Red Wine with Sushi? Yep! Texas Hills Vineyard Barbera

Last weekend, my wife and I had friends Jill and Mark up to our cottage in the Texas Hill Country. They were seeking a respite, relief from the Houston humidity. So, I proposed that we meet-up in Johnson City at Texas Hills Vineyard on their way to Fredericksburg. As we sought the cool of the winery,  owner and winemaker, Gary Gilstrap proved to be a grand host.

When we entered the tasting room, it was a rush of excitement with two loads of wine tourists that were being shuttled around the hill country wineries by limo and mini-bus. But, as the rush subsided, Gary gave us tastes of this 2009 wines, white and red. The wines that caught my tasting room palate were the Texas Hills Vineyard Roussanne and Syrah (Rhone-originated white and red wine grapes now grown in Texas) followed by his Barbera (Italian red grape) and Tempranillo (Spanish red grape of Rioja fame, but grown in Neal Newsom’s Texas high plains vineyard).

If you get near Johnson City, Texas, I reckon that you should plan to stop by for a taste. If you’re heading toward Fredericksburg on Route  290, just hang a right at the Exxon station and you can’t miss it if you go down the road a bit.

I will get back to the Barbera story shortly…..as there’s definitely more: Tempranillo, Syrah, Roussanne, Merlot…

See: http://vintagetexas.com/blog/?p=5239

Write-Off the Vine: Texas Wine News – Texas Twitter Taste-Off and More

DrinkLocalWine.com First-ever Conference Sold Out- Follow on Twitter (search #DLW09)

DrinkLocalWine.com focuses on North American wine that isn’t made in California and the Pacific Northwest. It will hold its first-ever conference and tasting on Aug. 15 in Dallas and its SOLD OUT! This year’s event the GO TEXAN DrinkLocalWine.com Conference will focus on Texas wine and feature some of the state’s best wines, top winemakers, and leading growers.

The conference will include three seminars, focusing on trends in Texas wine, the distinctive grapes that Texans are using to make those wines, and how consumers can work to get more regional wines in stores and restaurants. The final event of the day will be a Texas Twitter Tasting, moderated by Russ Kane of VintageTexas (www.vintagetexas.com), where participants will be able to taste some of the state’s top wines and blog or Twitter at the same time. Check out the schedule at:
http://www.winecurmudgeon.com/dlwtest/2009-dlw-conference-schedule.html

Can’t get in or not in Dallas, do your tasting virtually by monitoring the Twitter feed and blogs from attendees starting Friday evening at the media reception and on the Saturday. They will taste and launch their comments on the event and impressions of the wines. To findout what’s hot in Texas wines, follow this feed during or after the event on Twitter by searching on the hashtag #DLW09 at: http://search.twitter.com.

Based on tasting and voting by attendees, the Texas Twitter Taste-Off will award wines in four categories: Red wine – dry, red wine – sweet, White wine (Rose) – dry and White wine (Rose) – sweet.

Congratulations to Ryannan Bryer de Hickman – Hill Country Harvest Wine Trail Ticket Winner

You have won the VintageTexas.com contest for 2 Harvest Wine Trail tickets.  Thank you for participating and submitting your story.

Your tickets have been sent by PDF, you will just need to print one.  We thought that Torre di Pietra would be a good winery for you to pick up your books.  That has been noted on your ticket.  If that does not work for you, please let us know which of the following wineries you would like to pick up at:  Driftwood Estate, Becker Vineyard, Flat Creek Estate, Fall Creek, Spicewood or Sister Creek.

Again, congratulations!  If you have any questions please contact me and have a great time on the trail!
 
Ry said, “Thanks again for the tickets – they will motivate us to see some of the wineries we haven’t been to.” Ry is a blogger and photographer. You can see some of her work on her blog at: http://sottoilmontevineyards.blogspot.com.

More on the Texas Hill Country Harvest Wine Trail at: http://www.texaswinetrail.com/index.html

Sandstone Cellars V (Red Blend)
11  Aug 2009 as featured on www.fullpour.com

There’s something to be said for a wine that makes itself smelled even from across the table. I poured a glass of this, sat down at the computer, and at no point forgot that it was there: it positively exudes perfume. The color is remarkable: rich and deep, dark red with a slightly watery rim, at first giving the appearance of an older wine but somehow it’s all very youthful at the same time.

One smell of this and I’m transported: this does not smell like any wine I’ve had before. All kinds of random associations come to mind: the crisp, dry, crinkly skin of fresh tomatillos; dusty corridors in government buildings in distant counties, dessicating in the summer heat; the smell of the upstairs closet with Mom’s college papers, reel-to-reel tapes and all; a warm summer’s night in the house where grew up in the San Joaquin valley, crickets and trains on the night breeze, the warmth never fully gone from the hay bales outside. It’s remarkable.

For the whole story, go to: http://fullpour.com/2009/08/sandstone-cellars-v.html

Other Upcoming Texas Wine Events:

Lost Creek Winery and its Tree House Bistro would like to invite everyone to their Annual Grape Stomp
Saturday August 15th and Saturday August 22nd. More at:  http://lostcreekvineyard.com/events.htm

Last Weekend of Messina Hof Winery’s Harvest Festival!!! Friday, August 14: Murder Mystery Dinner- ‘Horror at Homecoming’ at 6:30 pm and Saturday, August 15 & Sunday, August 16: Daytime Harvest
Join us for our final 2009 daytime harvest activities starting at 8:00am both days. After a brief orientation, you pick grapes, break into a Sicilian song with the winemaker himself, Messina Hof’s co-founder, Paul Bonarrigo and take in a little grape stomping as you might have seen ‘Lucy Ricardo’ do. Once your feet are colored purple, “sign” your very own Harvest T-shirt with your feet. Trust us, it’s fun at any age!  More at: http://www.messinahof.com/events_calendar.php

Haak Vineyards and Winery – Ongoing—Red wine Special—Cabernet, Syrah & Tres Tintos, mix and match but must purchase a case at $75.00.  We can ship within the state of Texas but at this price, you pay for the shipping. Reminder, our Haak Wine Cruise is January 15-18, 2010.  Call Debbie at 281-990-8362 for details.  It is so much fun! Also, Wine Down Friday, August 14th Friday, August 14, 6:00 until 9:00 “Wine Down Friday” Enjoy our wonderful Tapas meals A la Carte Menu while being entertained by live Music– No Reservations & no cover.  Dinner in the Cellar, August 15th Saturday, August 15—Dinner in the Cellar featuring Texas Artisan Cheeses-Reservations Required $35.00 each, $15.00 for wine pairing to accompany the meal.  Guitarist Guillermo Serpas will entertain. More at: http://www.haakwine.com/

2009 FallFest in the Texas Hill Country. Texas Fall Fest & Texas Wine Auction has a two-fold purpose: to expose the public to the merits and importance of Texas wine and food by spotlighting the best wines, foods, chefs and restaurants in our state and to raise funds for much needed Texas wine research as well as for other worthy healthcare needs. Tastings, dinners and events at multiple Hill Country venues. More information at: http://www.texasfallfest.com/schedule.htm

Today Show: Made in America Wines
By Ray Isle, Wine Editor
Related Categories: News, Champagne, Rose, Wines Under $20, Red Wine, White Wine, Sparkling Wine

I had a good time appearing on Today this morning, recommending wines for their “Made in America” Friday whip segment. (On the whip they run through four or so variations on a topic in a speedy way.) In this case “made in America” meant not made in California—which was a great chance to highlight some of the other great wine regions in the country. I brought along:

• The NV Domaine Ste. Michelle Blanc de Blancs ($12), a nice, creamy and fairly full-bodied sparkler from Washington State

• The 2008 A to Z Wineworks Rosé ($12), a fragrant dry rosé from Oregon made with (oddly enough) Sangiovese grapes

• A terrific, crisp, Kabinett-style Riesling from the Finger Lakes, the 2007 Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard Dry Riesling ($17), which will also age beautifully if given the chance

• And one of my favorite Texas wines, the 2006 Flat Creek Estate SuperTexan ($19), a juicy, robust Sangiovese blend that I first ran into while touring around the Hill Country with my father, doing some barbecue research.

Plus, I got to see Al Roker sing part of “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina” from on top of a crane, which was definitely the sort of experience you don’t get every day.

From Food & Wine – Tasting Room

Greg Bruni – A Portrait of a Texas Winemaker
A Little More Wine With Your Blog!
08.12.09 – 09:13pm: http://www.jerodfoster.com/?p=261

I love West Texas wine! I had a conversation the other day with a gentleman about a friend of his that was a supposed “wine snob.” You know, one of those folks that will only drink $60+ bottles of imported wines, letting only the “finest” wines indulge his palette. Anyways, said gentleman sent his snobbish friend a bottle of West Texas wine (variety and winery not discussed), and while it was a fine gift, the friend did not have positive reaction…at first. After a while, the friend gave in, drank a glass, and voila, decided that West Texas wine wasn’t so bad, not bad at all, well, some really dang good wine!

I mentioned in a previous post about an article I am working on for a regional magazine about the West Texas wine industry. I wanted to share another portrait from the experience. Greg Bruni, pictured above, is one of the wine makers and owners of Llano Estacado Winery in Lubbock, Texas. Bruni grew up in a California wine family, and his knowledge and techniques as a wine maker has helped shape West Texas wine.

More at: http://www.jerodfoster.com/?p=261

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If you like this, go to the main blog at: www.vintagetexas.com/blog

TEXSOM & Drink Local Wine Conference an Excellent wine two-fer in Dallas in mid-August

Grapevine’s Annual GrapeFest Celebrates the Best of Texas Wine Every September

Swindell Update – The adventures of newlyweds! I heard it through the grapevine

Obscure Wine Grapes: Carignan

The Future of Texas Wine

more at: http://vintagetexas.com/blog/?p=1041

Increase Your Wine Knowledge: A Ten Step Program

I recently saw an article that addressed this issue, but for beer. It was on the website www.accidentalhedonist.com. I decided to compose the following list with the necessary modifications making it applicable to people that want to increase their wine knowledge. Like many self-help activities, it’s a ten step program.

1.Get out of your comfort zone: Many highly visible wineries have common ownership and while having different names, may actually make wines that are similar. Also, if your idea of wine comes from the Wine Spectator or Wine Enthusiast you are missing about 80 of the known wine world that does not get mentioned in these publications. It’s time to get a new prespective

2.Avoid stereotypical wines: For starters, eliminate Chardonanny and Cabernet from your Lexicon for a while and seek out reds made from Tempranillo, Syrah, Grenache, and Barbera, and whites made from Viognier, Muscat, Riesling and Roussanne. Learn what qualities these wines express and you might find something really interesting.

more at: http://vintagetexas.com/blog/?p=1046

Tags: Texas, wine, news, knowledge, Texsom, Drink Local Wine, Conference, Carignan

This was the context for my recent tasting of three premium white table wines. All were fascinating and somewhat exotic blends that prompt the near-philosophical questions as to how the blends were developed and how their names were derived.

The focus of my attention was the newly released 2008 Viviana, the Yin/Yang counterpart of the premium Mediterranean red-blend, Viviano from Llano Estacado in Lubbock, Texas (www.llanowine.com). This wine was made by Llano Estacado’s winemaker Chris Hall and is a proprietary blend of the aromatic northern European Gewurztraminer conjoined with equally perfumed Mediterranean Muscat Canelli and Viognier. Riesling and Chardonnay play their part offering wine structure, mouth feel and body. In this case, no one varietal greatly dominates in percentage.

Viviana’s partners in this taste pairing were two highly rated premium white blends of equal creativity from California: Beringer (www.beringer.com) Knights Valley 2007 Alluvium Blanc by winemaker Laurie Hook, and the 2007 Conundrum (www.conundrum.com) by winemaker Jon Bolta and from the distinguished Wagner family of Caymus Vineyards. Alluvium starts with a conventional white Bordeaux blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Chardonnay and then adds a pinch of Viognier. Conundrum’s approach is also based on Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Semillon then follows it with less conventional additions of Muscat Canelli and Viognier. Recent vintages of both Conundrum and Alluvium Blanc wines have garnered ratings from Wine Spectator and Wine Advocate in the range of 89-92.

How will Llano Estacado’s new Viviana compare?

More evaluation, pairing and analysis at: http://vintagetexas.com/blog/?p=920

Guest Blogger, Jane A. Nickles on www.vintagetexas.com/blog

It’s Tuesday night and I’m in the kitchen of Ventana Restaurant at the Texas Culinary Academy. Forty people have assembled for the first ever “Iron Drink” beer vs. wine pairing dinner. Three of the Culinary Academy’s finest chefs have been given full creative license to design five courses of mouth-watering original dishes…all with the goal of “stumping” the pairing prowess of the wine and beer experts at The Texas Culinary Academy. This isn’t just dinner…its wine vs. beer in glass to glass combat!

Interesting drink and food pairings, dining event, results at:

http://vintagetexas.com/blog/?p=914

Enjoy!

Russ Kane (The Texas WineSlinger) is a wine writer with articles and tasting notes that have appeared in local and regional publications including Texas Culinary Thymes, ArtsHouston, Baycomber, My Table Magazine, and Wineandcuisine.com. He recently did a guest tasting of California Cabernets featured in the My-Table August-September 2008 issue and an article, ”Blogs: The Virtual Gutenburg Press” in the My-Table April-May 2009 issue.

Russ has organized and moderated winemaker panels at major festivals including “Hot Weather, Cool Wines” at the SAVUER Texas Hill Country Wine & Food Festival, and “Mediterranean Cowboys” and “Pinot Gringos” at the Grand Wine and Food Affair. Yes – “Mediterranean Cowboys” and “Pinot Gringos” are strange names for wine panels; but, this is Texas!

He was a Houston entrepreneur for over 20 years, traveled extensively and is actively interested in regional cuisines, wine education, and wine/food pairing. Both Russ Kane and his wife, Delia Cuellar, come from families with restaurant ties and understand the qualities of wine and food in a context of family, friends and acquaintances.

In 2009, VintageTexas won the 2009 Press Award from the Texas Wine and Grapegrowers Association for Texas wine coverage.

For more, go to: www.vintagtexas.com/blog