Turning 11!

This year we changed the artwork of this label to honor Henry, Ross & the whole winery's dog who passed away in February of 2022, after a blessed, epic 17 year life that spanned high school, college, the inception and growth of the winery.  Since this wine was the first to ever to be bottled under The Austin Winery, we thought it was fitting and deserving of Henry's legacy. It's smooth, tried and true, an unforgettable, lovable wine.

• 67% Tempranillo - Crooked Post Vineyards - 2022
• 22% Cabernet Sauvignon - Paradis Vineyards - 2023
• 11% Alicante Bouschet - Salt Lick Vineyards - 2023

Violet Crown is one of our defining wines, and the most widely appreciated. The 2010 vintage was the first wine that Ross & Cooper made together and marks the earliest inception of The Austin Winery. The 2017 Vintage won Double Gold at Houston Rodeo: Best in Class & Texas Class Champion.

The name references one of the oldest nicknames for Austin - the city of the Violet Crown. The earliest reference is said to be from 1894 in O. Henry's  "Tictocq: The Great French Detective, In Austin":

The drawing-rooms of one of the most magnificent private residences in Austin are ablaze of lights. Carriages line the streets in front, and from gate to doorway is spread a velvet carpet, on which the delicate feet of the guests may tread. The occasion is the entrée into society of one of the fairest buds in the City of the Violet Crown.

The phrase is generally thought to refer to the atmospheric phenomenon more commonly known as the Belt of Venus. The phrase is also said to be connected to the moonlight towers of Austin.

Another explanation: during the 19th century, residents began to call Austin the "Athens of the South" for its university. With his sly reference to the poetry of Pindar, O. Henry may have been satirizing Austin's ambitious claim of a cultural link to ancient Athens.

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