Dinner at Vallone's with Silvia Franco

I had a fantastic night out in Houston at the end of May with Jeremy Parzen, Mai Pham, Alfonso Cevola and Silvia Franco. The evening began at Vallone's with a tasting of some Nino Franco wines and ended with a trip to Camarata to check out the latest offerings from David Keck. As always, the food and wine were delicious and, on this evening, both the wine and the company were sparkling.

We tasted through the following wines over miniature lobster roll appetizers:

Rustica Prosecco Superiore NV- fresh and crisp with a subtle pear and citrus aroma and flavor with a touch of yeast.
Brut Prosecco Superiore NV- dry, fresh and crisp with delicate aromas of citrus blossoms and flavors of apricot and pear with a hint of yeast.
And, the unusual 2011 Faive Rosé Brut Sparkling; this wine is made from 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc rather than the usual Glera grape that is used to produce Prosecco. It was dry and crisp with fresh aromas and light flavors of red berries and apricot.

All were refreshing, crisp and very drinkable. They were drier and less fruity than other Prosecco I have tasted and they were somewhat softer and easier drinking than some other sparkling wines of the world. I couldn't pick a favorite, all are recommended.

I learned that Silvia enjoys tasting wine from whatever country she is traveling in while doing business and sharing tastes of her family's fantastic wines. In addition to our Prosecco tasting, we had a "new to the Vallone's wine list" Willamette Valley Pinot Noir to wind down dinner. Check with the sommelier to try that wine or whatever else might be new to the menu now. You can't go wrong.

An Immersive Introduction into the World of Asolo Prosecco

Dinner Views at Osteria Alla Baracca. I was very excited to visit the Asolo DOCG Prosecco region at the end of May on a press trip as it is an Italian area that I have not previously traveled through. Asolo is located in the Province of Treviso at the foot of Monte Grappa in the high hills to the west of the Piave River with views of the Dolomites. The grapes are grown in 17 communes surrounding the town of Asolo. The days were very warm while I was there but I needed a sweater or light jacket on most evenings due to the diurnal swing that makes it a great area for grape growing. Wines from the Master Class Tasting. Asolo was elevated to the DOCG level in 2009. The majority of the Prosecco that I have found in Houston is Prosecco DOC which is mostly from very large producers. Asolo was separated from this category and the region was given this higher status because there are terroir elements that make it distinctive in the world of Prosecco. The Sant'Anna Vineyard. Many of the vin

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 cedar. It has flavors of creme de cassis, milk chocolate and also more of the baking

Effervescent Elegance

In the December 2023 issue of Galveston Monthly , I explore the world of classic method sparkling wine. The holiday season is always an excellent time to enjoy some effervescent elegance in your glass!

Wine Life - Houston

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