Posts Tagged awards

http://brennanvineyards.com

Brennan Vineyards is located in Comanche and Pat and Trellise Brennan are the majority owners. In 2002 a five acre vineyard was planted and the winery opened in 2005. Today they have three vineyards with a total of 37 acres. They grow about 12 different kinds of grapes and sell some grapes to other Texas wineries. Some of the grapes grown are Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Viognier, and Nero d’Avola.

As we drove to Brennan Vineyards, I received a message on Twitter from Todd Webster (@txviognier), winemaker at Brennan Vineyards. He said if we were coming up a certain road, make a short trip and we could see their biggest vineyard. We did so and it was the biggest vineyard we have seen so far. We learned later from Todd they mechanically harvest their grapes which makes sense with the amount of vineyard acres.

Upon entering Brennan Vineyards, you encounter a campus comprising three buildings. The first building is the historic McCrary House tasting room and gift shop built in 1879. The center building is the winery and the last building is the Austin House Events Center. The events center was built in 2006 and has 3,700 sq. ft. with a patio and outdoor fireplace.

We entered the tasting room and Tina Marken, Hospitality Director, was behind the tasting bar. Since Todd Webster was expecting us, she texted him to let him know we arrived. As we were waiting for Todd, Tina started us on a tasting.

Tina Marken

All tastings are complimentary and you can do a tasting while sitting or standing at the bar. Tastings are poured from the bottle. There is sometimes a limit to the number of wines tasted but usually it is whatever they have opened. Crackers and chocolates are provided during the tasting to cleanse your palate and enhance your tasting.

Brennan Vineyards try to use 100% Texas grapes if they can. If they are unable to, the grapes come from California. Brennan Vineyards uses both corks and screw caps. Two types of labels are used: Austin Street and Brennan Vineyards. Austin Street is for their value line and the premium line is Brennan Vineyards. The Brennan Vineyards line uses 100% Texas grapes. The Brennan label also used to be straight varietals until the introduction of Buffalo Rhome. Brennan Vineyards produces about 5,000 cases of wines a year.

Soon Todd Webster arrived and we got a chance to meet in person. He took over our tasting and was able to provide insight into the wines he had made. As mentioned previously, his Twitter handle is @txviognier which makes sense since Viognier has been Brennan Vineyard’s signature wine since they opened in 2005.

Todd Webster, Trellise & Pat Brennan

During our tasting Pat and Trellise Brennan arrived in the tasting room so we got a chance to meet them. They, like most people in the wine industry, were very nice. We finished our tasting after Todd introduced us to a couple of his latest wines, Dark Horse made with Nero d’Avola which was bottled in March 2012 and Lily which is a White Rhone style blend with 53% Roussanne, 25% Viognier, and 22% Grenache. Since Grenache is a red grape, after they harvested, it went directly into the press so they got white juice out of it. As with the other wines we tasted, both were very good.

A question came up prior to our visit to Brennan Vineyards and now we had the perfect person in Todd to answer it. We had tried a Cabernet Sauvignon elsewhere but were then told it was mostly Cabernet Sauvignon but had a tiny bit of a few other grapes. We asked what percentage of grapes the single varietal wine has to be in order to call it just that variety on the label and the answer is 75% in Texas. The percentage is different in other states.

Tours are available at Brennan Vineyards so Todd then took us on a tour of the campus. We went first to the winery where we saw the production facility with the stainless steel tanks and the laboratory. We learned that the bladder press is used for two hours with the white wine program but the red wine program only uses about one hour.

Todd Webster in barrel room

We then went to the barrel room where their Texas wine is aged. We learned due to requests, Brennan Vineyards will be making a Chardonnay soon and will be making it buttery and oaky, but not with too much oak. Speaking of oak, we learned from Todd that a barrel usually loses 50% of its oak the first year, 30% the second year, and 20% the third year. The fourth year will then be neutral with no oak and primarily used for just storage. They can add oak chips though at that point to get the oak flavor again.

One interesting thing we haven’t seen before is Brennan Vineyards stores their barrels at a slight angle so the bung hole (the barrel hole) isn’t directly on top of the barrel. The reason is because they do not top their barrels with the wine. If they top the barrel and leave the barrel upright, they end up losing wine every month because of evaporation and have the chance of oxidizing the whole barrel. Rotating the barrel helps prevent that and they do not open the barrel during the year.

We then went to the events center. The basement of the events cellars is where the many cases of wine are stored. Upstairs in the building is the large room with tables set up for events such as weddings, live music, and other special occasions. Wine dinners are held the second Friday of each month except August. A balcony overlooks one of the vineyards along with Pat and Trellise Brennan’s house nearby.

We concluded our tour and returned to the tasting room. There is a gift shop present with clothing and wine accessories. A wine club is available from the winery.

It was a pleasure to meet Todd, the Brennan’s, and Tina and we had a wonderful time visiting Brennan Vineyards.

Brennan Vineyards recently joined forces with Lost Oak Winery and McPherson Cellars to form 4.0 Cellars in Fredericksburg. Brennan Vineyards is on the Way Out Wineries wine trail.

http://www.thenicewinery.com

The NICE Winery is located in Houston and is owned by Ian Eastveld and Ryan Levy. Their first wine vintage was 2007 and they opened The NICE Winery in 2009. If you are curious like I was, NICE is pronounced just like a nice glass of wine but it is actually an acronym for the first names of Ian’s siblings with Ian making up the I in NICE. When being told the story, we were not sure if it was a joke or not, but it was said they may add an R for Ryan to make it NICER. Either way, the wines could not be nicer.

We first met Ian and Ryan at the Houston Wine Festival last year and Gloria signed up for information emails. She mentioned they had a tasting coming up and since we have wanted to visit them, we RSVP’d yes. We arrived at their winery which is located in an office park. We were greeted at the door by Donna, signed in, and were directed to the tasting table.

Michelle was pouring wines and the first wine poured was the 2010 NICE Sauvignon Blanc of which 400 cases were made. The wine was made in Argentina by Ian and Ryan along with acclaimed Argentine winemaker Manuel Otero Ramos. The grapes come from the famous Lujan de Cuyo appellation in Mendoza.

We talked to Ryan and he told us the story of how they make their wines. Ian and Ryan, both Le Cordon Bleu trained chefs and Certified Sommeliers, visited Argentina and different vineyards to find one for which they could make their wines. They finally came upon a grower who has their house in the middle of the vineyard, and after several wonderful visits partnered with the vineyard. The growers do have a small winery but make wine just for the locals. Ian and Ryan visit Argentina to make the wines there. Ryan stressed they are not growers but winemakers. Barrels are brought in to age the wines in Argentina. They use about 85% French and 15% American oak barrels.

The next wine during the tasting was not made by NICE, but selected by them as with other wines they offer to their wine club members. Speaking of wine clubs, The NICE Winery started a wine club in January 2010. There are three wine clubs available. The Premium club receives two big bold reds every month, the Discovery Reds club gets two new and unique reds from all over the world, and the Discovery club gets one red and one white. Since currently The NICE Winery offers four wines, Ian and Ryan hand select which wines from other wineries to include in their monthly wine club shipments. Each wine club option offers other benefits such as the tastings and dinners. Wine classes are also occasionally held by the winery.

The third wine tasted was the 2009 NICE Malbec which was also made in Mendoza. This time Ian and Ryan combined their efforts with winemaker Alberto Cecchin. The grapes came from eighty year old vines, were hand harvested, and used family cultivated techniques. This was a very nice Malbec and after last month’s vertical tasting of their 2007, 2008, and 2009 Malbecs, they were told the 2009 was most similar to the 2007 award winning Malbec.

The NICE Winery entered the 2007 Malbec and the 2007 Stag’s Leap Cabernet Sauvignon in the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo International Wine Competition and both came away with gold medals. The 2007 Stag’s Leap Cabernet was made in California along with the efforts of winemaker Steve Reynolds.

When talking to Ian, I had to ask about using Texas grapes. His reply was there are not enough grapes in Texas, so they looked at states and countries where they could get quality sources. They have visited the High Plains and met many of the growers and winemakers there and are hoping to someday use Texas grapes to perhaps make a Tempranillo.

Ian Eastveld and Ryan Levy

There were a total of six wines which were being tasted and the remaining three we had to taste were made by other wineries. We learned The NICE Winery made a 2010 Demi-Sec Sparkling Wine from Muscat of Alexandria grapes and had to ask about it. Ryan had previously commented how he doesn’t like to buy wines without tasting them first, so Gloria said we were interested in buying a bottle of the Demi-Sec but we hadn’t tasted it yet. Ryan being so cordial said he would check to see if they had one chilled. Luckily they did and he popped the cork for us to try it. Ahh, we’ll take a bottle please.

The entire evening was great as we got to taste some very good wines, met two passionate winemakers, and had fun talking to wine club members. We’ll be back next month to pick up our wine club shipment.

I can’t believe March 20th will be the first anniversary since the creation of this blog. I started the blog with some goals in mind and they haven’t changed since:

• Help consumers discover wineries they may not know about and they should visit
• Help wineries with marketing
• Help wine related events with marketing

Gloria and I have at this moment visited 125 Texas wineries and have enjoyed every minute. We’re still learning to tell you what the aromas and tastes are in wine, and probably never will be able to, hence the idea of telling about our experiences at the Texas wineries. We were big proponents of the previous Texas Passport Program which started us on the journey of visiting Texas wineries, and look forward to learning how the new program will work.

The blog started out as an extension to my personal website and after a couple months I decided to make it more professional and came up with the name TX Wine Lover. This allowed me to move the blog to http://txwinelover.com, create a Facebook page, and switch to the Twitter account of @TXWineLover.

A lot has happened in the first year:

• Posted about our experiences at 61 Texas wineries
  • More than one winery’s website has put links to my posts about them
• Posted about visiting and comparing Texas wineries with New York State, Illinois, and San Diego wineries
• Attended and posted about special tasting events and food competitions
• Volunteered at wine festivals to help wineries pour their wine
  • Received our TABC Certification
• Told of our experiences harvesting grapes and bottling wine at more than one winery
• Road trip diaries to Driftwood and Hill Country and Fredericksburg wineries
• Attended my first TEXSOM (Texas Sommelier Conference)
• Participated in and helped host some #TXWine Twitter Tuesday events
• Created lists of:
  • Autumn and Spring wine festivals
  • Texas wineries with lodging
  • Texas wineries on Twitter
  • 2012 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Texas wineries with medals which is the only list I know that was done
• Created the first TX Wine Lover awards which seemed popular
• Featured local blogger at Spoken City
• Was a guest on a wine podcast
• Guest blogger on Thirsty Girl website
• Mentioned in other blogs and websites like the Houston Press
• Did a review on a Texas wine but with a viewpoint from many people instead of just my own
• Held our own blind taste test for eight Texas Orange Muscat wines
• Met some great Texas winery owners, winemakers, winery employees, and fellow Texas wine lovers. Some I originally met on Twitter so it was fun to meet them in person.

I guess it has been a busy, but definitely fun year. I have a queue of winery visits to discuss and was always afraid if I wrote about every one we visited, then I wouldn’t have anything else to blog about. From looking at the above list though, I think I should be able to find something.

Already there are plans for the next year. Since a lot of our winery visits were done before the idea of the blog came about, we have had to revisit some of those wineries for pictures, information, etc. before I can write about them, and we have more which need to be revisited. Plus there are wineries which we have not been able to get to yet, not to mention new Texas wineries which are always opening.

I will be attending at least two conferences this year. First up is DrinkLocalWine in Colorado next month and then in August is TEXSOM again. Various other things are planned and it should be another fun year.

I want to especially thank all the people who have tolerated me during the year including the winery owners and winemakers for patience in answering my questions and letting me take photos, but especially Gloria who has had to listen to me talk about Texas wine and the industry in general. Most of all, I want to thank you the reader, for stopping by the website every so often and hopefully enjoying what I write. Please don’t be afraid to give feedback and possible suggestions to keep the blog interesting, and we’ll take this journey together.

Rodeo Uncorked! Roundup and Best Bites Competition is a food and wine event held in Reliant Center for those who wish to try the award-winning wines from the International Wine Competition and taste signature dishes submitted for competition by area catering institutions and restaurants.

After the entire list of International Wine Competition results were announced in November, 2011, the next day I compiled a list of the Texas wineries who had won, and from what I have been able to tell, mine is the only such list compiled. Buckles, chaps, and saddles would be awarded to the champions at the Rodeo Uncorked! Roundup and Best Bites Competition on February 19, 2012. When I received an invitation to attend the event, I gladly accepted the offer.

To recap, the ninth annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo International Wine Competition had 2,454 wines from 736 wineries in Texas, across the United States, and around the world. Twenty countries participated in the competition and 1,817 medals were awarded by 18 panels of judges, consisting of local, national, and international wine experts.

For the Rodeo Uncorked! Roundup and Best Bites Competition, in addition to trying the champion wines, guests were able to sample food from area restaurants and catering institutions, and vote on their favorites in the Best Bites Competition.

Since this was our first time attending the event, we were not entirely sure what to expect. We arrived early since we heard the event was sold out and there were going to be 4,000-4,500 people there. While waiting for the event to start, I read through the program and noticed the Texas wineries and wines which were going to be there, so I was excited to try some wines which we have not been able to try yet. The layout of the Reliant Center had been set up with tables/booths in a three layered circle which made it easy to walk around.

Russ and Delia

Gloria and I met up with Russ Kane (http://vintagetexas.com/blog/) and his beautiful wife Delia. Russ and I decided to take simultaneous phone pictures and link to our photos when we blog. Here is the link to his blog post and photo of my significant other Gloria and me. We then planned a course of action for our adventure. Since Russ and I were obviously biased towards Texas wineries, the decision was made to try to see all those wineries first and then if time allowed, go around again and try other wines.

Wines were being poured either by the winery representatives themselves or by volunteers. Unfortunately while walking through the booths, the names of the wineries with the wines we wanted to try were where the program indicated, but the wine wasn’t. It was understandable that not all winery representatives could attend, but it was unclear why there were a lot of missing wines which were supposed to be available for tasting.

Paul and Merrill Bonarrigo - Messina Hof

We were impressed that some winery owners were present and pouring their winning wines, such as Messina Hof (Paul and Merrill Bonarrigo with Paul VII and Karen Bonarrigo and their daughter Sophia Marie), Fall Creek (Ed and Susan Auler), and Piney Woods Country Winery & Vineyards (Alfred J. Flies). Also representing Llano Estacado Winery was Bill Freidhof, Vice President Sales & Marketing.

Best of Show Marchesi Antinori Sri Guado al Tasso

We tried to taste all the Grand Champion Saddle winning wines but only made it to a few. We did try the top Texas wine Messina Hof Solera, and the Grand Champion Best of Show Marchesi Antinori Sri Guado al Tasso. It was understandable why these wines were big winners. We also stopped at various non-Texas wine booths which had notable wines or which we wanted to compare against the same Texas wine variety.

Of course the event was not just about the wines but the Best Bites competition, and there were a lot of restaurants vying for the awards of the evening. The food booths were intermixed with the wine booths and it made for a nice setup. All the food we tried was excellent and we were soon very full. Definitely come very hungry and thirsty if you are going to attend next year’s event.

All champion wines will be auctioned at the Rodeo Uncorked! Champion Wine Auction and Dinner on Saturday, March 3, 2012. The program indicated the event has already been sold out.

It was an enjoyable evening as we got to enjoy some of the best wines from around the world and the best food from the Houston area. We would highly recommend attending next year’s event if you are able.

The results are in for the 2012 International Wine Competition from the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. A qualified panel of expert judges spends hours tasting an array of wines to unearth the winners in categories ranging from Top Texas Wine to Top All Around Winery.

For the 2012 competition, 2,454 wines from 736 wineries were judged, all vying for the prestigious title of Grand Champion Best of Show. The Champion for Top Texas Wine was the 2004 Messina Hof Solera, a sherry.

All results can be seen at http://www.rodeohouston.com/events/wine/international.aspx

To help navigate through the long list, here are the medal-winning wines from Texas wineries. For your information, not every wine entered into the competition got a medal.

Hopefully I found every Texas winery in the long list. If I happened to miss a medal winner, please comment and I’ll update the table.