Two White Wines

The next two grape varieties on my list were Airen and Albarino. I decided to share my taste testing on a Sunday afternoon with my wine friends Steve and Virginia. Of course we had to wait until after the Dallas Cowboy's game as wine always tastes better with a Cowboy win. Our first grape was Airen, which according to Steve DeLong (www.delongwine.com) " .... Airen isn't grown anywhere else but Spain and in Spain isn't really grown outside of the arid plains of La Mancha. To be sure, most people haven't heard of this bigger than life eccentric as they have La Mancha's other bigger than life eccentric, Cervantes's Don Quixote." ( remember Peter O'Toole and Sophia Loren in the movie Man of La Mancha). I purchased a bottle of 2007 Marques De Caza Airen at the Addison Goody Goody store for $5.99 and also a bottle of 2007 Vizconde de Barrantes Albarino from Rias Baixas, Spain for $12.99. First we tasted the Airen and found it light with subtle citrus notes, no oak and low acidity. It was very pleasant. We then tried the Albarino which Steve commented had a bigger nose (more aromatic) with a hint of floral (lilac). It was softer than the Airen, with good acidity and of the two, was a better food wine. Can't forget the food! and since we were sipping Spanish wines, Virginia put together a beautiful table of tapas....artichoke and spinach dip, scallops wrapped in bacon, olive tapenade, crab rangoon, and of course, Manchego cheese. We learned that there are 2 different types of Manchego cheese. One is the Mexican variety which is softer and good for melting and the second type is from La Mancha, hence Manchego. You can find this variety, Manchego el Trigal at Whole Foods.
We decided that these refreshing wines would be great summer patio wines and while sipping, we'll rent Man of La Mancha and nibble on Manchego cheese.

Aglianico, A Southern Italian Grape

Aglianico, ( ah-LYAH-nee-koh) a red wine Italian grape found primarily in Southern Italy can either be a varietal ( 100% Aglianico grape) or used in blends. Hot climate and volcanic soils are the perfect combination for this grape to flourish. I found this variety at the Addison Goody Goody liquor store (one again the wine manager Robert assisted me) in a 2005 Rubrato Aglianico Dei Feudi di San Gregorio which ran approximately $17.00. This wine is from the Campania region home to Naples, Mount Vesuvius and of course the beautiful Amalfi Coast. I invited Jane and Meredith to join me again for a taste testing. After reading about this grape, I decided to decant the wine for an hour and glad that I did because after the first sip, Jane commented that it made her “gills quiver”. The second sip was so much better as we paired the wine with a pungent pasteurized cow’s milk cheese, Robiola di Bosco which was strong enough to hold up to the strong tannins and high acidity in the wine. We tried a softer cheese and fruit but they were definitely overwhelmed by the wine. Later I served a spicy and tangy Pasta Puttanesca with black olives, tomatoes, anchovies, and capers. This dish was a great choice to balance the intense concentration of flavors in the wine. Once again, I discovered a wine that reached it's potential with the right food pairing and of course the perfect company~
Salute!

Day 1, Grape 1, Wine 1

I could hardly wait to begin the adventure! But first I had to figure out how to pronounce Agiorgitiko (ah-zhero-Gee-tee-koh). What a mouthful, I wonder if the grape will match its name. As I mentioned earlier, I will be referring to the The New Wine Lover’s Companion for definitions and pronunciations. This red grape variety is thought to be one of Greek’s oldest grape varieties and the second most planted grape in the country. With a bottle of 2005 Boutari Nemea in hand ( made up of 100% Agiorgitiko), my taste testers Meredith and Jane joined me for an evening of Greek dining at Opa Grill, a wonderful BYOB Greek restaurant in Dallas. Watching the waitress pour the wine in our glasses, we could feel ourselves getting caught up in a Greek moment as we nibbled on humus, calamari, and yummy green olives and tried our first sip of the Agiorgitiko variety. The red wine was light, mild and almost bordered bland but then as we continued sipping, we noticed how much the food brought out the flavor of the wine. It only got better! I can’t imagine a better way to taste this variety than pairing it with Pastitso (Greek lasagna), Spanakopita (spinach layered with phyllo), Gyro, Dolma and a wonderful lemon soup called Avgolemono.
Referring to Tyler Coleman in his book, A Year of Wine, “Context is wildly underrated when it comes to enjoying wine. Where we are, whom we’re with, what time of year it is and what we are eating…… and even how we are drinking it all influences our perceptions of wine.” So our experience of tasting this Greek grape variety was heightened by the delicious Spanakopita and the delightful murals on the walls and Greek background music. Yes, the mood and food definitely played a part in this tasting…. at one point we could see ourselves sitting in an outdoor cafe in Athens, sipping Agiorgitiko.

Getting Organized

In order to get ready to drink wine from 100 different grape varieties, (blends count) I had to get organized. I purchased a Moleskine black book (the legendary notebook used by European artists and thinkers for the past two centuries, from Van Gogh to Picasso to Hemingway....might as well continue the tradition of great writers) and I listed one grape variety per page. Since the majority of the names are unrecognizable, I highlighted the red grapes in red so at a glance, I can easily access the list in my little black book. An important resource will be the The New Wine Lover's Companion with history, geography and pronunciation of the grape varieties.

With black book in hand, I was ready to start the wine journey. The first variety on the list is Agiorgitiko, a red Greek grape. Since I live in a dry area in Dallas, I usually do my wine shopping in Addison, where the liquor stores are lined up one after the other. I walked in to store # 1 and asked if they carried Greek wines. All three of the attendants stared at me cluelessly so I repeated, "Greek, like Zorba the Greek". One of the women asked me to follow her as she shuffled to the Australia aisle and pointed to the "Jacob's Creek". Well, I knew at that point that part of this journey was going to be just finding the wine. My next stop at store # 2 was the same story, no Greek wines. Finally at Goody Goody, I located a $15.00 bottle of 2005 Boutari Nemea, made from 100% Agiorgitiko grapes. Thank heavens for the wine manager, Robert Emery who will become my new best friend as I embark on this journey~

P.S. I would love for anyone to join me in this project. Download the list and then we'll start with the first A and move to the last Z. You are welcome to post your comments on any of these varieties.

100 Sips with Tina from A to Z

I love the movie "Julie and Julia" starring Meryl Streep as Julia Child. The film follows events in Julia Child's early years in her culinary career and a young woman, Julie Powell, who challenges herself to cook all 524 recipes from Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking in one year and blog on it. Each time I saw the movie ( yes, I have to admit more than once) I not only came away inspired to try Julia's Boeuf Bourguignon but a little bummed. Bummed because why didn't I think of the "Julia project" first? Later, this month as I was reading Tyler Coleman's A Year in Wine, he mentions Steve and Deborah DeLong's Wine Century Club. The De Long's have listed 184 grape varieties and if you try at least 100, you are qualified to join the Wine Century Club. Bingo!! I have found my "Julia project"!
I immediately went to their website and downloaded the application, http://www.delongwine.com/ . Am I ready for the challenge? Tasting 100 varieties from A to Z? According to their website, "The common grape varieties are typically considered the "big six": Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling. Does that mean Chenin Blanc, Sangiovese and Syrah are considered exotic? No, but when you really get down to it, every wine grape variety is considered ordinary or typical in some part of the world, which makes trying "uncommon" wine grape varieties all the more fun: you can be transported to a faraway place with just a sip!"
Ok, I'm ready to join these adventurous wine lovers! 100 sips with Tina from A to Z.

Red Caboose 3rd Annual Grape Stomp

How have I lived in Dallas for close to 9 years and never discovered the beauty of Central Texas? Or even the people? On my 2nd trip to Meridian in one week, I revisited the Red Caboose Winery & Vineyards and participated in their 3rd Annual Grape Stomp. Evan & Gary McKibben, the dynamic father/son team hosted the event and their careful planning provided everyone in attendance a "stomping" good time. Guests were each given a Red Caboose personalized souvenir wine glass, plate and t-shirt.
The thunderstorms which lasted all afternoon did little to dampen spirits. Guests gathered on the back patio, listening to the music of the Gordon Collier Band, www.gordoncollierband.com Winner of the 2007 Country Band of the Year Award from the Music Association of Central Texas. They entertained for hours as we sipped red wine with new friends and enjoyed the warmth from the fireplace. Can it get any better? In between the wine, music and food, we found time to crush the grapes. Protected from the rain, large vats of grapes were set up for the grape stomp. There's always a first time for everything, and this was my virgin crush. After rolling up the pants, washing my feet in a bucket of clean water, I climbed into the barrels full of purple & blue grapes. Wow! Cold and squishy was my first reaction. Then after a few turns, with grape juice all over my feet, I climbed out and stepped onto my white souvenir t-shirt which the staff had placed on the ground. How much fun to have a reminder of your crushing adventure with your footprints.
Unfortunately time doesn't stop at the Red Caboose, and after a delightful afternoon, it was time to venture out into the rain and I-35 back home. But first we had to make some purchases of their 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot and the 2007 Cabernet France Tempranillo, something to remind us of the good times at the Red Caboose. In addition, we purchased a couple of t-shirts with the winery logo on the back and a very clever slogan " We have something NAPA never will...we are surrounded by Texas. " Don't you just love Texans! So proud... look out California~
I'll be returning to their 4th Grape Stomp next year and this time I'll be a veteran~ Look out Lucy and Ethel!

Red Caboose Winery

Yesterday, I drove to Meridian, Texas to visit with Gary and Evan McKibben, the amazing father and son team of the Red Caboose Winery and Vineyards, http://www.redcaboosewinery.com/. Evan greeted me with his engaging smile and escorted us down to the patio that overlooked the beautiful vineyards. His father, Gary was busy preparing barbeque pulled pork pizza in the Austin stone outdoor kitchen which was paired with their 2007 Tempranillo. The exciting news is that they took the gold for their 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2007 Syrah-Tempranillo at the 2009 Texas Grapefest People's Choice award in Grapevine, Texas. While enjoying the pizza and Tempranillo, Gary sat down and chatted with us before the next wave of guests arrived. The Red Caboose, which is part of the WOW (Way Out Wineries) was hosting (along the with the other 7 wineries) an afternoon of tasting 5 wines. Gary explained that they do not grow grapes but they grow wine! You could tell from the smiles on their faces, how proud and excited they were of their winery and their future expansion plans. Their passion was so contagious as they both moved from table to table charming the guests with stories while pouring the wine. Everyone was captivated not only with the father & son but found the wines to be very tasty and of course with Gary's yummy pizza hot out of the outdoor wood burning oven.
What a discovery! I'll be back next week to join their 3rd annual Grape Stomp with thoughts of Lucy and Ethel~