Episode 298 of I’ll Drink to That has been released, and it features Master Sommelier Guy Stout, of Glazers Distributors in Houston, Texas.

The tendency today is to think of Texas as a Napa Cab red state. “Cab and a slab” is the often noted shorthand for the steak and Napa Cabernet culture of Texas. But it turns out that Dallas was mostly a French wine town back in the 1970s and Houston had a strong Italian wine segment in the 1980s and before. This comes to light in the Guy Stout interview on I’ll Drink to That, which is now up and which completes the Texas series of interviews. In addition to rounding out the Texas series, this particular interview also harkens back to some of the roots of today’s Texas sommelier culture. Guy Stout remembers working his way up in dining rooms accented in heavy French. He remembers the Bordeaux château owners coming to visit, but he also remembers the producers of the new Napa Cabs also emerging on the scene. In many ways this interview kind of resets the compass of the previous six Texas episodes, because you realize when listening that while now the sommeliers are reacting to a Napa dominant landscape, the previous generation helped put that setting in place as their own contribution. This interview is a reminder that what is mainstream today was only on the frontier awhile back, and really not that long ago. Guy Stout’s interview is a reminder that Texas’ relationship with wine didn’t just begin recently.

Listen to the stream above, or check it out in iTunes.

I’ll Drink to That is the world’s leading wine podcast, hosted by Levi Dalton. Levi has had a long career working as a sommelier in some of the most distinguished and acclaimed dining rooms in America. He has served wine to guests of Restaurant Daniel, Masa, and Alto, all in Manhattan. Levi has also contributed articles on wine themes to publications such as The Art of Eating, Wine & Spirits magazine, Bon Appetit online, and Eater NY. Check out his pictures on Instagram and follow him on Twitter: @levi_opens_wine