Dallas Wine Chick

Beyond Safe Labels: Dallasites Take the Challenge

A few weeks ago, I was shocked to read a blog comment from The Wall Street Journal’s Lettie Teague about what Dallasites are drinking. Teague visited a Sigel’s Fine Wine shop in Frisco and was told by manager Tim Farina that we only drink big cabernets and big brands.

Whaaaaatttt? While I don’t personally follow the steak to cabernet sauvignon rule, I can understand a local steakhouse having a larger selection of those wines. So, I decided to go for a sanity check. I reached out to Terri Burney, owner of  WineTastic, who told me that while she has some customers that would fit the bill, even more are trying Malbec, Rioja, Albarino and Champagne.

Brooks Anderson, owner of  Veritas, had some great insights. “To say that Dallasites drink only overpriced, big labels of Cab and Chard is absolutely ridiculous and wholly inaccurate. If that were true, Veritas would have gone out of business long ago. We do not carry Cakebread; we do not currently carry Silver Oak; we do not currently carry Caymus; we do not currently carry Far Niente; we do not carry Nickel & Nickel; etc. Instead we carry lots of fun, boutique Cabs and Chards (and other wines from around the globe) that aren’t necessarily cheap and we sell them all day long. There are plenty of Dallasites who love to explore new labels, who would rather offer a delicious wine that their dinner guest has never heard of rather than an overpriced ‘label’.”

He went on to say that “in addition to ‘not cheap’ Cabs and Chards, we sell loads of Chateauneuf du Pape, Brunello, Barolo, Barbaresco, Burgundy, Amarone, Sancerre, etc. Dallasites are trying inexpensive wines like White Rioja; White Bordeaux; Gavi; Albarino/Alvarhino; Cotes du Rhone; Spanish Garnacha; Carmanere; Malbec; Baby Super Tuscans; Nero d’Avola; etc.”

So, where do we go from here? We need to take a stand. While there is a place for Cabernets, Chardonnays and other mainstays in our lives, let’s try some new varietals.

I had the recent opportunity to meet Anne-Laure Helfrich of Helfrich wines to try wines produced in her family’s Alsatian vineyard. The price points were fantastic — $14.99 for the Noble Tier wines that were really good (Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gerwürztraminer). The Grand Cru wines with the same varietals were fantastic and priced at $24.99. The Grand Cru Riesling was elegant with orange blossom, apricot and minerality. The Grand Cru Gewurztraminer had a floral nose with honeysuckle, citrus and a floral nose. I personally am adding these to my wine “off the beaten path” selection list.

In Dallas, you can find these wines at Whole Foods, Costco, Majestic Liquors (Fort Worth), Winestyles (Arlington and Fort Worth), Vino 100 and Veritas.

Let’s prove to Tim that we’ve moved from a “safe label zone” and into wine drinkers that have the courage to put an unfamiliar bottle on the table.

My Pre-WBC Conference Love Affair with Oregon Wines

In reading the materials for the Wine Bloggers Conference, one theme remained the same.  Figure out your blogging strategy.  Clearly, I failed miserably in heeding this advice.  Part of it was that I was fully engaged on Twitter during the conference.  Part of it was the pre-trip to Oregon and the post-trip to Washington State with a fellow friend, blogger and co-worker.   And, finally, it was the massive workload explosion that I walked back into that consumed me.

So why don’t I start at the beginning?  I was lucky enough to be invited to an unofficial pre-conference trip that originated in Portland going to the Willamette Valley.  Since I was arriving later than the rest of the bloggers I fully expected to fund my own cab for the hour plus trip that began at Solena Grand Cru Estates.  But no, this is Oregon wine country so  I found myself in a car with Amy, a delightful tour guide and person who welcomed me with the biggest chocolate, peanut butter and Rice Krispies covered donut that I’ve ever seen.  After ripping it in half and handing half to Amy, I joyfully took a bite of my first donut in probably five years.

Voodoo Donuts

As we reached the gates of Solena, our bloggers chariot awaited — a candy apple red double decker bus.

The Double Dutch Bus Coming Down the Street

The day only got better from there.  We toured the winery and got to experience “do it yourself blending.  If you didn’t like the blend, you could only blame yourself, but it is hard not to succeed with so many good wines at Solena.

Rolling out the red carpet

We were then seated for a four course lunch prepared by chef Matthew Howard matched with Solena Estate’s wines.  The first course, early summer corn soup with fingerling potatoes, prosciutto and basil oil with 08 Solena ElvenGlade Vineyard Chardonnay.  The second course, Plank-roasted wild sockeye salmon with fava bean puree, shaved fennel salad, rhubard and nectarine compote with 07 Solena Domaine Danielle Laurent Pinot Noir.  The third course, grilled cascade natural flat iron steak with yukon gold potato and leek hashbrown with heirloom cherry tomato relish with an 08 Solena Hyland Pinot Noir.  Our dessert course matched a rosemary and fleur de sel shortbread, oregon strawberries, Bellweather Farms carmody cheese with an 08 Solena Late Harvest Riesling.

Early Corn Soup

Plank-roasted sockeye salmon

Our next stop was Soter Vineyards where we were greeted with a glass of sparkling rose.  Even though it had rained for six weeks straight in Portland, we had an absolutely gorgeous day.  My favorite was the  2007 Mineral Springs Ranch Pinot Noir with big notes of plum, earth and cherry.

Time at Soter

We wrapped our winery tour with Anne Amie, which is well known for its Pinots, but offers a wide array of affordably priced red and white wines.  I was familiar with the Pinot Noir because I discovered it at Veritas Wine Bar in Dallas and it sold out quickly.  We were surprised to learn that the winemaker Thomas Houseman first had a career as a modern dancer.  This was something interesting to try to reconcile after several glasses of wine.

Thomas Houseman, wine maker and former dancer

We were feeling lucky, so our bus stopped off the beaten path so we could buy Powerball tickets and beer.  I can’t imagine what the gas station attendants were thinking when our fire engine red bus stopped and Liza ran in with a fist full of money.  Alas, we were too late.  Powerball had closed.  We decided to donate our money to next year’s Wine Blogger Scholarship Fund instead.  So I thought… but I recently learned that a different scenario actually took place.

Our hospitality continued with a BBQ at Mary and Sean Cressler’s house, who live in the city in a fabulous home in a charming historic neighborhood.   Their backyard was made for entertaining.  Sean had spent the day smoking a pork butt for us.  The wines flowed freely, the weather on their back patio was spectacular, the conversation was hilarious and the food, oh the food.  Because I have pork allergies, I tried everything else from the tofu that they grilled for me (which was surprisingly tasty), the smoked salmon dip, the veggies, freshly baked bread and anything else that I could cram in my mouth.  Everyone else raved about the pork actually before, during and after the conference.  This was the day the diet died…

It was close to midnight so I was dropped off at my hotel – or so I thought.  The Marriott Courtyard had bumped me to another hotel.  When I got there, I was given the only room left – the one with the handicapped bathroom.  I was tired and in hindsight, trying to navigate the shower was pretty humorous the next day after an hour run throughout the city.

We were then off on our next adventure – the caravan to Walla Walla.  Mary had set up a private tour with Bob Morus of Phelps Creek Vineyards where we spent a great deal of time learning about the intricacies of the winery and harvest.  Since I geek out during conversations like this with the winemaker, I was in heaven and thought it was fascinating that they have two wine makers — one American and one French that make two entirely different styles of Pinot.  I personally loved the 08 Cuvee Alexandrine, a big Burgundian style Pinot.

Bob Morus from Phelps Creek

My husband can attest that I am not usually a road trip person and I was a little hesitant to spend hours with folks that I’d met only on Twitter.  However, this was not your usual road trip.  From blasting tunes that I enjoyed from elementary school with Jason (Duran Duran and Missing Persons if you must know) to having a conversation imposed “time out” to force Doug to work on his client deadline while I became even more addicted to the Zombies and Plants game on my iPad, it was an experience that I’ll never forget and definitely hope to have again.

A special shout out to Lynette (and Amy) for their unmatched hospitality.  You truly gave as an experience that will be hard to replicate.

Fleury Winery: Diamond in the Rough

I always ask industry people about “undiscovered gems” that I should visit the next time I am in wine country – the wineries that usually are small enough to sell direct to consumers because of their limited production, high-end wines and intimate tasting experience.  Fleury Winery in Rutherford is one of those places that a few industry folks recommended so during my most recent trip to Napa we visited the winery.  We began our tasting with a very nice woman who had worked at Fleury for three days, so based on the quantity of my questions; we were quickly reassigned to Michelle, the assistant manager.

It all begins with the story of Brian Fleury, a Bay area businessman and self-taught winemaker with a passion for wine and the means to produce it.  With only 3,000 cases produced at three vineyards in Rutherford, St. Helena and Howell Mountain, the tasting room has a rustic feel, but with unique artwork from Brian’s son and special touches from Brian’s wife, Claudia, an accomplished interior decorator who was responsible for Del Dotto’s new winery. 

Current releases include a Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, a Zinfandel/Cabernet blend and three Cabernets.   We tried them all, so I’ll tell you about my favorites. The wine is pricey – the Sauvignon Blanc starts at $50 and the prices goes up from there.  That being said, these are wines that you could put down, but are entirely drinkable today.   The 09 Sauvignon Blanc was my husband’s favorite white wine of the trip.  Big citrus and grapefruit, but with a great balance and an almost floral nose.  The 07 F’in red was tasty – cherry, currant and a nice Bordeaux blend.  Priced at $85 a bottle, the design was definitely a conversation starter.  The 06 Lauren Bryce cab (named for Brian’s kids) was a lush, rich, fruit-forward cabernet priced at $85.  The one that made me do back flips was their signature high end wine – the 07 Passionne.  My tasting notes read as follows, “Oh.  My.  God.”  Priced at $150, you might want to pray to a higher power for discretionary income to purchase this wine, but wow – it was worth it!  We also barrel tasted the 08 Howell Mountain Cabernet and it was an inky black color with big fruit and a surprising balance for such a young wine.  I definitely have my eye on this one during release.

While I thought I was one of the first Dallasites to visit, it appears that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who is known for his wine collection among other things, beat me to the punch.  He’s a big fan and Brian did a custom bottle package for his holiday gift list one year.  

Because this column is all about wine experiences, I’d be doing you a disservice if I did not mention the bathroom.  It is outside.  In an oversized wine barrel.

Fleury was definitely a great find this trip.  Even with the $35 tasting fee, the staff is passionate and it is an intimate setting to enjoy some great juice from a whimsical winemaker with a great hand.

A Day on Spring Mountain with Barnett Vineyards

Our last stop in Napa was to see one of my favorite people and a wonderful  wine hostess, Jacquelyn St. Martin at Barnett Vineyards.  I had the opportunity to meet Jackie, recovering Texan, last year at a wine dinner in Dallas and we immediately clicked.  For years, I have always joked about my “Fred Flintstone thumbs” and hers are identical (hence the photo and trust me – this is a freak of nature thing).  Barnett is always at the top of my wine country list.  I love their wine, but it’s even more fun when they are in wood burning pizza making mode as the pairing is sublime.   Looking down Spring Mountain with a glass of wine in hand is just a majestic experience.

Fiona and Hal Barnett launched the winery in 1983 with a focus on producing Cabernet Sauvignon wines, but have expanded to include Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Merlot with grapes taken from other single vineyards.  Because of the nature of the Spring Mountain terroir, the grapes are harvested by hand. 

We started with one of my favorites Barnett whites – the 09 Sauvignon Blanc, which had just been released that week and harkens from Dry Creek Valley.  At $25, I loved the crispness and tasted citrus, herbal and tropical fruit flavors.  I adore this wine.  Our next glass was the 07 Savoy Chardonnay priced at $35.  It was made in the Bordeaux style.  I tasted citrus, floral notes and a little vanilla.  They were totally sold out of the Tina Marie Pinot, so we tried the 08 Viento Valle Pinot Noir instead.   Our group almost collectively brought home two cases of this wine, which is priced at $45.  Big cherry, a touch of sweetness and some earthiness. 

We then tried the 07 Merlot, which was described by one of my travel companions as “the soup that drinks like a meal.”  It’s a deep purple color with lots of stone fruit, earthiness and licorice.  Priced at $48, it is a great wine and one that should be tried with food.  We then tried three different Cabernet Sauvignon wines.  First up was the 07 Spring Mountain District Cabernet Sauvignon, which was a good Cab, priced at $65.  We also tried the Cyrus Ryan Cabernet, which was very nice, but the 07 Rattlesnake Hill Cabernet brought the group to our knees (in a good way).  It’s a special occasion wine at $125, but its dark color, deep fruit and complexity, made it the favorite wine with the group.  There is some urgency to getting this wine.  When we were there, only ten cases remained and we probably cleared out two of them.

Lora waiting on the plan

After a wonderful time at Barnett and a great dinner at Redd, we ventured back to the hotel to get ready for our return.  The drive to Sacramento was uneventful and then we jinxed it with the comment that this had been such an easy trip.  Wrong!  Due to some weather in Dallas, we ended up diverted to Oklahoma City for a few hours.  Only one of our team had upgraded to First Class and when she came sashaying back with her Bailey’s as we were pooling the snacks at the bottom of our purses, we were kind enough to not do her harm.  We finally arrived back home about four hours later than we originally planned and I was realizing the return to reality might not be as easy as I had hoped.

A Winery Wonder of the World: Palmaz

I haven’t written too much about the Women for Wine Sense conference mainly because my friends and I had so much fun exploring on our own. There were definitely a few highlights including the humbling blind pinot tasting featuring pinots from California, New Zealand, Oregon and France as well as the grand tasting where I tried rhubarb wine for the first, and last, time. We dined well at The Farm, Tra Vigne and Redd as evidenced by the extra six pounds that I carried back even though I ran for about an hour every day. It was fun to see my friend, Lindsay Woodward from Oregon-based Retour Wines, accept the Shining Star award and then to spend some time with her. Finally I got to meet some of my Twitter friends and social networking pioneers during a discussion on social networking (@davidhonig from Palate Press and @winedivergirl from Hahn Estate).

On Sunday, we were split up into groups and were hosted by a different winery. I choose to visit Palmaz Vineyards for a number of reasons – I had heard wonderful things about their wine; the technology behind the vineyard is fascinating for a tech geek at heart and I wanted to explore the stacked caves. These caves would equal the height of an 18-story building in any other city. We started our tour with a glass of the Palmaz Chardonnay ($45) and went to the top patio for a gorgeous, sweeping view of the property. I got notes of tropical fruit, buttered toast and a hint of vanilla in the wine. Here we learned how the home’s original owner, Henry Hagen, one of Napa’s first winemakers, produced award-winning wines in the 1800s at Cedar Knoll Vineyard and Winery, but Prohibition killed his business. The winery fell into disrepair and the vineyards were forgotten for almost 80 years until the Palmaz family saw the potential many years later.

We ventured into the caves and learned about gravity-flow winemaking. The wine is never pumped rather it is propelled through gravity from floor to floor through the entire winemaking process. We then returned to the table to sample the 05 and 06 Palmaz Cabernet Sauvignon, which were made by Tina Mitchell/Mia Kline. We began with the 06 ($100) and I tasted blackberry, spice and leather. It was well balanced, but needed some age. When I tried the 05 ($120) , I was sold. This one had lots of depth and a silky finish. Dark fruit, earthiness, spice made it a wine that will only improve with age, but is approachable today.

The Palmaz experience was truly the opportunity to explore a “Wineries of the World Wonder” and drink some damn good cabernet in the process.

A Night with David Mirassou

One the of the coolest things about having a blog are the invitations that you receive from wineries to attend wine dinners and events.  Bloggers are starting to gain credibility as a media source and because 1,800 of you have logged on since I began Dallas Wine Chick in February, this blog has built some fast “street cred.”  So, let me start with a big thank you to all of my readers (especially the 1,780 of you who are not related to me in any way).

Mirassou Winery and Stephen Pyles teamed up to host a media dinner last week and I had the chance to attend with one of my favorite friends and bloggers Write for Wine who happened to be in town from Seattle at a work event.  I was vaguely familiar with Mirassou wines, which you’ve probably seen at your neighborhood grocery store, due to their large distribution and value. 

We were hosted by the delightful David Mirassou, who is the sixth generation of one of America’s oldest wine making families.  My husband always says when he likes someone that they “are someone you’d want to sit down and have a beer with to talk.” David is one of those guys – funny, unassuming, likeable and just an all around good person.  Even though he addressed the crowd with every wine poured, he took the time to sit down at every table so we could ask him our questions and he kept us laughing with his stories.  And, a bonus for me is that he and my uncle Mike are dear friends.

We started with 08 Mirassou Pinot Grigio as an appertif.  It was crisp and fruit forward.  It was served with an amuse bouche of cured hake, caviar and a confit of pine nuts with a balsamic gelee.  Delightful match.

Next step was the 08 Mirassou Sauvignon Blanc paired with sea scallop “migas” with spring pea emulsion and chorizo.  Recently, I have been surprised at how well sauvignon blanc pairs with spring peas.  This wine was my personal favorite of the bunch.

We moved on to the 08 Mirassou Chardonnay matched with a butter poached lobster with corn milk-green chili custard, hearts of palm and black garlic cream.  I tasted green apples, tropical notes and it was very food friendly (and how can you not get friendly with lobster?)

The rest of the group ate sous vide pork tenderloin with masa cake and texas strawberry-pasilla gastrique with the Mirassou Pinot Noir, but they substituted lamb for me due to a pork allergy.  I tasted cherries and a bit of pepper.  Super interesting fact – the Mirassou family (his great, great grandfather) was the first to bring over pinot noir cuttings from France.  

At this point I was stuffed, but the food kept coming.  A foie gras “forest” with shaved chipotle brioche and carmelized figs was paired with a 08 Mirassou Merlot.  This was the smoothest red to me and I liked the spiciness, big fruit, hints of vanilla and balance.  Definitely a fabulous pairing.

The 08 Mirassou cabernet sauvignon was paired with a cherry salsita-stuffed waygu shortrib with Dallas goat cheese-chimichurri tamale.  I am still dreaming of that tamale.  And, did I mention I was stuffed beyond belief two courses ago?

Our finale was the 08 Mirassou Riesling with mango-semolina croquettes with coconut-marcona almond sauce.  The fruit in the dessert paired well with the tropical notes in the wine.  Truly a “wow inspiring” dinner with value wines that held their own with the food.  And , did I mention that all wines are under $12? 

Since Summer seems to be the month of weddings, here’s my Dallas Wine Chick insider tip.  Mirassou is hosting its 6^th annual “I Do with Mirassou” contest where brides- and grooms-to-be can enter for a chance to win $10,000, plus a trip to San Francisco to meet with Food Network Chef Aida Mollenkamp and David to plan a custom wedding menu, complete with food and wine pairings. To find out more, enter by June 27, 2010 at www.mirassou.com/ido.

Senseless Women with Wine: The Goosecross Experience

Goosecross Cellars

Our day began with the magic words, “would you like grapefruit juice for breakfast?”  Why yes, we certainly would!  And a wonderful glass of 08 Goosecross Sauvignon Blanc was served by the lovely Nancy (known as @vinifera in the world of Twitter) as we gathered around an outdoor table with a spectacular view of the vineyard.  The wine had nice notes of honey, grapefruit, pear and citrus – it was delightful and $23. I’ll take that for breakfast any day.   

Goosecross Cellars began in 1985 and is truly a family affair.  Our group of ten was greeted by Geoff Gorsuch, Winemaker & Vice President with a pretty on target comment, “What group are you with? Women tasting wine without sense?”  We shortened it to Senseless Women With Wine.  Geoff, I can tell you my husband would more than agree with that statement and usually after he sees the credit card damage from a Napa/Sonoma excursion.

Our group quickly came to a consensus about the 08 Viognier that made red wine lovers buy white.  Full of nectarine, floral, honeydew and apricot notes, it was a fantastic Texas summer porch wine that made me wish for Summer.  Naturally, my wish came to fruition as it hit 80 and now I can’t get my wines shipped.  But, for $32 it was definitely one of the universal group favorites and chances are it will be served if you drink wine at our houses this summer.

Next up was the 07 chardonnay that had notes of green apple, vanilla, citrus and a creamy finish.  It was priced at $34 and I actually saw it on the order form of one of my exclusively red drinking friends.

We jumped over to red wines and started with the 07 Napa Valley Syrah, which retails for $36. This was a great syrah representation with lots of cherry, smoke and spiciness.  Our next wine was the merlot which tasted of cocoa, black cherry and vanilla at $42.  The 04 Howell Mountain Cabernet had plum, cherry, cedar and something I couldn’t place that turned out to be anise.  At $69, I’d put this up against the many $100 plus cabs that we tasted over the weekend.

The grand finale came as we were checking out and were poured a taste of the ÆROS 2006 Napa Valley Estate Meritage, only the second release in 24 years.  Let’s just say that this was well worth the wait.  Excellence doesn’t come cheap and this wine is priced at $142.  But, wow!  It was rich and seductive.  Big fruit, smoke, stone fruit and ripe raspberry made this well balanced wine the winner in the bunch.  But honestly, with the hospitality, great wine and Colleen’s adorable puppy that we couldn’t get enough of, you can’t go wrong with Goosecross as a must see winery.

Dallas Wine Chicks take on Napa

We met early on a Thursday morning at DFW Airport.  As usual, I pushed the limits of proper airport arrival times and made my friends sweat a little if we were going to make the flight.  Luckily I had our trusted lead foot cab driver in play – because that’s the way I roll.  We were on our way to the annual Women for Wine Sense conference and  arriving early to taste wine on Thursday and Friday.

Our flight to Sacramento was uneventful (more on the way home in a later post). We arrived in Napa a little before noon and went to find our rental car.  A little over an hour later the four of us and the Buick were at Gott’s Roadside, formerly known as Taylor’s Refresher, with an ahi burger and a glass of wine in hand as we waited for the others to arrive.  This is living!  Unfortunately I made the choice to have some of the sweet potato fries which set off my downward spiral of not so healthy eating. 

We went to find our hotel at the Napa River Inn and Jen, my roomie, and I received our room assignment in the “bunker.”  While many of the Napa River Inn rooms had cute little balconies, flowers and a scenic view of the river, let’s just say that the Alamo might have been fought in ours. Although our men of Texas might have surrendered as we could hear the water dripping from the tub upstairs all night.   But, hey, who actually sleeps at their hotel in Napa anyway – it’s all about the wine.

And speaking of wine … ten of us made the journey to Rudd for our first tasting.  After a beautiful tour of their gardens and facilities, we got to sample.  We started with the 07 Rudd Russian River Valley Chardonnay.  It had a big lemon taste with notes of tropical fruits and floral.  It was made in a French style and retailed for $65.  Next came the Sauvignon Blanc from Mount Veeder which had a touch of semillon added.  At $50, I tasted guava, a little spiciness and it was made in the white burgundy style. 

We then moved on to the big reds and the bigger price tags.  The first was the Rudd Crossroads Cabernet, their second label cab.  Big berry, a touch of tartness and currant were the things that I tasted.  The next wine was the Oakville Estate Propriety Red at $125.  A friend described this as “cut with a fork good.”  I concur.  Finally, we tasted the group favorite – the Edge Hill Mixed Blacks, which was a blend of five varietals.  I tasted vanilla, chocolate and it had a great balance.  For $100, this was my personal favorite of all the reds.

Our next stop was Ad Hoc in Yountville.  As always, our dinner was amazing and they accommodated the vegetarian and a few others who preferred fish over meat.  We brought several bottles of the Edge Hill Mixed Blacks which wonderfully topped off to the meal.  At that point, the girls on Central Standard Time needed to go back to the bunker and get some rest.

A Night of Cleavage Creek Wines

Earlier this week  I wrote about a breast cancer survivor who is participating in the Dallas Three-Day.  As a follow up to that I thought this column should be about a winery that supports the fight against breast cancer.  

Budge Brown was married to his wife, Arlene, for 48 years.  When she lost her battle with breast cancer in 2005, he launched Cleavage Creek wines to wage an attack on breast cancer.   The label of each bottle of Cleavage Creek features the image of an actual breast cancer survivor whose story is told on the Cleavage Creek website.   Ten percent of gross  sales are donated to cutting edge research in the fight against breast cancer.  

Because I’ve been pretty active in the fight against breast cancer through my work with Susan G. Komen for the Cure and having watched the battles that my friends and family have faced with breast cancer, I am passionate about the Cleavage Creek cause.  This week I thought it was a great time to invite some friends over to taste the wines provided to me by Cleavage Creek. 

Two of my closest girlfriends and I gathered at my house with three sets of Riedel glasses at our disposal.  I loved the story, I loved my correspondence with the winery on Twitter and I really wanted to love the wines.  I held my breath and started opening bottles.

 First we tried the 08 Secret White, which retails for $18.  Fermented in stainless steel, I loved the apricot, pineapple, honey and tropical fruit with great acidity. This wine got rave results from the group, one of who is not a fan of white wine.  This bottle quickly disappeared.

The 08 Tracy Hills Reserve Chardonnay had a floral essence and smelled like butterscotch to me.  I also got citrus and honeydew.  It’s aged for eight months in new French oak and retails for $18. For Chardonnay lovers, it’s a traditional Chardonnay.

Our last wine was the 07 Tracy Hills Merlot Shiraz was described as “wine you can eat with a spoon.”  We got big raspberry and blackberry tastes and a smooth finish.  A very enjoyable wine and a great deal at $18.

So Budge – as a mom, sister and daughter I thank you for dedicating your life to honoring your wife and doing so much for a world without breast cancer.  As a wine blogger, I hold my glass up to you and thank you for making some good wines.  Cheers!

Sensory Overload

“I taste tobacco with a hint of currant and maybe even some shoe leather. To me, this is a big cherry fruit bomb …”

I refused to make eye contact with my husband. I knew that I was in for the classic eye roll or perhaps the under-the-table shin kick.

We were at dinner with those friends — you know, the ones who knew so much more about wine than we did. The ones who knew about swirling, proper stemware, what flavors should be in a certain glass of wine, and were willing to spend much more than we wanted to per bottle.

On the conversation home, my husband asked me, “Did you really taste all of those flavors? I taste … wine. And, why in the heck would I want to drink shoe leather?”

Over the years and after drinking many bottles of wine, I am at the point where I can taste certain flavors in a glass. But reading tasting notes or sitting around with your friends enjoying wine is one thing. When you have to do it without notes, without discussion, and without anything but your intuition and palate, that’s another.

So, I thought I’d put my knowledge to the test at a sensory evaluation tasting hosted by Women for Wine Sense. Or as my husband, who attended the tasting with me, put it, Women, Plus One Man, for Wine Sense.

Our group met on a sunny Saturday morning and we were given one caveat — no coffee before the tasting. The organizers wanted our taste buds to be fresh for what was ahead.

Armed with four white wines and one intimidating blank piece of paper, we began our sensory journey. The first hour was spent focusing on sight and smell. We were asked to judge each wine by its clarity — was it cloudy or clear — as well as its color.

Yes, all were “white” wines, but they were different shades. Two of the wines had hints of green in their color, one was pale, and one was golden.

For smell, we were asked to swirl the wine and take a deep whiff. Grapefruit. Menthol. Green pepper. Lychee. Butterscotch. Melon. Lemon. Vanilla, or Coppertone as I deemed it.

I smelled these aromas in those four wines. They then passed out about 20 samples of various items, including small roses, butter, pear, and lemon to allow us to smell different aromas and see if this woke up our olfactory senses.

It was then time to taste — hurray!. We judged for sweetness, acidity, bitterness, and any saltiness — ew, thankfully none. You taste sweet things with the tip of your tongue.Acidity is determined on the sides of your tongue. And bitterness is detected in the back.

We sipped. We swirled. We spat into buckets. And then we repeated the process.

Finally we had to come to conclusions about the types of wine. I correctly picked three out of the four — sauvignon blanc, riesling, and gewurztraminer. But I was shocked to find that I missed the most obvious of them all — an oaked chardonnay. It was my least favorite of the bunch, smelled like Coppertone, and was uninspiring.

It was a really cool experiment and a fun exercise.

The next time you pour a glass of wine, stop for a minute. Swirl it in the glass and look at the color. What do you see?

Put your nose deep into the glass and take a big whiff. What do you smell? Take a small sip of the wine and think about the different flavors that you taste.

And finally, if you are up for the challenge, put it in a brown bag and see if your friends can figure out the varietal.

I currently don’t see a sensory evaluation class on the calendar in Dallas for March or April.  But, when one is scheduled, forego the coffee and give it a try. I promise you won’t have to taste shoe leather.