Dallas Wine Chick

The Palate Evolution Begins

You never know when the development of a palate will occur.  Around the New Year, my daughter invited several friends and their parents to our house for a celebratory dinner.  Morgan requested that she and her friends have “kids sparkling wine” a.k.a. non-alcohol sparkling.  So we grabbed a bottle of Ariel Brut Cvuee and the kids raised a toast.

It was interesting to figure out that my super taster decided that the aforenamed non-alcoholic wine tasted like “and to quote non-usual wine terms” – her throw up.  Actually, of the three kids involved, only one declared it “palatable” or at least good enough for another sip.  With all due respect to Ariel, they have won numerous awards and the individual who sold my husband the bottle told him it was the best non-alcoholic sparkling they carried (my husband did not inform him it was for youngsters).

Happy New Year and here’s a resolution to age appropriate people drinking age appropriate beverages that taste good.

Freixenet and Ferrer Sparkling for the Holidays

I have been way too quiet lately and I broke my cardinal rule last week to blog at least once a week. Therefore, I owe you an apology, but I hope you understand. Last week I left my longest job to date where I had worked for six and a half years at one of the largest global public relations firms. I had this amazing opportunity – to go back to the client side and become the chief marketing officer of an enterprise software firm based in Sweden. No, I’m not moving, but it is going to be a definite career challenge. And, so clearly I’m excited. But distraction set in and while I drank a lot of celebratory wine, I just wanted to be a normal consumer for a change.

When I was invited to a TasteLive event featuring Freixenet and Gloria Ferrer sparkling wines, my need to celebrate took over. We were supposed to pair these with cheese, but I was in diet mode so I decided to use Mediterranean food, which paired ridiculously well.

Our group of four started with the Freixenet Cordon Negro Cava, which we universally agreed was a good budget, easy drinking sparkler. It was nice on its own with apple, pear and citrus flavors, but it was almost begging for fresh squeezed orange juice.

The Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut tasted of brown toast, citrus, green apple and had a nice minerality to it. It was described by one of my group as the one that she would drink for the evening because it was the most interesting and had some depth.

The Segura Viudas Brut Rose Cava, which is always a sparkling stand-by at my parties, was fruity with notes of raspberry and cherry. It paired perfectly with the hummus. I really like this wine and think it is a fabulous value for the price.

In a month where celebrations abound, pick up some sparkling that will be easy on your palate and wallet.

Food/Wine Matches Made in Heaven: The Mustard Surprise

A long-awaited gathering of our wine club took place this month with a fun theme – food/wine matches made in heaven.  Ok, technically that wasn’t the theme, but when it worked, it was a good description.  We were all assigned food pairings to bring and the wine was taken care of by the couple hosting the party.  Because my husband was out of town and I don’t cook, I begged for ingredients that required little to no assembly.  So, I came bearing foie gras pate, a baguette and black truffle butter.

The format was to pair two wines with variations of one food.  Our first pairing was an Old World Chablis (08 Isabelle et Denis Pommier Chablis) and a traditional oaked chardonnay (09 Neyers Carneros) with  smoked and fresh mozzarella.  Hands down the smoked mozzarella went best with the Neyers and we all couldn’t come to an agreement about the Chablis pairing due to the citrus/mineral notes.

Our next pairing was my favorite – fabulous yellowtail and tuna sushi along with blinis and caviar matched with  Iron Horse Sparkling and 10 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand.  I liked them both, but was surprised how versatile the sauvignon blanc was with the sushi. 

The next pairing was a surprise to us all.  We tried sausage (veggie and Italian) paired with Dijon mustard and then just crackers with mustard coupled with 08 Domaine Zind Humbrecht Pinot Blanc and the 07 Chianti Castilla.  Who would have thought that my second favorite pairing would be Dijon mustard and crackers? 

We followed with black bean burgers with a sour cream/lime sauce with onion rings paired with 10 Les Plautiers Du Haut Brion White Bordeaux and the same Chianti.  The onion ring paired well with the white, not the red.  The black bean burgers, which were fantastic on their own, were even heartier with the chianti.

We then matched a guacamole and tenderloin with chimicurri sauce with a 05 Samuels Gorge Syrah and the 05 Abel Rioja.  I personally liked the tenderloin and rioja pairing better, but it was interesting to see what flavors the guacamole brought out in both wines.

Next, we paired a simple grilled piece of baguette with black truffle butter with a 05 Chauvernet Chopin Nuis St Georges fer Cru Burgundy.  This was a classic example of the symphony in your mouth that happens with the right food and wine pairing.  Divine.

Our last pairing was a foie gras with a 05 Chateau La Tour Blanche Donation Osiris.  Bliss on a cracker and another example of a food/wine match that had to be made in heaven.

VOVETI Texas Launch: A Night of Italian Wine/Design

I recently attended an evening of “contemporary Italian wine and design” that married the Texas launch of VOVETI Prosecco with a tour of the incredibly cool Scott+Cooner designer showroom of Italian designers.  The product is a result of a partnership between Freixenet, one of the main Cava producers in Spain, and the Collavini family in Italy.

Brand manager Liz Hartley talked about how the Ferrer family wanted to expand and create an “authentic Italian Prosecco by going to the source” and the labor of love that went into this project.  Because the end goal was to keep quality tight, showcase the caliber of the fruit and launch a higher-end product, only 7000 cases were produced.  I tasted lemon, almond, floral and a little minerality at the end.  And, for $17, this is a great alternative to other higher priced sparkling wines.  You can find VOVETI at Mr. Gs and Sigels.

A Bubbly Review: Domaine Carneros Brut Rosé and Poema Brut Cava

If you consistently read this blog or have ever met me, you know that I am a fan of all things champagne, sparkling or bubbly.  You also may know that last year I lost several people who were dear to me and I vowed that I would try to make every day a champagne occasion.  That was why when I received two bottles of bubbly from my friends at Kobrand, I was very happy.

What Happens When Moms Don’t Attend Y Guides

My husband and daughter were camping at a Y Guides (formerly Indian Princesses before we got all politically correct) retreat, so I had several of the gals in my girl’s wine over and pulled out the bubbles.

Our first bottle was the Domaine Carneros Brut Rosé 06. It was a fabulous fruit and floral blend with rose petals, peach and hints of raspberry, strawberry and great balance. A blend of 55% Pinot Noir, 45% Chardonnay, the Brut Rose retails for $36 and is worth every penny.  
 

The other sparkling provided was a Poema Brut Cava from the Penedès region in northeastern Spain.  This was nice, crisp with lots of pear, spice and almost a baked bread finish.  Quite a bargain at under $11 and a great summer sparkler.

Resolute in My Resolutions for 2011

Happy 2011! I always look back on the previous year’s resolutions to see how optimistic I was about the things I was planning to accomplish.  And boy was I optimistic in 2010.  It’s always a little humorous, and in my case predictable, that I will have at least one goal that I will not come close to attaining.  Now for a brief run through the resolution 2010 list:

• Lose weight.  Part of being the Wine Chick means that I get to drink some very good wines – and often.  Combine that with a husband who is a wonderful cook and you have a constant challenge to keep the LBs off.  And judging from the tightness of my clothing right after the holidays, this one moved down the list. 
• Eat healthier.  Overall, I am pretty healthy in what I eat; just not how much I eat.  Now, if the FDA were to name wine as part of the fruit and vegetable category, I would pass this one with flying colors and would have no problem in meeting my daily requirements. 
• Launch www.dallaswinechick.com.  Well I did that and wow – you all have made this quite the community!  In less than a year, we have 10,000 unique users, 566 people on Facebook and almost 3,000 on Twitter @melanie0.  I’ve loved getting to know you, your stories and your favorite wines.  Thank you for your engagement.
• Try new wines.  From Charbono to Petite Verdot, I sampled new varietals from around the world and found some awesome new wines that I love and still think the three I tried from India definitely top the worst of the year.

So, as we march into the third week of 2011, can you guess what my first goal will be for this year?

• See first 2010 goal.  This time I seem to be off to a pretty good start with some intense double workouts, change in eating habits and (sniff) curtailing my wine consumption (but not tasting) during the week unless I have an event.  I have a feeling that the wine consumption statement might be a future “fall short” area, but why not try?

And, for the rest:

• Continue my love affair with wine. I will continue to try to make Dallas Wine Chick.com a better site.  I received a flip camera for Christmas and I’ve going to try to capture the experience of wine from my perspective.  I’ve been asked to be on a wine panel this month (more info to come soon) and I have a really exciting announcement I’ll be sharing soon.    
• That pesky little weight loss goal.  I have curtailed my wine consumption, signed up for My Fit Foods and put in a lot of time at Equinox so far and am down about six pounds. 
• Spend more quality time with my family (and drink more champagne).  If you read my February column about the untimely death of my Aunt, you’ll remember my mantra to drink more champagne.  Toast your wonderful family and friends and thank God that you have them — or have had them — in your life.  And, enjoy quality time with those friends and family.  Put down the Blackberry (tough for me).  Turn off the TV.  Have fun.  Repeat.

Research shows that the tradition of making New Years resolutions dates back to the early Babylonians.  While the early Babylonian’s most popular resolution was to return borrowed farm equipment, I bet losing weight has topped the list since then.  Hoping you’ll be resolute about your resolutions and hoping you have a great 2011.

Dallas’ Most Interesting Wine List is at a National Hotel?

Last month I attended the Texas/New York Gridiron wine challenge had the opportunity to sit at a table with Hunter Hammett, sommelier for the Dallas Fairmont Hotel.  Surprisingly enough, our conversation shifted to wine and he told me about the Fairmont’s wine list which he had totally overhauled including a large number of Texas wines.  I was intrigued, so I asked Hunter if I could spend some time with him learning more about the list.

He’s an agreeable guy and very passionate about wine, so I found myself in the totally revamped Pyramid Restaurant & Bar at the Fairmont – with a tasteful local focus on Texas products and a rooftop garden.  I was handed the list, which received a Wine Spectator 2010 Award of Excellence, and like a kid in the candy store, I started perusing.  As Hunter hand-selected the 250 wines that are on the list, it was important find a variety of on and off “the beaten path” wines at any price that patrons would love.  I especially enjoyed the Underrated Reds and Underrated Whites sections that had a number of wines I have enjoyed in small little wine bars or across the country.  I never expected to see them at a restaurant in a national hotel.  You’ll also find grapes you’ve probably never heard of nor had the opportunity to try like Aligoté, at least in Texas, until now. 

Gruet was one of the selections on the Underrated Reds list and I mentioned that I had never tried its still wines.  In short notice, I had a glass of the 06 Gruet Pinot Noir Cuvee Gilbert in hand.  Hunter also had a large selection of wines that are positioned by varietal vs. region to encourage experimentation of all different types of grapes from around the world.

Of course, because this is Texas, you will find the usual big suspect Cabernets -we all know that restaurants have to carry these to please certain patrons.  Also, I believe that having some of the big steakhouse wines gives people the trust factor to try other wines that may not have considered otherwise.  

Wines that are sustainable, organic and environmentally farmed are given special consideration.  You’ll probably see a future focus on building out the French section of the list in 2011.  Hunter’s credo, like The Wine Century Club, is to broaden the wine drinking scope at every opportunity.  I, for one, look forward to my trip around the world with his wine list as my guide.

A Dom Perignon Oenotheque Tribute to a Star

I recently posted about how we need to drink more champagne and live life to the fullest because you never know what curveball life will throw you.  Little did I know what sad reality was waiting for my family just a few short weeks later. 

It’s amazing how coincidences in life play out.  One of my friends on Twitter is @cleavagecreek, a winery where 10 percent of the gross wine sales is donated to fund breast cancer research and support , sent me several bottles of their wine last week and my plan was to invite my mom and two of my aunts to come and taste them with me.  My Aunt Sue was battling breast cancer and my Aunt Anne, is a long-time survivor.  I wanted to use the wine as an opportunity to celebrate both of their lives and toast survivorship.

Unfortunately I never got that chance.  On Tuesday evening, we received a positive update from my Uncle John reporting that my Aunt Sue had finished her second round of chemo, that everything was going well and they had been released from MDA Anderson to enjoy a night at a hotel.  Several short hours later Sue had an aneurysm and died.

This weekend my family gathered in Austin under the saddest of circumstances to support my two cousins, their families and Sue’s husband, John.  We came to honor a great mom, wife, grandmother, business woman, church leader and friend.  We memorialized her constant smile, her love of family, the people she helped find career direction through her business and how she was a friend and mentor to so many.  We paid tribute to someone who lived life to the fullest, touched so many people in her short 53 years and made it tough to find a single flower left in Austin due to the quantity of arrangements sent to the funeral home.

After the church ceremony and the burial, we went back to the gorgeous home that Sue and John so laboriously renovated – one exquisite detail at a time.  The house was designed for family, for friends, for fellowship and for fun.   At approximately, 6:24 p.m., we came together to toast Sue at sunset, one of her favorite times of day.  Looking down at the city of Austin in its majestic glory, 107 of us raised a glass of 1993 Dom Perignon  Oenotheque,  and paid tribute to her.

As I took that first sip and watched that beautiful sunset with tears in my eyes, I looked around at my family and Sue’s vast network of friends.   There were so many parallels with what I tasted in that glass with the person that Sue was – elegant, balanced, exquisite, one of a kind and even a little nutty (this is, after all, a woman who met her neighbor for the first time wearing a smurf outfit because she invited the neighborhood kids over for a party).   Later I read the booklet included in the box.  Dom Perignon describes this library wine as “a wine whose style defines time.”  I would describe my Aunt Sue the same way.  Dom described when he first tasted champagne as “seeing stars.”  I was lucky to have had 40 years of my life to know another.

Welcome to DallasWineChick.com

Welcome.  I thought I’d start the first column with a discussion about “wine defining” moments.  I wrote about mine a few months ago in a neighborhood wine column: Wine and Eureka: A moment of discovery (reprinted from Black, White and Read).  Since then I’ve been thinking about other wine defining moments in my life and ironically how a moment that should have been defining with wine was not. Almost sixteen years ago, I married a wonderful man.

He was my college sweetheart and we were in our 20’s when we tied the knot. The wedding was gorgeous and the reception was everything I wanted it to be – great food, friends from all over the world, an open bar and dancing for hours.  Near the end of the reception we made our final dramatic exit.  As we ran through the shower of birdseed and headed toward the limo, we flung open the door and piled in.  And there it was – a bottle of White Zinfandel?  On our wedding day?  Really?  Well, it seems the hotel forgot to box up meals for us and provide the wine so one of the groomsmen grabbed the only bottle of wine left at the bar before we ran out.  That’s when I learned my first wine lesson – there are some experiences that go better with wine and there are some times when it’s better to wait for the champagne in the room.