Dallas Wine Chick

Brown Bagging: A Blind Tasting Experience

Before the holidays, a group of Dallas-based wine folks gathered together for our first brown bag tasting event.  We tried ten wines in an informal format at Campania Pizza in Uptown, who was generous enough to waive the corkage fee. 

The parameters were wide open – a red wine in the neighborhood of $20-25 a bottle.  I was really intrigued to see what the group would bring as it was a varied group of wine lovers – some formally trained and some self taught – all interested in continuing their journey with wine. 

Here was the line-up and my reactions:

• Cooper L’inizio – 2008 (Washington).  After hosting Neal Cooper on his first Dallas visit last year and being impressed with Washington State wine at the Wine Bloggers Conference 2010, I thought I’d bring something that the rest of the tasters couldn’t get in Texas.  Note that I did break the rules a bit and bring a bottle that is now estimated to sell around $40 in very limited quantities.  Definitely in my top three wines.
• Inwood Estates 2008 Cornelius (Texas) I admit it – I continue to struggle with the price point and payoff of this wine.  @jftxwine brought it as the zinger of the night and I tasted concrete and something sweet that didn’t work for me especially at $40.
• Petalos Bierzo 09 (Spain).  I tasted blueberry, spice and a hint of floral, which may have been lavender.
• La Vierge,” Cahors 07 (France), smoky, dark cherry, flinty, meaty and earthy.  This wine is referred to as the “French Malbec”
• Mollydooker The Boxer (Australia) – After having the ability to spend some time with Sparky and Mum late last year, talking about these guys is like talking about family.  I tasted big berry, licorice, oak and cedar.
• Bodini Malbec – 2010 (Argentina).  Berry, meaty, licorice abound in this juicy Malbec.
• Toasted Head Cabernet Sauvignon 09 (California).  Cherry, cassis, coffee and some spice.
• Haven’s Meritage 09 Rutherford (California).  Blueberries, vanilla, spice and a big juicy red.  Definitely in my top three wines.
• Domaine Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage Blanc 09 (France).  Raspberry, cardamom, smoky with a little pepper.  On my top three list.
• Pagos del Moncejo Garnacha 08 (Spain).  Cedar, spice, vanilla and cherry.

We had a great time, ate some really good pizza and enjoyed diverse wines from around the world.  Our next brown bag tasting is in early February and we’ll taste Pinot Noirs.  I just happen to have another surprise in store.

Matching Wine with Beef Tongue: My Chefs Under Fire Culinary Experience

The Winning Dish - Courtesy of Steven Doyle, Crave DFW

I attended the third annual 2011 Dallas/Fort Worth Chefs Under Fire Regional Culinary Competition last month at the Milestone Culinary Arts Center.  The contest, which is sponsored by the Keep Collection, LLC, was won by Kevin Martinez of Tokyo Cafe with a dish of seared tilefish, fresh peach and tomato salsa on a corn and okra-yuzu succotash topped with crispy shallots.  It looked great.  However, only the chef judges – Chef Tim Byres of SMOKE, Katie Natale of Four Seasons Resort and Club and Sharon Van Meter of Milestone Culinary Arts Center got to try the dishes.

The Wine Matching Challenge of a Lifetime

The rest of us had an array of appetizers to taste and a wine and food demo from Commissary Chef John Tesar, who prepared beef tongue, and Sommelier Scott Barber who had to match the dish with wines.  The question of the day is what wine do you serve with beef tongue?  Barber recommended two whites and a red.

Scott Barber, the Man with A Plan — Courtesy of Steven Doyle, Crave DFW

The Line Up

• 09 Château de Sancerre “Passe Avant le Meilleur” Sancerre, Loire Valley.  The minerality, pepper and smoky taste came out when paired with the beef tongue. A very crisp and subtle wine that stood up to the green notes in the salsa verde sauce.
• 2007 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Schlossberg Riesling Spätlese.  This wine paired surprisingly well with the spices used on the tongue and with the floral, honey and tropical notes.
• 09 Château St. Jean de la Gineste Vieilles Vignes Corbières.  The lone red paired with the black fruit and Asian spices used in preparing the dish.  It was a mix of fruit and earthiness.

Gene and Julie Gates of 103.7 Lite FM cracked me up as guest emcees of the event.   

Chef Martinez will now advance to compete at the Chefs Under Fire final competition to be held on October 16 in Austin, TX.  There, he will compete against Chef Daniel Valenzuela, a student at Escoffier School of Culinary Arts who won the Austin/San Antonio challenge, as well as the Houston Regional Winner for a one week stay in Los Cabos.

Wines Rated Over 90 and Under $30 Wine Club: The Intersection of Class and Sass

On Saturday night, my husband and I gathered with some of my favorite people for our bi-monthly wine club. The theme was wines that were rated over 90 points and cost under $30. We started out with an impressive display of gourmet cheese, hummus, breads, pates and prosciutto as well as two starter (or as we call them, swill) wines. The first was an 07 Olivares Altos de la Hoya. This Spanish wine was rated 91 points and well priced at $11.99. The second, was the Signargues La Font due Vent Cotes du Rhone 06, which was rated 91 points and priced at $14.99. I personally enjoyed both of them, but the Rhone seemed to be the clear winner among the group, especially after it had a chance to open up.

Then the games began. Flight one was comprised of six wines beginning with the Pazo Senorans Albarino 06 from Spain. I found it fruity, but with some minerality that kept it from being cloying. It was rated a 92 and priced at $27 (29 cents per point). The second wine was the Tablas Creek “Cotes de Tablas Blanc.” I tasted guava, peach and apricot and likened it to the drink “Sex on the Beach.” It was rated 92 points and priced at $23 (25 cents per point). The third wine, a Melville Estate Viognier, had an essence of peach, apricot, orange blossom and floral tones. It was rated 90 points and priced at $22 (24 cents a point). Around this time, smoked salmon and trout on polenta was served to the table with a lovely crème fraiche. It paired nicely with the whites served. But, this group generally prefers reds, so we made the switch on wine number four – the 08 Borsao Tres Picos Grenache with big flavors of blackberry and liquorce had a nice balance. Priced at $18 (20 cents per point) and rated 91, it was one of my favorites from the first flight. Wine number five was the 07 Descendientes de Jose Palcios Petalos from Spain. Full of raspberry, blackberry and smoke, the wine was rated 91 points and is priced at $22 (24 cents a point). The final wine of this flight was the 05 Capcanes Mas Donis rhone blend from Spain. The cherry, blackberry, liquorice and herbs made this the most interesting of the flight. Priced at $16 (18 cents per point), this wine is rated 91 points making it the best value of the flight and another favorite.

At the intersection between the first and second flight of wines, I find that the conversation usually splinters off from class into sass. Because I’d like to not be tossed out of the group, I won’t go into details here, but the conversation is always fast, furious, fun and many times, inappropriate.

At this point, a savory beef stew was served to begin the second flight of wines. The first, a Luigi Bosca Reserve Malbec tasted earthy with blackberry and espresso essences. At $20 and 90 points (22 cents per point), it fulfilled what a Malbec should be. The second wine was the 07 Clos de los Siete Super Red Blend. I tasted black currant, hints of oak and black cherry. Priced at $20 and rated a 91 (22 cents per point), it was a nice wine. The third wine was one of the hidden zingers that didn’t fit the criteria for wine club because that’s the way we roll. The 05 L’Aventure Estate Cuvee tasted of currant, liquorce, chocolate and spice. And, at $75 (and 77 cents per point), it was rated a 97. I liked this much more until I found out the price. The fourth wine was a 07 First Class Shiraz from South Australia. I tasted chocolate, berry and smelled a hint of bacon. Priced at $28 (31 cents per point) and rated a 90, it was one of my favorites. The fifth wine was aptly named the 07 Suxx Shiraz. In my opinion, it is an appropriate name. It was priced at $24 and rated 91 points (26 cents per point). The final wine was also a favorite – even after finding out it too was a zinger. The 04 Domaine Santa Duc Gigondas Cuvee Prestige. Full of black cherry, liquorce, pepper and currant.. It was priced at $57 and rated 94 points (61 cents per point).

Usually, at the end of a tasting, we choose one wine that the group will purchase to drink at the end of year party. However, due to a few pregnancies of core group members (not those attending this evening) and the inability to agree upon one favorite, we changed the plan. While this group knows a great deal about wine, we all have different palates and taste preferences. It’s a good reminder to me that the best wine out there is one that you enjoy – no matter what the critics say.