Becker Vineyards, Texas Hill Country (Texas) Barbera 2019

 This red wine from Texas has a lot going for it.  Among its many charms it offers a smooth texture plus easygoing tannins and tastily balanced fruit, including plums, berries and cherries.   Like me, you may be surprised to learn that Barbera, Italy’s third most planted grape, seems to have made itself right at home in the Lone Star State.  It has plenty of company here considering that with 50 wineries, Texas is the 5th largest wine producing state in the United States.  Becker Vineyards, located about an hour’s drive from San Antonio, is a land of rolling hills, wide skies and some 50 wineries.   One reason that Texas has been able to turn out such appealing wines despite the state’s soaring daytime temperatures is that the humidity levels there are significantly lower than in most other grape growing states.  And thanks to its typical clay and sandy soils, pests and disease tend to be less problematic in Texas wine country than in more humid grape growing regions.