While Italy (and most of Europe) is in the clutches of a Winter snowstorm, here in the South-west the temperatures are a little warmer. What better than to pop the top ( or in the case of this wine, untwist the cap) and enjoy a little refreshment during this “heat wave”? A super choice for casual food and celebrating one of the great American pastimes’, watching Super Bowl Commercials.
Wine of the Week: Valle Reale, Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, Vigne Nuove
Source: Dallas Morning News
February 1, 2012
By Rebecca Murphy
Abruzzo is a province in central Italy, with Tuscany on the west and the Adriatic Sea on the east. It is likely best known for its hearty red wine made from the montepulciano grape, but this white made from trebbiano is a delight.
It’s a crisp, refreshing wine with citrus aromas enhanced with floral notes, and light citrus and green apple flavors. It’s brightened with tangy acidity, making it perfect as an aperitif or with a Caesar salad or light cream pasta.
The vintage is changing in the market, so you may find the 2011 or the equally delightful 2010 still on the shelf.
All this brightness and freshness is due to Valle Reale’s vineyards, located above 1,000 feet in a very green area of Abruzzo near the Gran Sasso mountains. The Pizzolo family has been in a range of agricultural businesses since World War I. The wine business came about due to the interest of brothers Giorgio and Leonardo, who started restoring an old vineyard on one of their farms. The winery’s Vigne Nuove, or young vines, come from their youngest vineyard and represent their entry-level wines.
Tags: $10 wine, Dallas Morning News, Rebecca Murphy, Trebbiano d'Abruzzo, Valle Reale, Vigne Nuove, Wine of the Week
Posted from the French countryside , this week Rebecca Murphy is lauding Chateau Greysac, which many a wine lover cut their teeth on. Once again, the pendulum swings back and with it comes Bordeaux, re-purposed and oh, so affordable
Source: Dallas Morning News
January 24, 2012
By Rebecca Murphy
Wine of the Week: Chateau Greysac Medoc 2007 (suggested retail:$15.89-$19.99)
When’s the last time you drank a Bordeaux ? The top wines from this French wine region get plenty of buzz about the astronomical prices they command. But Bordeaux is not just about wine that only the 1 percent can afford. There are plenty of choices for us 99 percenters. This one is a classic blend of merlot for supple, round red fruit; cabernet sauvignon for a bit of black currant aroma and flavor, solid structure and decisive tannins; a touch of cabernet franc’s leafy perfume; and a dollop of petite verdot for its intense color and notes of violet. There’s a lot going on in one bottle. Try it with a grilled steak, mushroom risotto or a roast chicken.
The chateau has been around since the 1700s. It’s a sizable property with 235 acres, 173 planted to the grapes that go into the bottle. Beginning in the 1970s, the winery has been updated with modern winemaking tools, but the house style is traditional Bordeaux.
Tags: Bordeaux, Chateau Greysac, Rebecca Murphy, Wine of the Week
Lots of activity in the wine world. These posts culled from my Google reader. After a day without Wikipedia, I went back to the old-fashioned way. I used my Google Search for these timely posts. Happy weekend.
Source: Dallas Morning News
January 18, 2012
By Rebecca Murphy
Château de Montfort, Vouvray Demi-Sec 2009
Chenin blanc is a grape variety that gets little attention. Yet it produces beautiful wines in a range of styles, from sparkling to barrel fermented and aged still wine to luxurious dessert wines. The Loire Valley in France provides several versions of chenin, including this elegant vouvray. The aromas and flavors of Granny Smith apples and citrus mingle with notes of dusty minerals. It’s light and slightly sweet, but has the chiseled acidity to clear the palate. Enjoy it as an aperitif, or with a fresh goat cheese or a sautéed chicken breast with a fruit-based salsa.
The Loire Valley is the home of many grand, glorious chateaux, including Chateau de Montfort, which dates from the 14th century. This wine is their flagship wine and they treat it with kid gloves, letting it ferment at such a cool temperature it can take 60 days to ferment to the desired sweetness level. They then allow it to rest on its lees, the expired fermentation yeasts, which adds complexity and a creamy texture before bottling for our drinking pleasure.
Expensive wine 35: Beaulieu Georges de Latour Private Reserve 2006
Source: The Wine Curmudgeon
January 19, 2012
By Jeff Siegel
Beaulieu Vineyard is one of the most important wine producers in California history, and Georges de Latour is one of the most important figures in that history. Without the winery and the work de Latour did there before World War II, the wine business in the U.S. would not be what it is.
Hence, any wine from Beaulieu that carres de Latour’s name should be special. Sadly, the winery suffered through a series of problems in the late 1990s and early part of this century — ordinary wines, scathing reviews, and even wines infected with cork taint. It was as sad as it was surprising.
The good news is that Beaulieu’s corporate parent saw that something needed to be done, and invested millions of dollars to do so. The efforts have worked, and Beaulieu’s wines are once again, as wine geeks say, showing well. The de Latour ($125, sample) is a well-made and surprisingly traditional style of Napa cabernet sauvignon, which made the Wine Curmudgeon quite happy.
It’s a long, long wine from first sniff to finish, with aromas of cedar and dark fruit, more dark fruit in front, a solid middle, some rich oak on the finish and much welcome tannins to balance all. It’s not hot despite being 14.8 percent alcohol, though it does need food — lots of red meat — to show its best. I had it with prime rib and Yorkshire pudding, a classic pairing.
Decant this wine for an hour or so to get the most out of it. And be glad that someone went to the trouble to save a historic brand. A price note: When I got the sample two years, it was listed at $80; the increase, even during the recession, shows how much Beaulieu has improved.
Tags: Chateau Monfort, Diageo, Jeff Siegel, Rebecca Murphy, The Wine Curmudgeon, Wine of the Week
One of my favorite sites to visit when I have a few minutes is the quirky Strange Maps. Appropo to The Blend, a Whiskey Flavour Map appeared, reposted here, originally found on Malts.com. It is very interesting, and instructive too. Read on…
Whisky isn’t complicated, it simply needs to be explained in the right way.
The Flavour Map will help you choose a single malt whisky based on its taste. Developed by some of Scotland’s most experienced professionals, the map demonstrates that – when it comes to flavour in a glass of whisky – all single malts can be plotted on a simple grid.
Created by the renowned whisky expert Dave Broom, and Jim Beveridge, one of the industry’s great noses, it’s an innovative way of comparing and assessing single malts. The Flavour Map means you can identify how light or rich, and how smoky or delicate a whisky is compared to ones you may already be familiar with.
To make it even easier, within the map our experts have identified four distinct flavour profiles:
- LIGHT & FLORAL
- FRUITY & SPICY
- RICH & ROUNDED
- FULL-BODIED & SMOKY
FOR A COMPLETE RENDERING OF THIS MAP PLEASE VISIT THIS SITE: http://www.malts.com/index.php/en_us/Choosing-Whisky/A-World-of-Flavour/The-Single-Malt-Whisky-Flavour-Map
The Flavour Map has been prepared and endorsed by the independent whisky expert, Dave Broom, together with Diageo Scotland Limited. In addition to the names of individual distilleries listed on the Flavour Map, the Classic Malts words, the Quaich device, the Flavour Map device and associated logos are trademarks.
Tags: Classic Malts, Dave Broom, Diageo, Diageo Scotland Limited, Jim Beveridge, Quaich, Scotland, Whiskey Flavour Map
Austinite Jeremy Parzen writing for the Houston Press, pushes the envelope with this Odd Pair. Looks deelish! read on…
Photos by Jeremy Parzen.
Odd Pair: Eggplant alla Parmigiana and Central Coast Sauvignon Blanc
Source: The Houston Press`
Jan 12, 2012
By: Jeremy Parzen
Calling the marriage of melanzane (eggplant) alla parmigiana and a Central Coast Sauvignon Blanc an “odd pair” may seem like a stretch to some. But when you consider the ingredients, flavors, and aromas in the dish, the pairing options are more challenging than is immediately apparent.
Gently bitter, earthy eggplant; sweet yet acidity-driven tomato sauce made with slowly sautéed garlic, minced onion and flat-leaf parsley; freshly and finely shredded cow’s milk domestic mozzarella, as plump and fat as our four-week-old baby girl; and slightly piquant, freshly grated aged Parmgiano Reggiano — this classic dish of the modern Italian gastronomic canon is defined by its contrasts in extremes. (I call it modern because it combines one of the great cheeses of Northern Italy — Parmigiano Reggiano — with the plastic cheese of Campania in the south and eggplant, a nightshade that wasn’t widely consumed in Italy until the late nineteenth century.)
The 2009 Central Coast Sauvignon Blanc from Monterey County by the Bernardus winery was one of the bottles that made it into our fridge thanks to the challenge I posed late last year to my Spec’s sales person: Put together a mixed case of food-friendly North and South American wines for under $25 a bottle, I had asked him.
At 13.5 percent alcohol (YES!) and under $20, the Bernardus was one of the winners: Intense but varietally correct aromatic profile, the bright acidity that I crave (with moderate alcohol content), and fresh, clean notes of sour apple and grapefruit.
But it was the fragrant power of this wine and its minerality that made it work so well with the ostensibly discordant flavors of the dish. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Bernardus, Central Coast, Eggplant alla Parmigiana, Houston, Houston Press, Jeremy Parzen, Monterey County, Odd Pair, Sauvignon Blanc, Spec's
Last month we posted the Dallas Morning News report that Spec’s of Houston was in acquisition talks with Sigel’s of Dallas. The Dallas Business Journal ran a story Jan 6 that Spec’s was “no longer interested”. Shanken News Daily chimes in HERE. The Dallas Morning News also reports that the deal is off for the time being. Meanwhile, Spec’s is moving forward with expansion plans into the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area.
Spec’s, Sigel’s deal is ‘off the table’
Source: The Dallas Morning News
Jan11, 2012
By: Karen Robinson-Jacobs
A deal in which Houston-based Spec’s Wines was poised to buy Dallas-based Sigel’s Beverages is “off the table,” the president of Sigel’s said Wednesday.
The Dallas Morning News reported in late December that Sigel’s, which has 10 stores, all in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, was in negotiations to be acquired by the larger Spec’s Wines, Spirits and Finer Foods.
John Rector, Sigel’s president, said Sigel’s owner Tony Bandiera thought more about the potential sale over the New Year’s holiday and decided “he did not want to sell at this time, and that’s the end of it.”
“He was interested at first and became less interested,” Rector said. “Upon further consideration, he didn’t want to do it. The deal with Spec’s is off the table and is not proceeding.”
Rector said he was not aware of any new revelation. He also said he was not aware of any other potential merger or acquisition talks.
Earlier in the day, John Rydman, Spec’s president and co-owner, said he had heard “second hand” that Bandiera was upset about the earlier media coverage and wanted to put the deal “on hold.”
“He’s having second thoughts, but that doesn’t mean I can’t get him back on the horse,” he said.
Later, Rydman said he was “more than a little frustrated” to learn of the latest turn but hasn’t “given up hope” that the two companies can talk again later.
“I’d like to try to let it pass without a lot of external pressure,” he said.
Spec’s, which has been owned and operated by the Rydman family since it was founded in 1962, has been rapidly expanding and is now the state’s largest chain of liquor stores, with 95 locations.
While Sigel’s is much smaller, Texas law gives the company a boost not found in other states.
Restaurants, which are plentiful in the Lone Star State, must buy their hard liquor from retailers rather than distributors, noted David Commer, president of Commer Beverage Consulting in Lewisville. That gives Sigel’s a strong revenue stream.
Sigel’s, founded in 1905, had recent annual sales of more than $100 million, much of that coming from liquor sales to restaurants.
“I don’t think the company is struggling,” said Commer. “I think Sigel’s could go it alone and remain profitable. I don’t think they need to be bought.”
Tags: Dallas Morning News, John Rector, John Rydman, Shanken News Daily, Sigel's, Spec's, Tony Bandiera
-Posted by Alfonso Cevola-
This week, two time honored and historical wine families, making reliable and delicious wines, are in the press. Jeff Siegel reports from Italy and Rebecca Murphy from the South of France. Not a bad beat in the cold of winter, Sunny Tuscany and the French Riviera, eh?
Wine of the week: Coltibuono Chianti Cetamura 2009
Source: The Wine Curmudgeon
January 11, 2012
By Jeff Siegel
But that hasn’t stopped me before; there are handful of reviews and a variety of references to Chianti on the site (and, quickly, Chianti is the region in Tuscany where the wine is made, using mostly the sangiovese grape). And it won’t stop me now, because the Coltibuono ($10, purchased) is well-made wine that offers lots of value.
In this, it’s a simple, young, lighter Chianti with big dollop of cherry fruit (which apparently comes from a small percentage of the canaiolo grape, which also softens the wine). But there is still the telltale Italian acid, which means the wine cries out for tomatoes, pork and cheese. Or, in other words, pizza. I drank it with olive and tomato bruschetta, and that was terrific, too.
January 11, 2012
By Rebecca Murphy
The Languedoc region of southwestern France used to be the place where vintners from other parts of the country went to get grapes to pump up the volume in their wines. No more. Today seriously good, high-quality wines are being produced by people who are using today’s knowledge and equipment to make wines that speak of a place, such as this one from the Mas family. It’s primarily syrah, which gives the wine its full-bodied structure, dusty tannins and rich blackberry fruit with spicy black-pepper notes. Grenache adds juicy strawberry fruit, and a touch of mourvèdre gives a savory note. Serve it with a venison chili.
The Mas family has long been involved in winemaking and Paul Mas and his sons, Michel and Jean Claude, are making wines from several estates in the Languedoc region. Clos des Mures is a vineyard that gets its name from the wine mulberries, or mûres, that surround the vineyard. Maybe that’s where some of that rich blackberry fruit comes from.
Tags: $10 wine, Badia a Coltibuono, Cetamura, Chianti, Clos des Mures, Coltibuono, Côteaux du Languedoc, Dallas Morning News, Grenache, Jeff Siegel, Paul Mas, Rebecca Murphy, Sangiovese, Syrah, The Wine Curmudgeon, Wine of the Week
The Italian press posted the news earlier. This just in from Google alerts – Dallas Law Firm Haynes and Boone announce the acquisition of Winebow by Brazos Private Equity Partners. The full press release follows:
Source: Haynes and Boone
January 9, 2012
Haynes and Boone Advises Brazos Private Equity Partners in Acquisition
DALLAS – A team of Haynes and Boone, LLP attorneys advised Dallas-based private equity client Brazos Private Equity Partners in the just-announced acquisition of Winebow, Inc., one of the largest importers and distributors of fine wines in the United States. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Brazos Private Equity Partners, Haynes and Boone, Winebow
Two articles recently have been on my dashboard. One, Why a Ferrari May Make Imported Wine Seem Expensive, from the Stanford graduate school of business, ponders the downside of luxury branding. The other, from Time Magazine, The Luxury-Brand Effect: Should BMW Sell Ketchup?, weighs in over whether top marquee names should pursue building value products using their name. Both of the articles deal with issues of perception and value, in these times a hot subject.
In wine and spirits, there seem to be two forces working independently. One is the luxury brand movement, suggested by Champagnes, Bordeaux, Napa Valley and top flight Bourbons and Vodkas.
At the other end, the “Two Buck backlash” pursues the notion that a $2 wine is perfectly suitable for people; in fact most folks, even experts, don’t know the difference. It has been suggested, some folks even appreciate a lesser expensive product. Interesting polarities on the discussion regarding which way the marketers sell to America, and the world.
Stanford researchers lead off: “Imagine browsing Ferrari’s web page before going to dinner at a restaurant. Could viewing the expensive cars make you perceive prices at the restaurant as more costly than you otherwise would have? An extensive body of research says that it should.”
The Time piece has this volley: “According to an upcoming study in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, recession-wracked shoppers are eager to embrace luxury brand names over a wide range of product categories, including those with little logical connection to the brand’s core item. The authors attribute this phenomenon to the “promise of pleasure” — a brand like, say, Cartier evokes strong, positive emotional responses in consumers, and those good feelings can be easily transferred to stuff like furniture, cheese and even, yes, ketchup.”
Just something to kick around while we go into an election year in an uncertain economic world time. How we present our products to our target markets. What will work in 2012 and beyond? Challenges and opportunities. One thing is certain. As long as there are people on earth, they will want to enjoy wine, beer and spirits. And in tough times, they look for value and to also be uplifted.
The marketers have their work cut out for them. We will revisit in a year. In the meantime, please ponder the two articles for yourself.
Why a Ferrari May Make Imported Wine Seem Expensive
The Luxury-Brand Effect: Should BMW Sell Ketchup?
Tags: BMW, Ferrari, Two Buck Chuck
On the first day of Hanukkah and just days before Christmas, a chef from Texas and a Master Sommelier from Houston, turned the James Beard House into a Texas Oasis.
Chef Ronnie Killen of Killen’s Steakhouse in Pearland, 20 miles south of Houston, prepared a 7 course meal that many veterans of James Beard House dinners claimed was one of the best they’d ever had.
That is high praise from people who can dissect a meal like a surgeon, and leave you feeling you fell short. Not on this night. Not from a man who is considered by critics to be one of the top 5 steakhouses in Texas.
Ronnie brought his posse of assistant chefs, and a few folks from Houston.
Ronnie donated the dinner to the Beard foundation, which mission is “To celebrate, nurture, and preserve America’s diverse culinary heritage and future.” He was also in the top 10 dishes of the year in Food and Wine Magazine for his Bread Pudding, the only dessert in the top 10.
Ronnie had called me when he got the invite to cook at the Beard House. He wanted me to come down and try the menu and help select wines to match his food. We would work from substantial wine list and taste a variety of styles of wines. It took three tries to finally get perfect pairings.
It was inspirational.
I have never been to the James Beard House and have always wanted to experience a meal there. Many of my fellow Master Sommelier’s have participated in dinners representing their restaurant over the years as they worked their way to MS.
I was surprised to find out that none had returned after becoming a Master. I was working backwards. I am the first MS to serve at the Beard House and not have my own restaurant.
I would call it more like working the floor, greeting guest, talking about the wines tableside, and re pouring. Roddrick, the “wine waiter”, as he referred to himself, did the heavy lifting. He is a bright young sommelier and if has a mind to, may become the next New Yorker Master Sommelier.
To showcase Texas, I brought a Texas Flag and a CD of George Straight’s Christmas to play in the dining room throughout the dinner. Roddrick said that they had not had Christmas music yet this season. The Texas flag was draped from the second floor window, just above the entrance of 167 West 12th Street, The Beard House.
There were, as I had suspected, a number of Texas ex-pats in attendance for the dinner. Two flew in from Dallas, Four came in from Houston, two from Austin and Houston, and one Aggie. There were also several New York friends of mine.
Iszabel, the manager of the Beard House informed me that when a Texas chef cooks at the Beard House it is a sellout. This night was no exception. 80 people maximum for the space. It is a small place that I had walked thru the day before, helping gather the wines and getting to the house.
The place is really small. Everyone walks thru the kitchen to get to the back of the residential patio that serves as a place to gathers and mingle, to transform later into a large dinner for eight when the dinner bell rings. The front reception area, also transforms into a dining room. Ever one I spoke with prior to the trip told me how cramped it was, and they weren’t kidding. Every square foot of the place is utilized for maximum efficiency.
I have read the biography of James Beard. He was the first American born food author and critic that gained the respect of the culinary scene of New York in post World War Two era, after a less than stellar acting career. He was a big man from Oregon, move to the city to try and make it. He was bigger than life, standing six foot five and having a sizable stomach to match. His impact on New York and all Americans is still felt, in the same way as Julia Childs. Their cookbooks are still standards used in my kitchen today. I think it was Beard who said, “Deviled eggs, they always clean the tray of deviled eggs”. I love deviled eggs.
At the reception we served Moet Chandon Imperial Brut. We also featured a bottle of Casa Dragones Tequila, a sipping tequila. It has floral, citrus, peppery aroma and, well, one has to sip it at $40 a shot. The menu was supplemented by an additional course of duck breast and Merlot. Everyone was interested in the tart.
The James Beard Foundation – Steakhouse Holiday
Ronnie Killen Killen’s Steakhouse/ Pearland, TX
Master Sommelier Guy Stout Glazer’s Distributing/ Houston
After graduating at the top of his class from London’s Le Cordon Bleu, chef Ronnie Killen cooked at top restaurants throughout the U.S. before returning to his hometown of Pearland, Texas, to open his own modern chophouse. Come see why the Houston Chronicle calls Killen’s “the ultimate steakhouse” at this decadent meat lovers’ dinner.
At the reception we served Moet Chandon Imperial Brut and also featured a bottle of Casa Dragones Tequila, a sipping Tequila.
The Menu
Hors d’Oeuvre
Duck Tostadas
Tuna Tartare with Lime–Coconut Broth
Smoked Beef Tenderloin with Onion–Bing Cherry Marmalade
Gulf Crabcakes
Fried Jalapeños with House-Cured Ham and Blue Huron Farm Goat Cheese
Champagne Moët & Chandon Brut Impérial NV
Dinner
Blackened Snapper Crudo with Pickled Peppers and Savory Bell Pepper Sorbet Pascal Jolivet Sancerre 2010
Nueske’s Bacon–Wrapped Gulf Shrimp with Roasted Poblano–Monterey Pepper Jack Cheese Grits – Newton Unfiltered Chardonnay 2008
House-Cured Smoked Pork and Black-Eyed Pea Gumbo Marqués de Murrieta Reserva Rioja 2005
Smoked Blackmore Ranch Sous Vide Short Ribs with Red Wine Demi-Glace, Sautéed Swiss Chard, and Creamed Corn Fritters Catena Alta Malbec 2008
Crème Brûlée Bread Pudding, Carrot Cake, and Chocolate–Truffle Cheesecake Texas Hills Vineyard Orange Moscato 2010
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