Colombard, Cortese and Corvina

What a treat to discover during a tasting at the Dallas Food and Wine Festival, two of the white grape varieties on my A-Z list. Colombard, a white grape often used in France for distilling into Cognac and Ugni-Blanc also know as Trebbiano, another French white grape variety. Ugni-Blanc can also be found in many Italian white wines. These grapes were blended in a very delightful white wine which was a silver medal winner, Domaine Du Tariquet, Vin de Pays des Cotes de Gascogne 2009. A 3rd generation family winery produced this light, lemony, acidic and very easy to drink wine and it's only $8.99!

The next grape variety on my list is Cortese, a white grape from the Piedmont region of Italy. Of course, when I need to find an Italian wine, I turn to Jimmy's Italian market. The white wine with the Cortese grape, Michele Chiarlo 2008 Gavi was light, fruity and would make a fabulous summer wine and did I love its aroma of fresh peaches! The best way to serve it is chilled and for dinner I paired it with bowtie pasta tossed in a creamy basil pesto and for dessert....peach pound cake! My oh My!

Next is the Corvina grape, an Italian red grape variety blended with two other red grapes, Rondinella and Molinara in a 2007 Fabiano Valpolicella. This light bodied wine with a hint of tart cherries was a good pairing with rigatoni pasta tossed with roasted asparagus, cherry tomatoes, shallots and mushrooms. I discovered this wine at a hidden treasure in Dallas called La Cave Warehouse. (http://www.lacavewarehouse.com/) What a find! I am so impressed with their wine selections, temperature control and Gabe.... who is extremely knowledgeable on wines with great customer service. Every time I enter La Cave, I feel that I am taking a trip around the world in first class.

Cinsault

Cinsault (San-soh) is a red grape variety that is widely planted in France. In the southern Rhone area of France, it is often found as a blend with Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre. I explored this grape in a very affordable bottle of Réserve Perrin 2007 Côtes du Rhône which was a blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre and 10% Cinsault. This very flavorful, smooth, full bodied wine with its peppery, dark cherry notes was an excellent pairing with a creamy mac n' cheese. Yum!

Chenin Blanc-a Noble Grape

"Bees have their queens, wolves have their alpha males, gorillas have their silverbacks, and humans have their royal families. In the grape kingdom, there are nobles, too-at least as interpreted by the human beings who drink the wine made from those grapes. Noble grape varieties (as wine people call them) have the potential to make great-not just good-wine. Every noble grape variety can claim at least one wine region where it is the undisputed king. The wines made from noble grapes on their home turf can be so great that they inspire winemakers in far flung regions to grow the same grape in their own vineyards." (Wine for Dummies) This brings me to my next white grape variety on my list, Chenin Blanc from France's Loire Valley....a classic example of a noble grape. Susanna Griffith at the Walnut Hill Centennial liquor store here in Dallas assisted me with finding a great Chenin Blanc, Domanine de la Taille Aux Loups 2006 Vouvray. This medium bodied wine had a brilliant gold color with a fabulous almond, honey, apricot aroma. Need I say again, how much I love inhaling an aromatic wine! The wine was ideal with Central Market's crab cakes and fresh green beans with toasted almonds. I love Leslie Sbrocco's comment about a Vouvray Chenin Blanc wine in her book Wine for Women, "...it's apt to tingle your taste buds". What an evening for my senses!

Chardonnay-the Lynmar Way!

I couldn't wait to get to the Chardonnay grape so I could share with you my fascination for a very special winery in California. A couple of years ago I discovered Lynmar Estates, Quail Hill Vineyards in the Laguna Ridge area of Russian River Valley in Sonoma County. My darling friend, Allison and I were "touring" the wine country and accidently discovered Lynmar. Last weekend, while I was attending the Women For WineSense Grand Event in Napa, I had the opportunity to visit Lynmar with Virginia, one of the 20 women from Dallas attending the weekend's events. I could blog for hours on Lynmar and its incredible views and culinary and sensory gardens, but this blog is about the grape....the Chardonnay grape. According to Leslie Sbrocco in Wine for Women, " it's the number-one-selling white in America, and 'I'll have the Chardonnay' has become a national motto. It takes on the character and complexity depending upon where the grapes are grown and who turns them into wine. With an estimated 700 different Chardonnay bottlings on store shelves at any given time." Now, for Lynmar's Chardonnay! I sipped a glass of a 2007 Lynmar Quail Hill Vineyard Chardonnay, a beautifully balanced wine with hints of lemon curd, lemon meringue and green apple. Did I mention that their wines have been served at the White House? Do you remember at the beginning of my blog journey when I referred to Tyler Coleman's definition of "context"? "Context is wildly underrated when it comes to enjoying wine. Where we are, whom we're with, what time of year it is, what we are eating, when in the wine's life-and ours-we are drinking it, and even how we are drinking in all influences our perception of wine." At Lynmar, I enjoyed a delicious glass of chardonnay surrounded by breathtaking views of the vineyards and gardens and laughter with new found friends. Anyone ready to return to Lynmar with me?

Charbono

I was pleasantly surprised when my son sent me a bottle of Mount St. Helena Heritage Sites 2005 Red Wine from the California Gamble Family Vineyards. The wine was a blend of Zinfandel, Syrah, Charbano, and Petite Sirah grapes. Charbano (shar-BOH-noh) is a red grape grown in Napa Valley and Mendicino County. I shared a glass with Meredith and she commented " after one sniff of the wine, all of the stress of the week is gone!" Words that come to mind...plush velvet, plummy fruit, soft, friendly tannins. A wine that caresses your senses~

Dinner at Julie's

One of my favorite dining spots is at my dear friend Julie's home. Not only is she an incredible cook but great wine and colorful conversations always flow. I never pass up an invitation to her house! She is always so good at last minute get-togethers and one particular night she called and invited me to join her for an evening of wine and cannelloni. I was out the door before we could hang up the phone! Julie, Hal and I began the evening by sipping a 2007 Chateau Millegrand Mourral while munching on a very tasty Coastal English white cheddar cheese. This delightful wine is a blend of 3 grapes that are handpicked from 60 year old vines in the Minervois appellation of France; 20% Grenache, 40% Carignan and 40% Syrah. I loved its aromas of dark ripe fruits, spices, herbs and a hint of licorice.

Over dinner we enjoyed a bottle of an Italian 2007 Antica Vigna which is a blend of these grapes: 50% Negroamaro, 30% Lambrusco and 20% Anglianico. The deep flavors of the wine are a result of the age of the vines -50 years (I try to remind myself that aging can be a good thing). This richly flavored wine was the "ticket" when served with Julie's sister-in-law's mouthwatering cannelloni recipe and a green salad tossed with Girard Champagne dressing. I can't begin to describe the magic of these food and wine combinations and then to top it off, Julie served a lemon cheese cake with raspberries. Can it get any better? What a delicious evening-did I mention that Julie wore a red hair piece? Stay tuned for more "richly flavored" evenings!