When bad hombres ride into town, who were the good guys who stepped up and protected the innocent town folk? When we turn our imaginations back to the Wild West chapter of American history, one of the first images we often conjure up from that rough-and-tumble and sometimes lawless time is the good guy vs. bad guy gunfight! The brief but intense skirmishes that occasionally resulted are compelling tidbits of history; they present plenty of drama and conflict, and were often influential turning points in the history of the region.

In the past two decades or so, the wine industry in the Hill Country has exploded with growth. That’s easy to see, with new wineries opening at a rapid pace...but we, and some of our readers, have questions. How are productive wine regions discovered? Are there official wine producing areas, and if so, how are they designated as such? This article will dig a little deeper into these questions and more.

At Backroads Reservations, we’re especially aware that the Texas Hill Country is reliant in a big way on tourism. We’re proud to welcome people here, and to introduce them to our own little corner of heaven. With that said, we’re also aware that everyone can’t be from here; we have a tongue-in-cheeksaying that “I’m not from Texas, but I got here as fast as I could.”