and interest finally from the rest of the world ”

Parker has secured several major national and international awards before for Flat Creek Estates, Stone House vineyards and his own Parker brand wines. This international spot light in the highly respected global publication ‘Wine Report’ is a first for his inaugural release PARKER Sangiovese under his own label. “Texas is one challenging place to produce high quality wines with the kind of complexity that grabs the international wine community- that is a tough crowd to please, said Parker, It is relatively easy to grow sound wine grapes that make commercial wines if that’s all you want to do but that is not what brought me to Texas and that is in no way good enough for the good folks that drink my wine or the future of our industry here. To make exceptional wines that are world benchmarks and are unique in style and an honest regional expression of where the grapes are grown, well that’s a whole different matter. That is why I love the challenge of what I do and why the great diversity in geography and climate here in Texas can bring such wonderful surprises like the Sangiovese”. Parker said.

This is Parkers’ first release of Sangiovese under his own label and his passion for the variety is obvious. “What is so exciting about the Parker Sangiovese is how it is so different than anything else out there- yet it is so intimately and unmistakably noble Sangiovese in taste, aromas and profile. It really is challenging finding the unique homoclimes in a place like Texas where patchwork soil types and environmental conditions can play havoc for the uninitiated grower. But these very challenges can be a great advantage to those who know what to do with them and how to use what the land has to offer to create a wine with personality and integrity. It is this site specific diversity along with judicious attention to detail in growing pristine Italian varietal wine grapes that can give the winemaker what he/she needs to craft something special- that cannot be found or replicated anywhere else in the world. I really believe the Italian varietal wines I am now producing here in Texas are an honest expression of an individual wine style that is at the same time a great example of the varietal grape.

Mr. Parker will be at Grapevine Markets October 18th to sign bottles and talk to folks about Texas wines. About the Wine Report 2007 by Tom Stevenson

The Wine Report 2007 by Tom Stevenson is published by DK Publishing 375 Hudson Street New York, NY and is available at Barnes and Nobel and all good book stores.

PARKER Sangiovese 2003 is an allocated wine so if you want a bottle or two you need to call the winery and get on the list- PH 830 613 8628 .It is also available at Central Markets North Lamar store, Grapevine Market and restaurants like Green Pastures, Café 909, Sullivans and Mirrabel.