Italian Winemakers in Houston - Benveneto Brunello 2013

It is a great time to be an Italian wine lover in Houston. The Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino previewed some of the wines of the four-star rated 2008 vintage at the Wynden last week. The event called Benveneto Brunello USA is two exclusive tastings held every year in America, this year in Houston and New York. Wine professionals from all over Texas came to to the tasting to be the first in America to taste these wines. I felt fortunate to also be treated to a seminar and Brunello tasting with Kevin Zraly, author of Windows on the World Complete Wine Course. I plan on writing more about that later.
I thoroughly enjoyed every wine that I tasted. The 2008 Brunellos were intense and complex yet elegant. Most were very approachable and ready to drink now though they can certainly be held. I really enjoyed all the Rosso di Montalcinos that I tasted as well, these were from both the 2010 and the 2011 vintage. There were also many Moscadello di Montalcino and a few Sant'Antimo wines to try.
As I am looking through all my information and notes from this tasting one week later, from a room full of great wines, these are the ones that stood out the most to me.

2010 Fattoria dei Barbi Rosso di Montalcino
2010 Sasso di Sole Rosso di Montalcino
2007 Villa Poggio Salvi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva
Everything I tasted from Il Poggione - Both the 2010 and 2011 Rosso di Montalcino, the 2008 Brunello and, most of all, the 2007 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Vigna Paganelli
Everything from Donatella Cinelli Colombini- particularly the 2008 Progetto Prime Donne, but also the 2007 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva and the 2010 Rosso di Montalcino. The 1999 Donatella Cinelli Colombini Brunello di Montalcino was my favorite of the three older vintages we tasted.

The event was fantastic and the wines were exceptional. Both the Brunellos and the Rossos are wines that work so well with the heavy beef meals that we tend to consume so frequently here in Texas, they are certainly wines to look for not only when you are out wine shopping but also to look for on the wine lists of the many restaurants in town that serve them. Salute!

Donatella Cinelli Colombini - winemaker

Lust Zinfandel 2007

My husband loves this wine so he purchased quite a few bottles at a recent Michael~David dinner that we had attended. Last night, I decided to open a bottle to serve with dinner. I was making a roasted southwestern pork tenderloin, sweet potato fries (w/ chipolte ketchup) and a salad consisting of baby lettuce (fresh from my garden) with strawberries, red bell peppers, red onions and walnuts tossed with a white balsamic-raspberry vinaigrette. This turned out to be a great pairing. It is a bold wine that really stood up to the strong chipolte seasoning while complementing the fruit flavors. I opened the bottle a 1/2 hour before I served it as I have found this wine to be more enjoyable when I do so. The Lust Zinfandel by Michael~David 2007 was a dark purple color with a ruby rim. It has intense aromas of very ripe mixed berries and baking spices-both allspice and ginger with hints of ...

Introducing Oltrepò Pavese - An Italian Sparkling Wine that You Should Know

Last year, I had the opportunity to travel to Italy to taste the wines of Oltrepò Pavese. I discovered that these sparkling wines are based on Pinot Noir, they are made in the traditional method, like Champagne, and most importantly, they are an Italian hidden gem that bubble lovers across the world need to put on their radar. In the August issue of Galveston Monthly magazine, I introduce these wines to my readers.

World of Pinot Noir in Santa Barbara -on location

Tasting Rombauer Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with Pacific Ocean views. I was given the opportunity to attend the annual World of Pinot Noir event last month which brings together the foremost Pinot Noir wineries and winemakers from around the world in a weekend-long celebration of this enticing wine. Champagne to Bourgogne in France, down under wines from Tasmania in Australia, Pinot focused wineries in South America, and all along America's premium West Coast Pinot regions including Santa Barbara, Russian River Valley, up to Willamette Valley, this is truly a celebration of Pinot Noir from around the world. A Grand Tasting of Pinot Noir at the Ritz Carlton Bacara. Though the house was full ,it was still easy to maneuver to the different tasting tables to sip with the many winemakers on the floor. Attendees have the opportunity to enjoy tasting classes, paired winemaker lunches and dinners, and two Grand Tastings in the refined comfort of the Ritz Carlton Bacara Hotel in ...

Wine Life - Houston

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