What’s a Wine Lover To Do? ~ This great guide by fellow Austinite, Wes Marshall, is a perfect stocking stuffer. It’s informative (very useful index) yet light hearted approach makes it a must for you and your friends. Take Wes’s description of Pinot Noir Styles. Oregon Pinots are described as being “lean, cool, and intelligent,” like Cate Blanchette while California Pinots are depicted by Angelina Jolie, “earthy, lusty and more direct.” Quick…serve me a Pinot! Continue reading »
What if you made some of the most amazing art in the world but only a few very small galleries would show it. Few would see it. Few would have a chance to be moved by it. Imagine an original Picasso sitting in an art shop in Muleshoe, Texas unseen by all but the occasional customer. Not you. Not me.
That unfortunately is the fate of many small, family, boutique and artisan wineries. Maybe a few wine shops carry their label. Maybe a few restaurants, probably none in your city, have it on their over-priced bottle list. Even if the winery lands a distributor in your locale, this great but unknown wine fights for the distributor’s time and efforts when frankly, it’s much easier to place well known brands. You and me, well, we rarely get the chance to taste or even discover these great expressions of art and passion. Continue reading »
Charlie & Stu Smith of Smith-Madrone
A while back Donna and I received an invitation to meet, eat and drink with historic Napa Valley winemaker Stu Smith of Smith-Madrone. The dinner was held during a starlit evening on the rooftop patio of their Denver distributor. The crowd was not too big and many of us were not very familiar with this fairly small producer. Stu Smith cut quite a figure as he spoke easily and generously with the guests. Husky and bearded, Stu reminded me of Jeremiah Johnson after a trip to the barber shop. His style is soft but firm, a real straight shooter. Some weeks later I was talking to a restaurateur who referred to Stu as “the real deal.” I could not agree more. Continue reading »
What’s better than “A day at the fair?” Today was the 20th anniversary of the Fredericksburg Wine and Food Fest in Fredericksburg, Texas. Fredericksburg is the epicenter of the exploding and now widely recognized Texas Hill Country Wine Trail, about 70 miles from either Austin or San Antonio. A long time tourist destination, Fredericksburg was in my youth, better known for growing some of the sweetest and juiciest peaches known to mankind. They send Georgia peaches home cryin’ every time.
Over the last ten years wineries have sprouted like bluebonnets all across the Hill Country. There are close to 40 of the 200 wineries in Texas along the roads of this picturesque area. Are all the wines good? No. But as a whole they improve each year and some Voiginers and Tempranillos, in my opinion, have made it to “Damn, that’s Tasty!” status. Continue reading »
During our recent trip to Napa Valley and Sonoma Wine Country we met some fascinating people and learned more than we expected. Here are four take away bites we wanted to share with you. Continue reading »
