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New Glasses

WINE 101 — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 20:14:00 GMT

While the title suggests I finally made that long neglected visit to the Optometrist, this is a wine blog. Yep, I got some new store-bought wine drinking vessels.

It's not that we are sans wine glasses. Like many folks, we have the usual eclectic collection of survivors from purchases past and souvenirs from various wineries. Unfortunately, with my diminished peripheral vision while wearing reading glasses (pretty much permanent now) and an uncanny lack of coordination, I have been thinning the herd. After presenting friends with a set red wine glasses for Christmas, Angie decided we should extend that courtesy to home.

So, what do you look for in a wine glass? Depending on your level or degree of wine appreciation, it could be a plastic cup bearing the name of a favorite sports team or fast food restaurant. The Oxford Companion to Wine suggests you look for the thinest possible to minimize the separation of wine from palate. Thin to me means easily destroyed. See preceding paragraph. I can't say for sure if wine tastes better in a very expensive glass or not. I would rather spend my wine allowance on the wine itself. But, you won't find me drinking out of an old jelly jar either.

What do I look for? First, the glass has to have a stem so I can hold it without touching the bowl. I also have a wine temperature fetish and heat from the hand transfers to the glass and wine within. Those chic stemless glasses aren't far removed from the jelly jar IMHO.

Next, and most important, I'm a compulsive swirler. I love the aroma and bouquet of wine and swirl almost before every drink. For me then, the glass has to offer some balance. My theory says the weight of the stem and base is balanced by the weight of the bowl with wine, making the swirling action fairly effortless. In reality, it just has to feel right. A really thick glass bowl can feel clumsy while a really thin glass bowl begs destruction. Balanced or not, an overly enthusiastic effort still results in stained tablecloths.

What did I purchase? Well, without advertising for either store or product, I found myself in ye ole Target store on a Friday afternoon. I picked up a box of Riedel Vivant Burgundy and one of the Bordeaux. Each held two glasses. I figured Angie and I would try out a couple before investing in a set of eight.

The main difference between the Burgundy and Bordeaux glasses is the shape of the rim. Bordeaux glasses have the narrower rim; the rim of the Burgundy glass is flared out . The difference has to do with the grape variety and how the taste buds on our tongues sense flavors. A red Burgundy wine is Pinot Noir and acidity is a primary characteristic (like white wines). The outside edges of the tongue are more sensitive to acidity, and the flared rim of the glass that forces wine in that direction. Bordeaux wines are primarily Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Here the glass forces wine down the center of the tongue to get to the more dense taste bud area at the back of the tongue. I apologize to any sense-of-taste experts for the over simplification, but it works for me.

Our first experiment was successful. The California Cabernet worked with the Bordeaux glasses, and no swirling incidents were noted. It may seem a little pretentious to have two glasses for red wines, but I'm a wine geek; I can't help it. Now if I can just keep from ending the life of our new glasses prematurely, we'll have time to try out the Burgundy ones.

Wine-ing in Arizona

WINE 101 — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 16:30:00 GMT

Arizona. You immediately get a mental image of cactus, Sagauro cactus with the big arms reaching up to a punishing sun. Well, it does get awful warm there (I should talk, I live in Texas), but like the other 49 states, they grow grapes and make wine. So, why am I talking about wine and Arizona. Well....

Angie and I recently visited our granddaughter, daughter and son-in-law in Vail (just outside of Tucson). One of our outings took us to the Sonoita/Elgin wine area about 30 miles South. Sonoita/Elgin is one of three major growing regions in the state and the only one designated as an American Viticultural Area (AVA). While the area is considered to be desert, it's high desert around 4500 feet above sea level. Altitude is key. It's hot during the day, but the vines get to relax at night as the high desert temperatures drop. This change allows the grapes to build and maintain their natural acidity. Another key to success for any wine growing region is matching the varietal to the terrior. In south-eastern Arizona, the grapes of Spain, France's Rhone Valley, and central Italy (Tempranillo, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, and Sangiovese) have adapted nicely.

Since our time was limited, I had to keep the tasting room visits to a reasonable number. Also, If you are tasting like a tourist rather than a professional (in other words, you don't deposit any wine in the spit bucket), three is an appropriate number, even with a designated driver. My choices were Dos Cabezas WineWorks, Callaghan Vineyards, and Kief-Joshua Vineyard. I picked them based on the variety of wines available in their tasting rooms.

We had a great time, tasting four to seven wines per stop and picking up some souvenir glasses for our collection. I didn't take any wine notes while tasting, but we did purchase one or two bottles of our favorites at each winery. Since we drove on this trip, there was plenty of room to bring a case or so back to Helotes.

Recently, I've tried a couple of the reds: Dos Cabezas 2008 El Campo and the Callaghan 2008 Padre. Both are young wines and need time to breath. I opened each and let it sit in the decanter for a couple hours. Neither offered anything exciting at this point. However, I vacuum corked each bottle and placed it back into the wine fridge. The second day, the wines were much richer. Now, I picked up red and black fruit flavors, black coffee and spice that you would expect from blends of the above mentioned varietals . Two thumbs up for each.

It's comforting to know that states other than the big five (California, Oregon, Washington, Texas and New York) are producing very drinkable wines. A vacation

Hat Trick

WINE 101 — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 01:03:00 GMT

It was a stay at home weekend; no plans to go out. But that didn't stop us from having three great home cooked meals with some great wine. I think that counts as a hat trick.

Friday started us out with Tuscan tuna skewers (marinated tuna, fennel, tomato and onion) roasted to perfection. Ang fell in love with the marinade -- olive oil, zest and juice of one lemon, garlic and rosemary. It was served with a lovely shrimp risotto. We thought a Pinot would work with these dishes so I opened one of our last bottles of 2008 En Route. It's a great food wine. The black cherry and raspberry flavors worked well (especially with the tuna). Long live the Russian River Valley!

Saturday, I got inspired to attempt homemade gnocchi. I've really gotten into making fresh pasta lately and gnocchi (potato dumplings) is a favorite from a long time back. Ang added a nice sage brown butter sauce to the pasta and a leek, Brussels sprouts with bacon side dish. Add a sauteed pork chop (after a bath in Ang's favorite marinade) to the mix and all that was needed was a good wine. Our good friend Michele brought over a bottle of Bodegas Inurrieta Sur ( grenache and graciano) blend to complete the meal. Cherries and a little chocolate with easy going tannins accented every bite.

The final day of our foodie spectacular made use of some leftovers from the previous meals, but also added another flavor level, shrimp on the barbie. I was a little nervous grilling marinated shrimp (there's that marinade again), but a couple minutes on each side and they came out great. We also added some grilled vegetables, reprising the fennel, tomatoes and red onions with an added treat of mushrooms. Ang spiced up the seafood risotto with tomatoes, onion and fennel and some red pepper flakes, and the leftover gnocchi got sauced with homemade pesto. With all the different flavors and textures, we went with a selection from this month's Wine 101 club offerings, 2007 Heron Hills Winery Eclipse. This beauty is a blend Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Gris from New York State. Good acidity, great flavors of pears and peaches, and light oak made this wine a winner in all categories. We will be revisiting it soon.

Ang hadn't gotten much opportunity to cook lately, but really got to strut her stuff this weekend. The food and wines were fantastic. The only loser was my waistline. Back to bread and water for the rest of the week. Sure...your milage may vary.

Wine Club Appreciation

WINE 101 — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 15:03:00 GMT

What better way to show customer appreciation than a free wine tasting. None, as far as I'm concerned. Debbie and Philip at Wine 101 invited all Wine Club members to meet Jose Antonio Pellicier (representing the winery) and Cesar Chavez (importer) and see what Bodegas Inurrieta had to offer.

Bodegas Inurrieta is located in the center of the Navarra Wine Region of Spain. Some wine books tell you that you only need to know about Rioja and Rubiera del Duero to understand Spanish wines. While those regions may get the most press, you do yourself a disservice to ignore the rest of this great wine country.

After a little research online earlier in the day, and getting to sample the wines, I had to ask Jose about their varietal selections. I think Tempranillo when I hear the words Spanish wines. But here of the four reds available, three were Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blends and the other Granache/Graciano. So, that was my question, "Why no Tempranillo?" Jose's answer was simple, "...because everyone else does Tempranillo." It made perfect sense. To get yourself noticed, you have to go outside the box and give the potential customer other choices for their wine dollars.

Everyone got the opportunity to tastes six wines. There was one white, a Sauvignon Blanc, and a rose made from the Grenache grape. Both were flavorful and easy to drink, but I must admit, I was there for the reds and they did not disappoint. The first two reds were named Norte (North) and Sur (South). Norte is a 50/50 Cabernet/Merlot blend that is aged in French oak. Sur is a 75/25 blend of Grenache and Graciano (a local grape). Sur in aged in American oak. The North/South comes from the grapes: North - French varietals, South - Mediterranean. The third red, named Cuatrocientos moves up the chain. This wine is also labeled with the term crianza which means it must age a minimum of 24 months with at least six months in oak. This release spends 14 months in a combination of French and American barrels. Cuatrocientos is a 60/40 Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon blend and was my favorite. The last wine available for tasting was the Altos Reserva 2004. A reserva wine is aged a minimum of 36 months barrel/bottle before release. I enjoyed Altos, but would really like to pair it with a good meal.

A great time was had by all, and I got an autographed bottle of Cuatrocientos for the wine fridge. This customer felt very appreciated. Next time, though, I've got to take some tasting notes...

Silver Smoke

WINE 101 — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 00:03:00 GMT

Friday night was date night. As always or nearly so, it included a restaurant; we're foodies you know. We decided on Cypress Grille in Boerne ( a personal favorite).

I haven't ordered off the menu there in over a year. The specials are that good. The last four visits, it's been seafood for me, but this night I was feeling meat of the reddish variety. Angie even joked, "You know it's going to be seafood." She left me no choice, but to call ahead and find out. I got Chef Paul. "What's the special tonight?" "Smoked tenderloin" was the answer. "We've had it going for eight hours," he added. I think I started to drool a little. Luckily, it's not a video phone.

So, I immediately started thinking about a wine to go with smoke. Sure, a big Cab would probably work, but which big Cab. I did a quick Googling, but didn't come up with a name that I thought would be on the Cypress Grille wine list. We would just have to play it by ear or nose, so to speak.

I've mentioned before that I have an upper limit on the price I will pay for wine at a restaurant. We exceeded that number just a little as Angie and I came up with a solution pretty much simultaneously, Silver Oak. I went with the 2005 Alexander Valley. I know that the flagship wine is the Napa one, but I lean more toward the little sister as it's 100% Cabernet Sauvignon; no blending with other grapes here.

Silver Oak wines are released about four years after harvest. The 2005 Alexander Valley bottle sitting on our table was released in August of last year. Silver Oak wines usually spend around two years in oak and another year plus in the bottle. You can cellar them for years, but they are also ready to drink on release. By the way, the oak is American not French. American oak flavors are a little more intense, but was a great match for the smoky meat.

The meal was outstanding! Along with the tenderloin there was a tasty Amberjack fillet wrapped in zucchini ribbons, all sitting on a bed of scalloped potatoes with some sliced smoky portobellos on the side. The Silver Oak was a little overpowering with the fish (Angie was correct again, there was some fish in the special), but it was not the star. The combo was very interesting with enough different flavors and textures that all melded into each other.

On the way home, we stopped off at the club house (Wine 101) and bragged about the great meal. And yes, maybe we had just one more glass of wine (a nice Pinot) to cap off a great date night...

Cooking Class: Pasta 101

WINE 101 — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 14:13:00 GMT

So, we were off again to the Hill Country and another cooking class a Trattoria Lisina. This time our teaching chef for the evening was none other than the boss, Damian Mandola. The subject was Pasta 101. We were so there.

I'm make my own pie crust from scratch and have dabbled in pizza dough, but hadn't tried to make pasta before. We purchased a hand crank pasta roller last year, but only our chef nephew, Matt, had actually used it. It became one of those sounded-good-at-the-time devices that takes up space in a cupboard until it finally is given away or finds its way to a flea market. The evening a Trattoria Lisina may have given it new life.

Angie was one of the first to raise her hand when the Damian made the call for volunteers. Six guests got to take their place at a long table and make pasta from scratch with the Chef. Mixing ingredients, kneading and running dough through the pasta maker was made fun by the Chef and his group. I'm a little prejudice, but I think Ang produced the best.

Like the previous class, we picked up some important information while having a great time. I've always put some oil in the water I use to make pasta out of the box. While it make keep the stuff from sticking together, the oil prevents the sauce from sticking to the pasta later on. The type of flour is also a consideration; Type 00 semolina made from durham wheat was recommended. Additionally, good Italians like their pasta Al dente, a little firm to preserve that great texture.

Learning to make pasta from an expert is worth the price of admission, but getting to try a couple dishes was icing on the cake. They started with a simple herb and butter sauce and taglierini (a thinner ribbon style pasta). Next, we were served bucatini (a thicker pasta with a hole in the center) with a sauce made with Italian plum tomatoes and pancetta (Italian style bacon). Both were delicious.

Yes, we had some wine with the pasta. During the last cooking class, the staff poured Italian wines picked to pair with the individual dishes. This night we was got to try a couple Texas wines that reintroduced the Mandola label. There is a winery next to the restaurant and it used to be Mandola Winery. In fact, it opened before the restaurant. A Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission ruling more or less separated the two businesses. The new Mandola wine that may be sold and served at the Trattoria Lisina is made by Kim McPherson of McPherson Wine Cellars, Lubbock, TX. I'm already a fan of McPherson wine ( the Grenache-Mourvedre is a favorite). Both wines of the evening, Sangiovese and Pinot Grigio worked with the pasta. I pretty much stuck with the red. It has a nice red fruit flavors and good acidity to work with the pasta dishes. A bottle of the Sangiovese followed us home (thanks Michele). I only got a quick taste of the Pinot Grigio, but feel it will also be a great foodie wine. You can't go wrong with Italian wines and Italian pasta dishes.

Well, the class had worked its magic. The following weekend, we made our first batch of homemade pasta. Let's just call the event a "learn from your mistakes" effort. First, we need to upgrade our pasta maker. The clamp on the inexpensive model never fit correctly on our block. Second, we need to experiment with various types of flour to determine what works best for us. And third, I'm the dough guy. My years of rolling out pie crust dough paid off in the pasta preparation. What a team! I make the pasta, and Angie the sauces. This is a marriage made in heaven. Thanks again, Damian...

Cooking at Trattoria Lisina

WINE 101 — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 21:37:00 GMT

You've all probably heard the term terroir used before. It's that French word that doesn't completely translate into English but takes in account how nature (and man to much a lesser degree) infuses a wine with a sense of place. Anyway, I think there must be a terroir-like reference for a restaurant. To me it's not only great food, great wine, and appealing atmosphere, but also the chef, wine steward, and wait staff. Add to that another important ingredient, the people you are sharing the meal with. You could also add time of day, occasion, and on and on. To simplify, what makes dining at a particular place make you want to go back again and again. Trattoria Lisina in Driftwood has great terroir.

The restaurant has a wine tie-in for us. Angie and I were attending the Texas Wine Festival in Austin several years ago, and got to meet Damian Mandola. Damian and his nephew, Johnny Carraba, started the successful chain of Italian restaurants, Carraba's. He had recently opened a Texas Hill Country winery near Driftwood. He announced at the wine festival that he would be also opening an Italian restaurant right next to the winery. Mandola Winery (now Duchman) and Trattoria Lisina have become one of our go-to places for out-of-town guests who love wine and food like Angie and I.

A couple weeks ago, I got an e-mail from Trattoria Lisina advertising a cooking class. While I can whip up a good breakfast, my better half is our chef. I thought an evening out built around cooking tips from a great chef would be right up her alley. Well, let's just say we both really enjoyed the evening.

Chef John Lichtenberger entertained and informed us while preparing an outstanding seafood dinner. He emphasized the need for quality ingredients in any recipe. Four folks from the audience got the opportunity to stand in front of the crowd and cook portions of the meal under the chef's direction. We all had the recipes and were able to follow along. After the demonstration phase of each course (Seafood Risotto and Olive-stuffed Swordfish with Salmoriglio Sauce) we got to taste a full menu-sized portion.

When you have food of this caliber, you've got to have wine up to the pairing challenge. We had four from Italy. Starting with the antipasti ( home cured salmon, prosciutto wrapped Tuscan melon, marinated olives and grilled shrimp), we were served Pieropan Soave from the Veneto region in the Northeast. I thought it must be a Sauvignon Blanc, initially with a grassy nose and hint of white peaches. Next, with the risotto, it was a Ceretto Blange Arneis. Hailing from Piedmont (Northwest), many may have not heard of the Arneis grape. The wine is a little spritzy which helps with a slightly lower acidity level. It was a good match with the seafood flavors in the risotto.

In keeping with the learning aspects of the evening, the main course of swordfish arrived with two wines: a white and a red (the only one of the evening). They wanted to demonstrate how red wine can go with fish. In this case, it was the body of the wines (light-medium) that allowed you to switch back and forth while savoring the lovely swordfish. The white took us down the boot to the Campania region (East of Naples). The 2008 Terredora Dipaolo Greco di Tufo introduced us to another Italian (actually originated in Greece) white varietal. I caught a slight honey aroma with some pear. The red was Sicilian, Planeta 2008 Cerasuolo Di Vittoria Sicillia. This red is a blend of Nero d'Avola and Frappato. Nero d'Avola is the most planted red grape in Sicily; the Frappato adds a little floral component to a nose that reminded my of hard cherry candy. Needless to say, I enjoyed both. The rolled, stuffed swordfish was grilled. The Planeta brought out the flavors of the grill. The Greco di Tufo paired more with the Salmoriglio sauce. You wouldn't miss with either choice.

And last, but not least, it seemed as if everyone we met that evening was like us, foodies and wine-ers. We enjoyed the conversation with our dinner mates and the folks at Trattoria Lisina. This is a crowd I could hang out with again.

The entire evening goes into the win column. Well, excluding the traffic on I35, but it was fairly insignificant compared to the culinary enjoyment. We will patiently await the next cooking class. I'm thinking Gnocchi and pancetta...

Great Food at Home

WINE 101 — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 02:05:00 GMT

We love to go out to restaurants and have a number that we visit fairly often. Over the past few days, however, we embraced great food at home (and not just ours). Three times in less than a week, I've been blown away by great flavors, textures, sauces, meats, seafood, and veggies without having to get a reservation or tipping a waiter. Well, I did do some dishes and cleanup, but it was a small price to pay. Yes, we had some good wines to go along with it.

On Saturday, Angie treated us to chicken lettuce wraps and a grilled steak salad. While it may not sound gourmet, believe me it was head and shoulders above similar dishes I've had out. The lettuce wraps had a nice tang without going overboard and the marinated steak cooked with veggies on the grill, kabob-style served over greens with green beans and bleu cheese was to die for.

We started out with a Schloss Vollrads Riesling Kabinett 2007. The slight sweetness and great acidity stood up easily with the red pepper flakes in the lettuce wraps. Next, I opened a Pinot. While it wasn't the idea choice for the marinated beef, it balanced well with the veggies. Our Pinot of choice was a Pellegrini Olivet Lane Russian River Valley 2007. Again, the wine's acidity worked for the most part. I will revisit this wine soon with a meal more suited for it's characteristics.

Monday afternoon had a Spanish flair. Ang made some Gazpacho while our friend Michele put together Paella. Cold veggie soup followed by a combination of mussels, scallops, shrimp, sausage and chicken kept dinner conversation to a minimum. Needless to say, both were outstanding. To honor the theme, we had a Rioja Diamante Malvasia - Viura 2008. Malvasia is noted for higher alcohol and residual sweetness (Oxford Companion to Wine), the Diamante came in at 12%, more in line with German Riesling range. The blending grape, Viura (also known as Macabeo) is the most planted in Northern Spain (OCW). We all enjoyed the Diamante. The acidity wasn't what I hoped for, but, again, the slight sweetness worked seamlessly with the meal's spiciness.

The next night we got an invitation to friends Mark and Cindy's home and a meal that pushed me ever so closer to being a seafood lover. I will start out by saying I never cared for mussels. They were a little too fishy tasting for a land lubber like me. Mark prepared them with a tomato base and pesto that had me clean my appetizer plate before my wife (a girl raised on the Gulf Coast). I praised the chef, but Mark also gave credit to the fact that the mussels were fresh. The entree was equally as great: grouper in a killer champagne sauce with caramelized plantains. Wow!

Being a wine-r, I was remiss in recording the names of the wines we had, but I do remember the styles. The appetizer was served with a sparkling white. I've heard that this is an ideal pairing for oysters; well, it ain't too shabby with mussels either. The Grouper was paired with a nice not-over-the-top Chardonnay. The light buttery Chard was another hit.

I'll never get out of the restaurant habit. Well, at least not until I'm forced to retire and end up on the side of the road with a "Will host a wine tasting for food" sign. At the restuarant, I don't have to do the dishes (at least not yet, see previous sentence). But a week of eating great food at home helps me appreciate hanging out with friends without having to decided how to split the check.

My Grapevine

WINE 101 — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 01:09:00 GMT

Every wine geek wants to have their own vineyard. Right? Not actually, but I do have a single vine planted proudly at the edge of our porch. It's been there for four or five years and I haven't killed it yet. This year we may even see ripened grapes, but I won't hold my breath.

We got the vine at Dry Comal Creek Winery during a tasting event. As we were walking in, Angie spotted the vine cuttings in their small plastic pots near the entrance. We joked about buying one, knowing absolutely nothing about the care and feeding of the beast.

Our new purchase was a native grape called Black Spanish. That just happens to one of the many names for the Lenoir grape. A key feature of Lenoir grapevines are resistant to Pierce's Disease. The disease is a result of bacteria spread by leafhoppers that feed on the vines. It can wipe out a vineyard in a few years and has caused some major problems here in Texas. A friend who manages another Hill Country winery says they don't even mention the disease by it's name, but only use the initials "PD" in hushed tones.

We planted the vine along side some of our flowering perennials: Plumbago and Esperanza. Those plants are pretty hardy and had been in the ground for around six years. We don't have an automatic sprinkling system, so, it's hand watering on a whenever-I-get-around-to-it basis. The soil is shallow before you hit rock on rock-like clay, and there is only a small strip between the sidewalk and our slab. It sure wasn't anywhere near the ideal growing conditions for a grapevine, but we do get flowers every year from the other plants.

Well, it survived. After the third year, we even saw some grapes, briefly. There were a few tiny bunches in the last couple years, but they didn't last. Whether it was birds, insects or just poor treatment, the grapes were gone before even approaching pea size.

I attempted to bring some order to the wild nature of the vine this year with a make shift trellis. Ok! So, I just strung single strands of wire between the porch roof support beams. I picked three shoots on each side and tied them gently to the wire. I know now that I should have picked one and then pruned back in the fall, but I'm not a vineyard owner.

A couple year's of drought and minimal watering seemed to wake up the vine this year. We also had a wetter Spring. I was very pleased to see about 17 groups of small flowers that I assumed would be grapes. I was correct, but not the number I hoped for. As of this week, there a six bunches of varying size. I did remove any large leaves that blocked sun from the grapes. I also trimmed the excess growth produced by the late spring rains. As the rains slows in the heat of Summer, I will have to ensure I don't over water. The vine needs a little stress to keep working on the fruit.

According to a Texas Agricultural web site, I still have about two months for my grapes ripen. Those that made it this far and nice and green and still growing. I'll keep ya' posted...

Anniversary Dinner

WINE 101 — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 00:07:00 GMT

Our 22nd wedding anniversary arrived after a hectic week. We didn't even decide to go out until the day before and wanted a restaurant fairly close to home. It had to have good food and wine list, of course. Luckily, we have Grey Moss Inn only 15 minutes away. It had been a few years since we last visited. We had gotten into the "let's keep trying new places" mode and tended to keep driving across town.

I had downloaded the restaurant's wine list the day before and had already picked a red and white (you never know what the special dishes would consist of). I love trying new wines, but at restaurant prices, I also want a sure thing. I had a couple old standbys in mind, but I'm always open to suggestions from the wine steward or server. This night was no different.

Our excellent server Greg, suggested the A. Rafanelli 2006 Dry Creek Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. It was the same price as the red I was thinking about. He said that after tasting both, he preferred the Rafanelli. That was a good enough recommendation for me.

A. Rafanelli winery is located north of Healdsburg, California in the Dry Creek Valley AVA (Sonoma County). It is now in the fourth generation of family ownership and operation.

Greg brought the bottle and offered a taste. Even just after opening, this wine appealed to me. The nose presented dark fruit aromas and just a little dustiness. Flavors of big black cherries and black currants led to a very long finish. The acidity level indicated that it would go great with food.

The wine begged for big red meat, so, we obliged by ordering the Filet. The steak was grilled over mesquite charcoal (a great feature of this restaurant). It was accompanied by twice-baked, sour cream potatoes and squash with cumin. For a starter, we had their wild game sausage and berry chutney; tonight it was caribou and venison. We also shared an interesting salad with peaches, tomatoes, red onions, freese, spinach, candied walnuts. and goat cheese. The food was great, just like we remembered from previous visits. While the wine was not a perfect match for berry chutney and salad with peaches, it was a really worked with the steak and accompanying sides.

We made a promise not to wait so long before our next visit. Now, it I could just find a local establishment that sold A. Rafanelli wines...

Tasting at Tre Trattoria

WINE 101 — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 17:32:00 GMT

From a wine lover's perspective, how often do you get the opportunity to meet an Italian winemaker, taste some of his wines and follow it up with some great Italian food. Thanks to Tre Trattoria (one of the Jason Dady family of restaurants in San Antonio), Ang and I plus our friends Michele and Robert got that chance recently.

The winemaker, Antonio Sanguineti, is part of an interesting group of wine importers call Small Vineyards.   Their goal is to introduce the family-owned, small wineries from Italy (soon to add some from Spain and Greece) to the American wine drinking public. Without Small Vineyards, these wines would slip under the radar. As we know from many boutique wineries in the US, they are small, but have a great product to offer.

I readily admit that I'm often at a loss when it comes to Italian wines. I know something about the grapes and regions, but have much to learn about the who's who.   It's nice to have an organization doing some homework for us, finding and presenting a good product at a price often below the bigger wine importers.

For the price of admission this night, we got to taste four wines (or in my case, three plus a repeat). Antonio's wines represent Tuscany well and are all based on the Sangiovese grape. First, I tried the 2003 Vino Nobile di Monteplulciano. It had a cherry and slight earthy nose, medium body and good acidity. Tanins were smooth. My second taste was his Super Tuscan. The term Super Tuscan came about when producers in the Chianti region wanted use grapes other than those authorized by the Government regulating body. The could not call their wine Chianti. Antonio's 2005 Super Tucsan (Nessan Dorma) is a blend of 50% Sangiovese, 30% Merlot, and 20% Syrah.   This wine has some spice notes, dark berry flavors and very silky tannins. The Merlot reals softens the mouthfeel. My final pick ( I actually used my fourth ticket for a second look) was the 2003 Brunello di Montalcino. It was my first Brunello. At first, the nose was too tight, having just been opened. At I furiously swirled to get air into it, the wine started to open in the glass and big black cherry emerged as well as a hint of chocolate. I would love to try it after an hour or more of breathing. I believe it would be a great wine with food.

The wine was great, but we also got to sit down with Antonio and Jay Hutcheson, the Small Vineyards Regional Sales Representative. They went out of their way to talk with everyone who showed up for the tasting. With all the questions about wine and wineries running through my head, we talked about traveling to Italy instead. We would love to tour Tuscany before I get to the age where I don't remember if I'm wearing pants or not. Anyway, it was fun hanging out with the guys for awhile. They treated everyone as a favored guest.

Following the tasting, we settled down for a great meal of roast golden beats, gnocchi with gorgonzola, and the Tuscan marinated rig eye. The food capped the perfect evening out for the wine and food enthusiast.

pork and pinot

WINE 101 — Sat, 29 May 2010 14:33:00 GMT

After a great Russian River Pinot a couple weeks ago, I decided start exploring more from the left coast (no political pun intended....ha ha, well maybe just a little). Anyway, Angie suggested we do some Pinot and food pairings. Our first exercise put Cambria Julia's Vineyard 2006 with roasted pork tenderloin, creamy Gruyere grits and a tomato, red pepper relish. Like a baseball player, it's great to hit one out of the park on the first try.

The wine earned an Editor's Choice and 93 points from Wine Enthusiast (December 2009). The author called it "the best Pinot Noir at that price on the market." Given some breathing time, the wine really evolves in the glass with cola, cherry, strawberry, and spice aromas. Flavors of tart cherries leads to a nice long finish. The color is lighter like a French Pinot, garnet with some hints of brick red.

Cambria Estate in located in Santa Barbara Country on what is called the Santa Maria Bench. With cooling breezes from the Pacific Ocean (17 miles away), the Pinot Noir grape thrives here. This particular vineyard is named after the owner' youngest daughter.

The meal was to die for. Angie rubbed the pork tenderloin with rosemary, thyme, olive oil and a little mustard and roasted it to perfection. Now for someone born north of the Mason-Dixon Line, grits is a bit of an oddity. I remember Cream of Wheat on a cold Illinois morning with butter and sugar. A dish with similar consistency served with cheese was alien to me for some time. Angie cooked the grits with gruyere cheese and cream. I'll never add sugar again! To top it off, she made a relish with basil, parsley, tomatoes, roasted red pepper, olive oil and white balsamic. The pork, grits, and relish presented different but complementing textures and flavors. The wine enhanced it all.

After this meal and wine, I hope we haven't set the bar too high, but it's will be fun trying...

sip, savor and shop

WINE 101 — Fri, 28 May 2010 21:56:00 GMT

With the 2010 New World Wine & Food Festival taking place in and around San Antonio this week, we had to pick at least one event to attend. The closest venue won out: Sip, Savor and Shop at The Shops at LaCantera. I tried to downplay the "shop" part of the title but was the ladies just laughed at me.

The event was a lot of fun. For your entrance fee, you were given a plastic glass and unlimited tasting of the available wines and samplings of some great food. I'm convinced we got our money's worth.

There were some more well known gems in the wine selection such as a Franciscan Magnificat (Bordeaux Blend), Robert Mondavi Merlot, and Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon. However, tastings give you the opportunity to try something new; so, we did and then some. My favorite new wine of the event: A-Mano Primitivo. This Italian from the Puglia region (heel of the boot) was full of red fruit flavors and soft tannins. It went well with the pizza from Grimaldi's Pizzeria. Another interesting wine was the Seven Daughters red blend. Imagine a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Syrah, Carignane, and Sangiovese. There were both red and dark fruit flavors with a peppery finish. Not to disrespect white wines, Angie and I both enjoyed the Fall Creek Sauvignon Blanc.

Among the food items that stood out was a crab bisque from the restaurant at Nordstrom's, a Fortina sausage courtesy of Magianos, and a knockout macaroni and cheese from the Yard House. We joked about going to dinner after the tastings, but we were all pretty full. The generous food samples were more than a single bite that one would expect from this type event.

I wish we could have attended a few more events this year, but I'm very pleased we chose this one. And as for the shopping...Ang says, "Thanks Free People for the 15% discount on the earrings!"

Bohanan's

WINE 101 — Sun, 09 May 2010 18:16:00 GMT

Since Angie would be spending Mother's Day with her mom, I decided to take her out for dinner on Saturday evening. I already earned some points with the roses...(Good husband, eh?) The choice was Bohanan's. We always talked about going there, and now was our opportunity. We had a great time.

Bohanan's is located on Houston Street in downtown San Antonio (right across the street from the Majestic Theater). The service at this restaurant is incredible. From the attendant opening your car door at the curb through a big thanks for visiting from our servers and the manager, you couldn't ask for more. Jose and Shaun really took care of us during dinner and made us feel special.

The food is fantastic. Some of you may remember the Mike Myers character on Saturday Night Live, Coffee Talk, always saying something was "Like butter." That was what is was like cutting into the filet. We don't order steak very often, but it is a specialty at Bohanan's and it was obvious from the first bite, they know their stuff.

The meal also marked a first for me, oysters. Our ticket got mixed up in food prep, and we had to wait a little longer than normal. To make up for the delay, we were presented with French grilled oysters. At first, I told Ang they were all hers, but she insisted I try them. I'd never had the slightest interest in that fare. I was soon to reverse my stand. The light breading, a squeeze of lemon juice and a slight amount of cocktail sauce and "Wow!"

And, by the way, they have a great wine list. They were recognized by Wine Spectator (Best of Award of Excellence) more than once. Granted, a lot of the bottles are way out of my price range, but there were some gems on the affordable side. One item of note for the wine snob in all of us, the server pours your wine into a decanter. From what I could tell, this is a standard practice here regardless of how much or little the bottle costs.

This evening, I picked the 2004 Amici Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. You need a big cab with a big steak, right? In this case, yes you do. The winemaker let the 2004 vintage have an extra year and a half aging in the bottle before releasing it late in 2008, and it paid off.

The slight delay in the main course arriving worked out for us. When the steak hit the table, this wine was ready. The balanced tannins and acidity with gorgeous blackberry, black currant flavors grabbed my taste buds and took them for a big ride. Add a bite of delicious filet and I was in my happy place. If you find this wine locally, I highly recommend you pick one up for the ole wine fridge.

One another note, my wife was right as usual. She said we would most likely see some members of the Phoenix Suns at the restaurant. They are in town to take on our beloved Spurs for the second round of the 2010 NBA Western Conference playoffs. Saturday was an off night. Sure enough, Grant Hill walks right by our table, followed shortly thereafter by Channing Frye and his party.

Well, thanks to Bohanan's, Jose and Shaun for the fun evening, and if the Suns could find a way to blow a 3-0 lead, that would be real special...

EnRoute

WINE 101 — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 02:25:00 GMT

Once again I learned about a great new wine thanks to a waiter's recommendation. Last night we were at Cypress Grill in Boerne, and Angie, Michele and I all decided on non-red meat entrees. Since I've been on a Pinot kick lately, I suggested we go that way instead of a white. I checked the wine list for something in my price range from a winery or region I was semi familiar with. I quickly spotted a Russian River Valley Pinot from the Gary Farrell Winery. I'd not had a chance to try it before, but I remembered reading a favorable review. As our waiter took my order, he asked if I may like to try another Pinot from the same area. He went on to mention that one of the owners, not a Pinot fan, really liked this particular wine and bought all the sales person had. It was only a few dollars more and with an owner/chef's recommendation, how could I go wrong?

I was not disappointed. The 2008 En Route Les Pommiers is a great food wine. I had the Chilean Sea Bass with shrimp, and lima beans in a light green curry sauce. A bite of food and a sip of wine and I was in a winer/foodie paradise. It worked equally well with the tuna and chicken dishes.

The owners of EnRoute have a great pedigree; they also own Nickel & Nickel, Dolce, and Far Niente wineries. They chose the Russian River Valley to produce a great Pinot, and my first taste left me wanting more.

The day after, I got online to find where I could buy a bottle or two. The first stop was their web site, and it was also the last. This wine is produced in very limited quantities. It is only sold at restaurants, fine wine stores and online through the winery. To buy it from them, you join their wine club. The club allows you to buy a 3-bottle pack of the current vintage, if not sold out. Then, for each new vintage, you are allocated three bottles, but you chose whether to buy it or not. There are no automatic shipments. I vowed not to join join another wine club, but, hey! It's only a once a year purchase. At least, that's how I explained it to my wife...

Pinot and the Easter Bunny

WINE 101 — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 02:25:00 GMT

Easter has come and gone, but we will always remember the last one as the time we had Easter dinner at 12:30 AM. Why so early? We have friends and a nephew that work until around midnight Saturday evenings. So, we decided to have the meal and fun after they left work.

Saturday started with a trip to the Pearl Brewery Farmer's Market. The brewery is no longer active, but is getting a facelift with a Culinary Academy, restaurants, shops, and the Saturday morning market. At 9:00 AM, a young lady walked through the crowd, ringing a bell. It was "Shoppers start your engines!"

Ang and I purchased fennel, beets, carrots, artisan bread, goat cheese, and a strawberry plant. Everything was fresh and folks selling it were Texas friendly. We also got to sit in on a cooking demonstration. Tom Stevens and Paul Thompson from The Cypress Grill in Boerne (one of our favorites) showed us how to make the tastiest sandwiches consisting of lamb, beets, strawberries, arugula, there own special Champagne dressing on fresh made rolls. Whoa.....

After the market we hit the HEB Central Market for more ingredients for the feast. It was here that I decided on the wine theme for the evening, Pinot Nior. Like a kid in the candy store, I like to wander up and down the wine aisles. I look for wines I've read about or in this case, I check out those that the store's wine folks like. You know the little signs that say something like, "Bobs, Pick."

This day I wanted to try different styles of Pinot. The first choice was Machard de Gramont Domaine de la Vierge Romaine 2006, a French Burgundy with a price I could justify. Next, I wanted an Oregon wine. The Bethel Heights Vineyards Estate Grown 2007 Pinot Noir was my number two. Finally, I skipped to California's Central Coast and Lucas & Lewellen 2006 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir. The French wine was the driest; the California least dry, and the Oregon somewhere in the middle. All were good and helped make the feast.

Ang slow cooked a ham most of the afternoon that had our dogs drooling. She added a frittata with fresh vegetables and a delicious beet salad. Michele created a midnight table setting on our deck and prepared the Easter egg hunt; I was in charge of schlepping, dish washing and keeping the critters out the ladies' way. I also decanted the wines so they were ready by the time company arrived.

It was a gorgeous day and everything ran like a Swiss watch all day; we even got a nap. If I was going to stay awake past midnight, a nap was a must. At around 12:25 AM, we were ready. I took the dogs outside for a potty break right before the guests arrived. While standing out in the still warm night, I felt a light misting rain starting up. <Expletive deleted here>

As a group, we decided that we had invested too much work into the meal and setup not to eat outside, so there we sat, and ate and drank and had a great, if not slightly wet time in the light Easter rain. It was a memorable early morning spent with good friends . We may have started a tradition here, but next year we may pay a little more attention to the weather forecast....or not...

Silo with a Spaniard

WINE 101 — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 00:14:00 GMT

A few weeks ago, we were in the midst of a water leak at the house and decided we needed a night out to fuh-git-aboud-it (I'm part Italian). We picked the Silo restaurant off 1604 for dinner; we hadn't been there since the 2003 vintage of Sequoia Grove's Cabernet. Yes, a wine geek tends to associate dining experiences with vino.

As Ang, our friend Michele and I looked over the menu and wine list, a gent appeared at the table with a bottle of wine. "Hi, I'm the Wine Steward," he said and then proceeded to offer us a taste of one of their featured wines. "Do you like Spanish wines?" I held back the urge to reply with the colloquialism about the bear in the woods. "Yes, we do," I replied for the table. Mama told me something about life, a box of chocolates and it not being polite to refuse free wine.

The featured wine was a 2001 Beronia Gran Reserva from the Rioja area. A Grand Reserva is only made in good years and is aged 60 months before release. Of the 60 months, 18 must be in oak. Bodegas Beronia says theirs are kept in oak for 24 months. The taste was enough to order a bottle with dinner.

Our waiter brought our bottle to the table and offered me another taste to ensure it was like what the Wine Steward poured. With occasional cork failure and previous shipping, handling and storage, two bottles of the same vintage may not taste the same. It was just as good.

It only took a few swirls to bring out the nice aromas of red fruits. The flavors were rich with a hint of balsamic in the background. I tipped the glass to look for brownish tinges (the sign of a mature, and sometimes past it's peak wine). I couldn't tell, but the lighting in a restaurant isn't the best place for this experiment anyway. It was obvious though, the wine was ready to drink immediately on pouring and didn't really need to breath much at all.

Ang chose the special, lamb chops. Michele and I went with the beef tenderloin, garlic spinach, and bleu cheese gnocchi (the deciding factor for me). Needless to say, the wine paired equally well with each dish. Speaking of the food, it was outstanding.

So, what did we learn? Even if you have wine knowledge and are familiar with a restaurant's wine list, don't hesitate to talk to your waiter or the wine steward about what to choose. We were very happy with the Spaniard.

Eggplant times two

WINE 101 — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 15:04:00 GMT

When cooking at home, we try to prepare just enough to avoid leftovers. Leftovers seem to hide in the fridge until they are beyond hope and kinda stinky. Well, Ang occasionally plans two meals using the same main ingredient. Today's leftovers become center stage a few days later. This week it was eggplant: two meals, similar ingredients, different styles, different wines.

The first meal was a salad consisting of grilled eggplant slices, toasted pine nuts, chopped parsley, mint, basil, crumbled goat cheese, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. We had a partial bottle of Pinot opened, but the balsamic overpowered it. Our wine club this month included a Ironberry Western Australia 2008 Chardonnay Viognier. The Chardonnay wasn't a big buttery California one, and was actually like the second fiddle to the Viognier. This wine was much better match; the bright floral notes and apricot flavor stood up to the balsamic.

Meal number two was grilled eggplant pizza. Ang took the same herbs from the previous meal with a little olive oil and pine nuts to make a pesto. She spread the pesto on a whole wheat Naan with leftover eggplant slices, goat cheese and some balsamic reduction sauce. Wow! I think I now have a new favorite; I'll never eat Pizza Hut again.

The wine choice was a "Well, I just opened a Merlot, let's give it a try." The Merlot is a 2008 Reserve from Becker Vineyards. To me, it's a classic Merlot with blueberries and chocolate on the nose and dark fruit flavors. It's somewhat dryer than the average Merlot, but it's another Texas wine that can stand up to the California brands. It was magic with the pizza. The balsamic reduction is somewhat milder that the vinegar so, that was probably a key to the matchup. A bite of pizza, a bit of the wine, and I needed to be alone for a little while.

Well, the next time you dive into the abyss of your refrigerator, searching for the those pesky, spoiling leftovers, stop and think about what they could have been in a second meal. Of course, don't forget the wine...

To Cork or not to Cork

WINE 101 — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 14:22:00 GMT

During our recent Wine 101 tasting course dry run, someone made a comment about screw tops and wine. One of the bottles we were using for the double blind tasting experiment had such a stopper.

It's true that to even the casual wine connoisseur, screw tops conjure up the misspent youth experiences of foul liquid called "wine" consumed purely for the alcohol buzz. So, the question is "Are screw tops for only the cheap and quickly forgotten wines or do they have some merit?"

Well, first we have to discuss why cork is the preferred bottle stopper. Cork is the best natural material found that can be compressed to fit into a bottle and at the same time elastic enough to uncompress and seal the bottle. It is also fairly easy to retrieve with the occasional exception. Synthetic material can be produced to provide a complete seal, but then retrieval would create a problem. It would be like that scene from the movie "Bottleshock" where Bill Pulman (playing Jim Barrett) opens a bottle of Chardonnay with a sword. I've seen a live demonstration; it's not for the feint of heart or slightly uncoordinated.

Unfortunately, cork can suffer from TCA (trichloroanisole) or cork taint. Cork either naturally or through the production process can develop fungi that produce TCA. The wine gets tainted as the liquid in the bottle makes contact with the cork. It's estimated that 5% of the wine stoppered with cork feels the effects. A low level may not be detected by the average consumer, but more than that will disturb your palate. A corked wine will smell musty or like wet cardboard (kind of like those old magazines your grandfather kept in the basement for decades).

The only answer for completely preventing TCA appears to be using alternatives to cork. There are a variety of synthetic corks including those that contain actual ground up real cork and those made of plastics. Other methods of sealing a bottle include glass and metal toppers that don't actually penetrate the bottle like corks.

The biggest difference between cork and alternatives is a combination of the terms oxidative and reductive. After fermentation, wine is no longer a big fan of oxygen. To continue it's development in the bottle, it still needs a very small amount to continue the chemical changes toward maturity. Too much, and everything accelerates and wine eventually spoils; it's considered oxidized. In reds, you may detect prune and raison aromas. Cork allows the correct amount of oxygen (unless it dries out) where the synthetic types permit a little more than optimal. In other words, the synthetic cork is not used for wines expected to mature for a long time.

Enclosures like screw caps, pretty much eliminate any air from entering the bottle. However, you then must consider the reductive (absence of oxygen) effects on a wine. In the anti-oxygen environment, the wine may develop other compounds that could affect the flavors. in extreme cases, that could result in barnyard or rotten egg odors.

What the answer? There hasn't been enough testing on how long a wine can be cellared using other than cork. Also more testing is required in the area of how much oxygen is actually needed to allow an age-worthy wine to reach it's peak. If you don't plan on keeping a wine more than a year or two after it's released, then you shouldn't worry about the corking device. Pay more attention to who produced the wine. Now if you are considering buying that $2000 bottle of Chateau Petrus......

Sources: The Science of Wine: 2005: Jamie Goode, The Oxford Companion to Wine Third Edition: 2006: Janice Robinson

Gott Fennel?

WINE 101 — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 03:20:00 GMT

We have been on the run for the past couple weeks, so it was nice to have that quiet dinner at home last Thursday. Angie had picked out a couple of recipes for chicken and fennel from her favorite magazines and decided to work them together.

I'd been meaning to try our bottle of Joel Gott 2008 Sauvignon Blanc for some time. It was a selection of our Wine 101 club a few months back. It sorta got lost in the shuffle of our two wine refrigerators. They always seem to stay fairly full for some reason or other.

The first thing that caught my eye on this particular bottle was the phrase "Cellared and Bottled by Joel Gott Wines, Oakville, California." Notice, it didn't say produced and bottled, so, the natural conclusion is negotiant. Negotiants are the folks who don't own vineyards and may not own their own wineries. They buy grapes or finished wine and find someone to make, bottle and possibly age it for them. Joel is a winemaker, however and is part owner of a custom crush facility in St. Helena. One can assume the wine was made in one location and bottled/stored in another.

The bottle lists the fruit origin as simply California. The grapes could have come from anywhere in the state, but actually were grown in Monterey, Napa and Lake Counties. By blending, the wine can take advantage of each area's characteristics.

Regardless of where it came from, the 2008 Sauvignon Blanc is an excellent wine. It has the classic Sauvignon Blanc herbaceous/grassy nose with citrus notes. The flavor steered toward lemon and grapefruit with a good acidy finish. Angie also gave it two thumbs up and even requested that we pick up a couple more for down the road.

A good wine deserves a good meal and this one was a knockout. Ang roasted the fennel with parmesan cheese and sauteed the chicken in olive oil and butter. The sauce was her own creation and it was the glue that married everything together. She deglazed the pan with white wine; added chicken stock and let it reduce. To this mixture, she added butter and heavy cream, topping the resulting deliciousness with fennel fronds. I could have rolled in the sauce, but there were no leftovers...