April Means Wine Festivals in Texas

Blind tasting hosted by Master Sommelier Guy Stout

The English Poet and farmer, Thomas Tusser in his poem Five Hundred Points of Good Husbandry states “Sweet April showers do bring May flowers.”  However in the state of Texas, April brings a season of wine festivals.  Beginning April 15 and continuing through the first of May – wine tastings, food pairings, and live music can be found from Wichita Falls to Houston, and many locations in between.  While visiting a winery is an excursion I highly recommend, these festivals offer unique opportunities to sample some of the state’s best wines and culinary creations in a single location.  Another highlight of many of these festivals is the opportunity to speak with the winemakers.

A couple of years ago my wife and I attended one of the events at the Texas Hill Country Wine & Food Festival in Austin, Texas.  At this event, we were talking with he folks from Messina Hof and my wife expressed her appreciation for their late harvest Riesling, which wasn’t being served.  As we made our way around the tables for a second time, the folks from Messina Hof called us over and handed us a couple of glasses.  With one quick sniff, we immediately recognized the wine to be the Riesling my wife had referenced earlier.

On a different occasion, we were visiting with Dr. Pat Brennan (Brennan Vineyards) who was featuring two different vintages of his Viognier.  The difference was quite noticeable, and Dr. Brennan explain that the previous year’s Viognier was aged in oak barrels while the current vintage was held in stainless steel.     It wasn’t until this tasting that I really grasp how much a cask shapes the character of a wine.

Whether as a patron or a volunteer, I would encourage anyone to experience a wine festival.  Some of the ones slated for April and early May include …

25th Texas Hill Country Wine & Food Festival – April 15-18, 2010 – around the Austin, Texas area

Red River Wine Festival – April 16-17, 2010 – Wichita Falls, Texas

Dallas Wine and Food Festival – April 21-25, 2010 – Dallas, Texas

The Grand Wine and Food Affair – April 21-25, 2010 – around the Houston, Texas area.

Buffalo Gap Wine & Food Summit – April 23-25, 2010 – Buffalo Gap, Texas

San Angelo Wine & Food Festival – April 29 – May 1, 2010 – San Angelo, Texas

Wein & Saengerfest – May 1, 2010 – New Braunfels, Texas

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Brennan Vineyards Wine Dinner – Pairings

Brennan Vineyard’s Wine Dinner on September 11, 2009 start with assorted cheeses, crackers, and fruits paired with a choice of Brennan’s Austin Street labeled wines: 2008 Comanche Rose or 2008 Three White Chicks.  The 2008 Three White Chicks was among the last of those bottled and rare treat consider it is no longer available for purchase.  The 2008 Three White Chicks is a fun blend of Semillon, Chardonnay, and Viognier, which the Brennan’s were delighted with the response this particular wine had throughout the year.  The 2008 Comanche Rose is what the Brennan’s refer to as a “True Rose made from Nero d’ Avola and Muscat of Alexadria” grapes, according to their Fall 2008 Newsletter.  Previous vintages of the Comanche Rose have won a gold medal at the Texas Open and a bronze medal at the Lone Star International Wine Competition.

As dinner started, a fresh green salad was served followed by a spiked cream of squash soup.  Pat Brennan, winemaker and dinner host, paired this course with the Brennan Vineyards label Viognier.  By Pat’s own admission in a GOTEXAN wine cast on Viognier, the Rhone varietal is the “signature white wine of Texas.”  Brennan Vineyards produces the fruit for Viognier for several other wineries in the state.  Along with other Brennan’s Viognier that have garnered awards and metals at Houston Rodeo International and Lone Star International, the 2008 vintage received a silver medal at the Indy International and at the Finger Lakes International.

For the main course, guests had a choice of grilled beef tenderloin with Henry Bain sauce and creamed potatoes or ginger glazed mahi mahi with yellow saffron rice.  Both were accompanied by sauteed onion and aspoaragus.  Both dishes were paired with Brennan’s Austin Street label Red, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec.  The 2005 vinage received a Bronze medal at the Dallas Morning News Wine Competition.

To complete the dinner, peach champagne sorbetto with ginger cookie was paired with Brennan’s 2008 Austin Street Muscat Blanc.  While Brennan grows Muscat of Alexadria, they purchase fruit from the high plains to make their Muscat Blanc.  Surprisingly the pairing with the sorbetto balanced the sweet normally encountered with Muscat.

While the dinner and wines were excellent, seated at a table with two other couples who were attending their first wine dinner truly complimented the evening.  One couple was from Brownwood, Texas and the other from Whitney, Texas.  Sharing our impressions of wine, food, and travels, the three hour affair drew to a close before anyone realized.  Whether with friends, old or new, an evening of fine food … paired with excellent wine … paired with great conversation … makes for a most enjoyable evening.

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Brennan Vineyards Wine Dinner

Brennan Wines served Sept '09

This past Friday evening, had the opportunity to travel to Comanche, Texas and enjoy an evening of food, wine, and conversation.  Brennan Vineyards hosts a monthly Wine Dinner on the second Friday of each month (except in August) that pairs Brennan wines with a delicious dinner prepared by Chefs Steve Harris and Steven Puckett of Steves’ Market & Deli of Brownwood, Texas.  Pat Brennan and his wife Trellise guided the participants through the pairing process that included wines such as a Brannan’s signature Viognier, Brennan’s Austin Street label wines Three White Chicks, Comanche Rose, Red, and Muscat Blanc.

Brennan Vineyards … “Sophisticated wines from Texas roots”

Wine making is actually Pat’s second career.  He is a retired physician from Fort Worth, Texas  that initially came to Comanche in 1997 to purchased the McCrary House and shortly there after the adjacent 33-acres as a weekend getaway.  In 2002, Pat planted 5 acres of grapes and sold the fruit to regional wineries such as Beckers Vineyards in Stonewall, Texas.  The success of the fruit prompted Pat to move to Comanche in 2004 and start his own winery.  The Brennan’s constructed a state of the art winery next to the old stone homestead and also the 3,700 square foot Austin Events Center that has a commercial kitchen and a flexible dinning hall space that accommodates roughly 250 people.  Gary McKibben, with Johnson/McKibben Architects and fellow winemaker himself (Red Caboose Winery in Meridian, Texas), helped the Brennan’s design the winery.  The homestead that was their weekend getaway become the tasting room when the winery opened it’s doors in 2005.

With the original 5 acres of grapes at the winery, Brennan also has a vineyard located in Newburg Texas (14 miles southwest of the winery).  It should be noted that Brennan Vineyards is located at the junction of Texas’ most acclaimed wine making and tourism regions, the Texas High Plains and Texas Hill Country.  Brennan wines have received high praise from enthusiasts and regional and national competitions.  Wine enthusiast Wes Marshall wrote in his book “The Wine Roads of Texas” (Maverick Publishing Company, 2007) that Pat “is making phenomenal wine.  He’s done it just from day one.”  Brennan Vineyards also serves as the homebase for the Way Out Wineries, a collection of eight wineries that stretch from the northern Texas Hill Country to just south of the metroplex.

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2007 Hook, Line, & Sinker White

2007 McPherson Cellars Hook, Line, & Sinker White

Earlier this week, my wife brought home a bottle of 2007 Hook, Line, & Sinker White Wine from McPherson Cellars. While the label defers from McPherson’s recognized label, just the name McPherson contains significant credentials.  Wine Enthusiasts familiar with Texas wines recognize the name McPherson and the legacy that accompanies it.  Dr. Clinton “Doc” McPherson is recognized as a pioneer of of the modern Texas wine industry.  Kim McPherson, “Doc’s” son, has been made his own mark over the last 30 years.  Kim has been the winemaker at Llano Estacado Winery and Cape Rock Winery before starting his own winery, McPherson Cellars Winery, to Honor his father.

According to the McPherson Cellars Winery website, the Hook, Line, & Sinker labeled wines indulges Kim’s “whimsical and irreverent personality while maintaining his commitment to making only high quality wines at affordable prices.”  Recognition of this quality is evident with the 2007 HLS White garnering a bronze medal at the 2009 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™ International Wine Competition.  The 2007 HLS White wine is an intriguing blend of all-Texas white grapes – French Colombard, Viognier, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, and Sauvgnon Blanc.  In an interview in the Dallas Morning News Easts Blog (November 19, 2008), Kim indicated he modeled HLS White after the Southeast Australia wine, Shoofly’s “Buzz Cut” which has a blend of 35% Vignier, 26% Rieslin, 16% Chardonnay, 12% Verdelho, and 6% Semillon.

This is a nice subtle wine.  It has a hint of fruity or tropical notes, but these are balanced by it’s crisp dry tones.

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