An acclaimed Texas winery won some more acclaim: Duchman Family Winery, Texas Hill Country's finest, was awarded two gold medals at the 2018 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition: one for their 2014 Aglianico and the other for their 2016 Vermentino.

This is the second time that the Vermentino has won a gold medal; their 2015 vintage earned an award at the 2017 competition.

Both wines were made using 100-percent Texas-grown grapes.

Led by winemaker Dave Reilly, Duchman Family Winery experiments with unique Italian grape varieties to authentically showcase the Italian regions in which they originated.

As one of the top wine destinations in Texas, the winery continues to source most of its fruit from the Texas High Plains AVA, where growers can maintain an ideal climate for Italian grapes.

2016 Vermentino
Vermentino is a white wine made from grapes grown mostly in Italy, on the island of Sardinia. The grapes are among the easiest to grow. It's Duchman's signature wine and is favorably compared to Sauvignon Blanc.

Duchman uses grapes from Bingham Family Vineyards, based in Meadow, Texas, 30 miles southwest of Lubbock. Winemaker Reilly notes a blend of citrus and floral aromatics mixed with lime zest and faint minerality. A versatile wine, it pairs with a variety of light dishes and seafood like shellfish and oysters.

It's available starting at $20.

2014 Aglianico
Aglianico is a red wine made from an old grape that's favored by growers in southern Italy. For its 2014 Aglianico, Duchman used grapes from Oswald Vineyards, located in Brownsfield, 40 miles southwest of Lubbock.

The wine was praised for its profile of stewed fruit and cinnamon mixed with firm, structured tannins and well-balanced acidity. Reilly recommends pairing the robust Aglianico with braised or grilled meats and game like wild boar ragu over pappardelle.

It's available starting at $30.

Customers can now purchase the latest vintages at Duchman's Driftwood winery or have them shipped anywhere within the state of Texas by visiting DuchmanWinery.com.

The new bottles will also be available at select Texas restaurants and retailers including Central Market, H-E-B, Whole Foods, Total Wine, and Spec's.

Established in 2006, the Duchman Family Winery was founded by Drs. Lisa and Stanley Duchman as they pursued their passion in bringing world-class winemaking to the Texas Hill Country. Committed to the goal of producing food-complementary fine wines using exclusively Texas-grown fruit, Duchman Family Winery continues to develop innovative winemaking and grape growing techniques to produce wine that stays true to Texas.