“I love tannat! I’ve never tasted wine from this grape before,” I excitedly commented to Jennifer McInnis, general manager at Bending Branch Winery in historic Comfort, Texas. But I wasn’t at the bar with a tasting flight before me. I was at home and taking part in a Zoom webinar about off-the-radar winemaking in the Lone Star State that’s turning heads and winning international awards. Webinar participants received a bottle of wine from a member of Texas Fine Wine (our host) and shared our impressions of the fabulous vintages. COVID times have corralled travelers temporarily, but wine consumption has not waned, with virtual wine tastings as popular as curbside pickup. During the program I learned from wine educator Denise Clarke that Texas is the country’s fifth-largest wine-producing state after California, Washington, New York, and Oregon and the fifth-largest in number of wineries with more than 400. Clarke is also director …