How Is Texomaland Like France?




First of all, Texas is bigger than France. That is an interesting fact I learned from the local phone book when I moved to Texas, and I have often quoted it to my Yankee friends and family. Texomaland has become more like France in a significant way over in the last few decades, although many people are not aware of it. Texoma is now a well-recognized winegrowing region. Wine grapes, that is. Actually, several parts of Texas are like several parts of France because there are now 8 officially recognized winegrowing regions, also called American Viticultural Areas (AVA). The most important features that characterize a winegrowing region are its climate, the characteristics of its typical soils, and also the topography, or lay of the land. The 8 regions in Texas are clustered in the central Texas Hill Country and also a couple regions in West Texas, along with our Texoma AVA that includes part of Montague, Cooke, Grayson and Fannin counties. The Texoma AVA covers approximately 3,650 square miles on the Texas side of Lake Texoma and the Red River. I have some really good friends who have a vineyard in Yukon, Oklahoma, so I don't mean to overlook Oklahoma as I'm writing this post. But my point is that the winegrowing industry recognizes Texoma as a separate region now. Although it's a little ways south of us here in Texoma, this weekend happens to be the largest wine festival in the Southwest. It's the 27th Annual GrapeFest, celebrated September 12, 13, 14 and 15 in the heart of Historic Downtown Grapevine. Texas. The theme this year is "Discoveries," and visitors will find a variety of new wines, new vendors, new bands and more to discover and celebrate throughout the four-day festival. Get GrapeFest info and schedules at www.GrapevineTexasUSA.com/GrapeFest. To locate restaurants that serve home-grown Texas wines and to get directions to visit Texas wineries in Texomaland and around the state, visit www.GoTexanWine.org and surf around the whole site. GoTexanWine has an event calendar with plenty of events posted, so check it out while you're there. And closest to home (for those of us who live and spend quality time on Lake Texoma) you will find wineries and events hosted on the Munson Wine Trail. It extends from Allen, Texas, north to the Red River, bounded by Gainesville, Texas on the west and Paris, Texas to the East, including 12 wineries. Check out www.TexasWineAndTrail.com for up-to-date information. Our north Texas trail is named after T.V. Munson who was truly a pioneer in cultivating and growing wine grapes in north Texas, and whose legacy lives on at Vinita, his former home and now museum, and existing vineyard in Denison. See the all the Munson wine history at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~txgrayso/Denison/businesses/munson/munson.html and then come see it in person! What are your favorite local wineries and wines? Post below for us all to see.




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Lake Texoma Current Weather Alerts

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Lake Texoma Weather Forecast

Saturday

Sunny

Hi: 95

Saturday Night

Mostly Clear

Lo: 80

Sunday

Mostly Sunny

Hi: 95

Sunday Night

Mostly Clear

Lo: 78

Monday

Slight Chance Thunderstorms

Hi: 93

Monday Night

Slight Chance Thunderstorms

Lo: 75

Tuesday

Chance Thunderstorms

Hi: 89

Tuesday Night

Partly Cloudy

Lo: 77


Lake Texoma Water Level (last 30 days)


Water Level on 8/9: 618.38 (+1.38)



Lake Texoma

Fishing Report from TPWD (Aug. 6)

GOOD. Water stained; 79 degrees; 1.42 feet above pool. Things are picking up, especially on the weekdays when crowds are gone. There's an early morning topwater bite when shad are on the surface in the main part of the lake. Use pencil poppers and other topwater lures to catch stripers feeding on them. After they go down, start looking for fish on the grass using slabs to catch big groups of stripers surfacing in deep water anywhere from 30-60 feet deep. Report by John Blasingame, Adventure Texoma Outdoors. Striper fishing is getting better every day on lures. They're moving fast and seeing schooling fish on the surface with the right conditions. Topwaters, swimbaits and slabs are working. Look at river ledges and channels for suspended fish on the main lake. Catfishing is good on punch bait and cut shad. Channels are on humps and points near stumps in 20-30 feet of water. Eater blues are roaming the lake in big schools all over the deep water. Crappie fishing look at docks and brush in 15-20 feet of water using jigs, minnows or small shad. Use electronics to locate active fish and structure near the mouths of creeks and coves. Largemouth and smallmouth bass fishing throw topwaters early along the rock banks and off main lake points. Fish have plenty of forage so fish for a reaction strike throughout the day near docks and brush. Report by Jacob Orr, Lake Texoma, Guaranteed Guide Service.

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