Wine Life - Houston

Matt Stamp, Master Sommelier I, along with most wine professionals I know, feel fortunate to have the chance to take these special event classes here in our town. Once again, Matt Stamp, Master Sommelier, came to Houston as part of the Guild of Sommeliers ongoing Masterclass series. The focus of this event was the wines of Napa Valley. It was a great class and the wine community of Houston is looking forward to more. Along with a good review of all things Napa, it was interesting to hear Matt Stamp's take on how some of the inner AVA's should be delineated (he feels the current system doesn't do justice to the terroir variation of Napa) and what to expect from the upcoming vintages. We also tasted three flights of great wine. All were well balanced, really nice wines that are worth seeking out. I put stars by some of my favorites. Flight 1: 2011 Matthiasson White - A Friulian style blend with some Semillion added. Fresh, crisp, light. * 2011 Chappellet Chenin B...

  My 22 year old son was home for a few days during Spring Break and requested grilled marinated pork chops for dinner. Since he became of legal drinking age, my husband and I have enjoyed sharing different wines with him to see which ones he really enjoys. I invited my father to join us for dinner and my son invited a friend as well. With my manly meal of pork, peppers and potatoes prepped for the grill, I decided to open a Rhone Valley Ros é to start as I had some cold boiled shrimp and Caprese salad kabobs out to nibble on while everything went on the grill. My son's friend was interested to learn that "all rosé is not bad or, you know, cheap wine" and that real men do drink pink wine as role modeled by my husband and father. The wine was Paul Jaboulet Parallele 45 Cotes du Rhone Rosé 2011. This rosé is a blend of 50% Grenache, 40% Cinsault and 10% Syrah. It smelled and tasted of fresh ripe strawberries with a bit of baking spice. Medium- body, al...

As originally seen in the March 2013 edition of Galveston Monthly magazine on page 38-39      

I was delighted to be invited to sit down with a small group for lunch with Michael Trujillo, the head winemaker for Sequoia Grove in Napa Valley, at Tony Mandola's  on Waugh Drive in Houston last week. An array of seafood appetizers was brought to the table to taste with the 2010 Sequoia Grove Chardonnay. Michael talked about his goal of creating wines that are not only well balanced but that also showcase the true character of the grapes and where they came from. I really enjoyed the Chardonnay, it was clean and crisp with aromas of apple and lemon tart. It was dry, with medium body, alcohol and acidity with flavors matching the aromas and a slightly toasty medium+ length. Highly recommended and available at Spec's for approximately $25. It was fantastic with the Oysters Damien, crab balls and fried calamari. I tasted the 2009 Sequoia Grove Napa Valley Cabernet with the seafood cannelloni from the lunch menu. This was a fruit forward Cabernet with aromas an...

As originally seen in Galveston Monthly in the February 2013 edition on page 33-34  

Gambero Rosso wrapped up its Houston event with a Vino Nobile di Montepulciano tasting and seminar. As I had already attended a Brunello tasting and met with a Chianti producer the week before, I was pretty excited to round out my top three wines from Tuscany tastings for the month. The noble wine from Montepulciano is based on the Sangiovese clone known as Prugnolo Gentile. It may be blended with Canaiolo, Mammolo or other international grapes. It is aged for a minimum of two years. The wines in the tasting: Tenuta di Gracciano della Seta Vino Nobile di Montelpulciano (90% Prugnolo Gentile and 10% Merlot) 1988 Clear, deep garnet with an orange rim. Low intensity, dried fruit, cherry and plum with dried leaves on the nose. Dry, medium body, acidity and alcohol, throwing sediment, losing oomph. Low intensity flavor. 2009 Clear, deep ruby color. Light aromas of fresh ripe cherry and plum with a hint of vegetal/green. Dry, medium+ body, acidity, alcohol and grippy tannins wit...

Gambero Rosso came to Houston to present their two part " Italian Wine Tales " tastings starting with a seminar on the Prosecco Superiore wines from Italy's Conegliano Valdobbiadene region. As a lover of bubbly wines, I was looking forward to this event. Prosecco wine is made primarily from the grape variety Glera using a minimum of 85%. It may be blended with up to 15% of Verdiso, Bianchetta, Perera, Pinot or Chardonnay. While basic Prosecco DOC wine can come from a much larger area in the Veneto and Fruili regions with an area that includes 600 municipalities, the higher quality Prosecco Superiore wines from the Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG come from fifteen municipalities in a much smaller delineated area set between the two named towns on limestone hillsides. The wines which are produced here have adhered to higher standards in both the vineyard and the winery than the more basic DOC wines. The wines may be vintage dated...