Author: Tim Dammon

Okay, I’ll admit it.  I don’t always make the best decisions regarding wine purchases.  I taste a lot of different wines from a lot of different wineries from all over the world, and I have rarely ever met a wine I didn’t like.  Couple that with the idea that if I taste at a winery, it’s really hard for me to tell them that their baby is ugly.  Especially when NO baby is really ugly . . . only perhaps slightly less beautiful than someone else’s baby.  So I typically buy at least a bottle from almost every winery I visit.

As a result, I frequently find in my collection wines that were purchased in just those circumstances . . . wines that I have passed over as I go into my makeshift “cellar” to select a wine for Lisa and I to drink with dinner or with friends.  Occasionally I pass those wines off to our kids when they are looking for something from “Dad’s Wines,” and occasionally I’ll pull one out for us to enjoy . . . or at least partake of.

This evening is one of those times.  While going from bottle to bottle (Lisa frequently accuses me of “fondling” my wines) looking for a likely suspect to accompany leftover Chicken and Orzo soup and a Roast Chicken Salad, I decided to apply a “use it or lose it” test to a bottle that I’ve regretted buying ever since I got it home.  Hey, worst case scenario I could always pour it out and pull another bottle.  It’s not like I’m low on inventory or anything.  Turns out, I was pleasantly surprised.

Last year we spent a week on the Oregon Coast with two other couples, good friends of ours from our suburban Dallas days.  We enjoyed a beautiful house overlooking the ocean and Oregon’s trademark craggy coastline and spent a few days touring the Oregon wine country, which is just a bit inland in the Willamette Valley.  We tasted (and bought) at several wonderful wineries including Domaine Serene, Domaine Drouhin, Van Duzer, and St. Innocent Wineries (more on each of those in future blog posts).

While Oregon wine culture produces a number of decent varietal examples, Pinot Noir is by far the dominant varietal and it is in Pinot Noir that Oregon wine finds its superior identity.  Pinot Noir is a temperamental and care intensive varietal, but when wine-growers have the patience and skill to coax it into its full maturity it produces incredible wines.

The gold standard for Pinot Noir historically is, of course, the Burgundy region of France.  Although wine has been produced in the region since the Roman times, it was the Benedictine monks of Cluny who introduced Pinot Noir and Chardonnay (Burgundy’s leading white wine varietal) and whose astute observation of variances in quality and character based on vineyard location and terroir who are really responsible for the wine legacy of Burgundy.

In America, Pinot Noir is grown in California’s Central Coast wine region as well as in the more westerly and northerly parts of Napa and Sonoma.  But nowhere in the New World does it shine as it does in Oregon.

On a drive down the coast one day with our friends, we saw a sign announcing “Winery Ahead.”  Of course, that’s an irresistible invitation for me and so after one turn off the main highway and a few hundred yards west to the very edge of the shoreline we found ourselves at Flying Dutchman Winery . . . the western-most winery in the United States.  Of course the winery doesn’t have any vineyards (too close to the coast) and so they source grapes from a few select vineyards in the Willamette Valley a few miles to the east.

We tasted a few wines and found them to be fairly good, so of course I bought a few bottles.  Back home, however, in my racks next to the prizes from Van Duzer, Domaine Drouhin, and the other wineries mentioned above, and next to other wines in my collection from around the world, the Flying Dutchman Pinot Noir wasn’t necessarily an ugly baby . . . just a less beautiful baby.

Imagine my surprise this evening when I opened a bottle to discover a light, delicate, lovely Pinot Noir . . . light ruby in color with a nose exploding with sour cherries and a palate of candied cherries with a little bacon fat mixed in.  Beautiful!

Which brings me to the lesson of the day.  Taste it all!  Be adventurous!  You never know when you’re going to be pleasantly surprised!

It’s no secret that I love France’s Rhone Valley.  From the northern villages where the vineyards are only a couple of acres and are on hillsides so steep they are almost impossible to cultivate,  home to the wonderful Condrieu appellation to the southern Rhone where the Pope (Clement V, the first French Pope elected in 1305) chose to make Avignon the seat of his papacy rather than Rome . . . the papacy remained in France for 67 years . . . and

where the famous Chateauneuf du Pape (literally New Castle of the Pope) is produced from the gravelly, slightly rolling plains on the west side of the river.

The southern Rhone is home to several other lesser known, but equally delicious and sophisticated appellations like Vacqueyras, Lirac, and Gigondas (one of my very favorite villages and wines).  And in all of these southern Rhone appellations, Syrah reigns supreme.  The seductive, silky mouthfeel and deep rich flavors of the Syrah-based wines from this beautiful, slightly wild part of France have sparked an explosion in Syrah production in the New World

(California, Australia, and even South America) as vintners from around the globe work their particular magic on this hardy and prolific varietal.

However, Syrah is only one of the varietals in that region (according to AOC rules in France, Chateauneuf du Pape, for example, can contain up to 18 different varietals in each vintage).  In the United States, an organization styling themselves “The Rhone Rangers” has organized (www.rhonerangers.com) to promote and explain 22 different varietals from the Rhone Valley that are now grown in California, particularly in the Central Coast region.

Most any of the Rhone Ranger wine producers can be trusted labels in the wine store, but tonight (as a Winter Storm Warning is in effect for North Texas) I’m opening a bottle of JC Cellars’ 2008 “Twist of Fate.”

Jeff Cohn (JC) claims it is “A Syrah unlike any other. A wine of pure decadence, an experience of pure terroir. With the lightest touch of a warm spring day after a rain and the sun comes out to dry it all away. Yes it’s that kind of wine… simply  put, this was a twist of fate.”

Famed wine critic Robert Parker gives it a 94 (a very high score) and says, “The 2008 Syrah Twist of Fate reveals smoky,  meaty notes intermixed with black fruit and damp earth characteristics.  The gentle tannins caress the palate and the wine builds incrementally to a full-bodied, whoppingly rich, intense, but not over-the-top or heavy red.  It should provide thrilling drinking over the next 6-8 years.”

Sounds great, doesn’t it?  I’ll let you know! 😉

Last weekend I had the distinct pleasure of being part of my nephew Jacob’s wedding.  Always a time for celebration and happiness, weddings remind us that blending the fortunes, backgrounds, personalities, cultures, and families of two individuals frequently results in something more complex, interesting, and beautiful than could have been predicted by just imagining a summation of all those things.  Not surprisingly (although thankfully not during the wedding ceremony), my thoughts began to drift to an analogous concept in winemaking.

Single varietal wines and labeling (presenting wines as a single grape variety like Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, etc.) is a very recent development in the history of wine.  It’s truly a “New World” phenomenon that started at the end of Prohibition in the United States as a way to encourage California vineyard owners to plant species of vinis vinifera that would be most suited to the micro climates in the Napa and Sonoma Valleys,  Central Coast region, etc.  As the American wine culture gained acceptance on the world stage, the practice spread throughout the rest of the New World wine regions (North and South America, South Africa, Australia, etc.) and became firmly established in the wine boom of the 1970s and 80s.

In the Old World (France, Italy, Spain, etc.) the centuries old practice of presenting wine by it’s regional name still maintains, with a few exceptions.  For example, wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France is a blend of five or six (typically) grape varietals including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Carmenere (although Malbec and Carmenere are used less and less these days).  Each of these varietals lends its own particular character to the final blend of the wine.  While the blend itself can vary – wines produced on the Left Bank of the Gironde are primarily Cabernet based and wines produced on the Right Bank are primarily Merlot based, for example – all wines produced in the region under strict laws insuring quality and consistency are presented as Bordeaux.

And don’t even get me started about Chateauneuf du Pape!  Traditionally, there are 13 grape varieties used in that region!

Even in regions where the wine is single varietal wine, the labeling is still by region.  For example in France’s Burgundy region, red wines are typically single varietal Pinot Noir and white wines are single varietal Chardonnay.  However AOC rules (the governing rules of wine labeling/production in France) prohibit labeling the wines by the varietal.  They are presented as . . . . Burgundy.

Long before the complex blending rules evolved in Europe and in other parts of the world where the blend is driven not by law but by decades or even centuries of experimentation to insure the finest wine producible in a given region, blending was more a matter of practical husbandry than artistic expression.  For much of its history, wine was simply a product of “field blending” where vine growers would harvest whatever was in their fields without much attention to varietal (largely because they had no way of distinguishing among varietals).  The blend was driven by whatever grapes thrived in that particular location.  In terms of the Creator-generated conditions of the region, it was a specific blend, but in terms of the wine maker it was purely a matter of chance.

A few modern wine-makers still find success with field blends.  This year, Lisa and I (along with friends Chat and Sonya York) visited David Coffaro’s winery in Dry Creek Valley California.  Coffaro left San Francisco in 1979 and bought 20 acres in what was then a pretty remote area.  For the first several years he sold his vineyard production to Ernest and Julio Gallo.  In the mid 1990s, however, he ventured into winemaking.  Today he produces about 5-7,000 cases per year and tries to maintain that using all estate grown fruit (in lean years he has to outsource a bit).

He has his twenty acres mapped out to the specific row in terms of varietals grown.  You can see his vineyard map at http://www.coffaro.com/diary/diarypics/vineyardmap.pdf.   From these varietals, he typically blends (by his own sense of taste) to get just the right final product.  However, he also annually produces a wine called Block 4 which is a “field blend” of the varietals grown in that section of the vineyard.  As you might imagine from year to year the yield of the vines in Block 4 varies so the exact makeup of the wine changes with each vintage.  We bought a couple of bottles of 2010’s Block 4 and it was a reminder that sometimes Nature is the best winemaker!  It was delicious!

The truth is that many “single varietal” wines from California actually have at least a couple of varietals blended.  Federal law only requires that 75% of the wine in a bottle be consistent with the varietal on the label, so that Cab you had for dinner last night with your steak may have had as much as 25%  of one or more other varietals.  For example, a winemaker will often add Merlot to a Cabernet to give a bit of silkiness and a softer mouth feel to the normally stern Cab.  Malbec adds even more complexity and interest.  In the end, you get a much more interesting and drinkable wine.

So whether you depend on Mother Nature to determine the final ratio in a “field blend” or you trust a favorite winemaker to express him/herself through the art of the blend in the winery, enjoy the fact that the whole of a blend is usually much more than jus the sum of its parts.  And that’s what I believe to be true about marriage, Jacob and Klacie.  So enjoy these next several years of barrel- and bottle-aging.  You’re both bringing some very strong, interesting, and beautiful characteristics to this blend.  Over time we will all look forward to the wonderfully complex and intense wine that your marriage will become.  And when you’re ready, we’ll discuss this further over a nice bottle from my collection I’m saving just for you guys !

Wine can make us reflective . . . thoughtful.  It can help us celebrate, facilitate good conversation, and enhance our appreciation of food, music, and art.  It even aids in the interpretation of poetry and literature.

Can it teach us anything about life?  I’m sure you won’t be surprised that I will argue that it most certainly can.

Every glass . . . even every SIP . . . of wine is a unique and complex experience that is the result of a myriad of factors and environmental characteristics some of which are defined in the moment, but many of which exerted their influence months and sometimes even years before bottling.  The grape varietal, the terroir (that mystical nexus of long term climatological, geological, and biological characteristics tempered by more immediate weather and environmental factors), the culture, and the winemaker’s personality all contribute to the magic that occurs when we taste.

And in most wine producing areas in the world, the culture has developed specific techniques relative to the type of wine produced that elicit the best possible features of the wine.  One clear illustration of this can be found on the eastern shores of Lake Garda in northern Italy in the Valpolicella region.

Not far from Verona, that legendary city where Romeo and Juliet’s stars crossed so tragically, Valpolicella is second only to Chianti in terms of Italian wine production.  The most famous and sought after wine of Valpolicella is the rich and luscious Amarone.

Typically a blend of Corvina, Molinara, and Rondinella grapes, Amarone is produced in a unique tradition.  Once harvested, the grapes are left in bunches to dry and “raisinate” in special drying rooms in a process called “passito.”  The process reduces the volume of the available juice at pressing by at least one-third, but really intensifies the flavor and character which shows in the rich, dark, fruitful wine.  Because the sugar level of the concentrated juice is very high, full fermentation yields a wine high in alcohol but also high in flavor and very full-bodied.

Slightly less well known internationally, but equally appreciated by savvy wine drinkers is the “second” wine of the region called “Ripasso.”  The process by which Ripasso is produced is perhaps even more interesting than the “passito” process used in Amarone wine.

Each Autumn once the selected grapes for Amarone have been placed in the drying rooms where they’ll spend the next few months raisinating, the remaining grapes are crushed and fermented to produce standard Valpolicella Classico wine.  In late January or early February after the partially dried grapes are crushed and the juice is extracted and sent to fermentation for the Amarone wine, some of the Valpolicella Classico (already fermented into decent wine) is placed over the still sugar-rich skins of these grapes starting a second fermentation.  This “re-passing” or “Ripasso” yields a very full-bodied, rich, flavorful wine that rarely disappoints.

My first experience with Amarone and Ripasso came when Lisa and I stayed at a wonderful Bed and Breakfast called Dimora Bolsone in Gardone Riviera on the western shore of Lake Garda.   A wonderful local restaurant, Locanda Trattoria Agli Angeli provided the perfect introduction to these great northern Italian wines.

But I know you’re wondering how all this applies to my earlier premise – that wine can teach us something about life.  Well . . .

This past week has provided me opportunity to visit with all three of my children, several of my nieces and nephews, three of my five siblings, my parents, and some old friends (of my parents’ generation) who have known me for more than four decades and still love me!  I always love spending time with family and friends and this several days has been no exception.

And suddenly I realized . . . I, too, am a unique product of the “terroir” and culture of which I have originated.  The places in which I grew up . . . the parents and siblings who raised me . . . the friends (and parents of friends) who cultivated and tended “the vines” . . . obviously the wonderful wife of 32 years who has frequently “pruned” me . . . even the three great kids whom I’ve managed not to damage too terribly.  ALL these have contributed to the “me” of this moment. 

And what’s more, I’m not yet a fully finished product.  I get poured over the better quality grapes of current friendships, re-engaged old relationships, new and different experiences (both my own and those of my family and friends) and I get a chance to go through yet another “fermentation” which in the end makes me more flavorful, bolder, and certainly richer.

So it’s true . . . like the best wines, I’m just getting better (or maybe just more complex and interesting) with age!

If you’ve seen the movie “Sideways” you know that Miles (one of the main characters) has a deep and profanity laced aversion to Merlot.  After the movie was released, winemakers swore to what they called “the Sideways effect” – a steep lowering of demand for Merlot and a significant uptick in Pinot Noir sales (which Miles strongly prefers in the movie).  This purported effect is so well known, in fact, that the American Association of Wine Economists published a Working Paper in 2008 studying the relative change in Merlot and Pinot Noir demand post-Sideways.  Complete with Multivariate Regression Analysis, the paper contends that while Merlot demand did decrease slightly after the movie, the increase in demand for Pinot Noir more than made up the difference, so the wine industry as a whole actually benefitted from the entire controversy.

The bad rap that Miles gives Merlot is the result of the perception that Merlot (by the early 2000’s) had become the wine of choice for suburbanites and soccer moms stopping by Safeway on the way home and picking up a random bottle for dinner.  But his irrational distaste for this rich and silky varietal bucks significant historical precedent.

Merlot is one of the six traditional grape varietals (along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Carmenere) allowed to be used in blends produced in the Bordeaux region in France.  In fact, Merlot is the most planted varietal in that legendary region.  Generally speaking,  wines produced on the left bank of the Gironde estuary (which divides the region) in the regions of Medoc, Haut-Medoc, Saint Julien, Pessac-Leognan, and others  use Cabernet Sauvignon as the main grape, with the others blended in lesser proportion, but Merlot constitutes the  highest varietal proportion in the wines produced on the right bank in appellations like Saint-Emilion and Pomerol.

Saint-Emilion is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful villages and areas of all France.  With its monolithic church and winding cobblestone streets, it is surrounded by gently rolling hills covered with vineyards (some of which were planted by the Romans in the second century) and dotted by stately chateaux.

Situated in the Aquitaine region, the Bordeaux area (and especially Saint-Emilion) have always had a strong relationship with England.  As the wife of Louis VI, Eleanor was queen of France.  However, she got that marriage annulled and married Henry Plantagenet who became Henry II, king of England making Eleanor his queen.  Because of this special relationship, England had first right to the excellent wines of Eleanor’s homeland and Bordeaux wines enjoyed duty-free status for export to England (unlike wines from the rest of France).  So it’s no wonder that Bordeaux (known in England as Claret) became the most popular wine in the world with the help of the largest wine market of the day.

We picked up a few bottles of a 2001 Saint-Emilion from Chateau Destieux at a little wine shop when we were in Saint-Emilion a few years ago.  Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve opened a couple of our bottles with some good friends (to celebrate Lisa’s birthday) and enjoyed the magic of Merlot.  Aging for ten years in barrel and bottle means that all the tannins and harsh alcohol burn of a too-young wine have given way to the soft, silky, supple tones of the fruit.  And what you get is just spectacular.  This wine sings like Brandi Carlile . . . smooth, but with that undercurrent of raw experience.  The sound of a life truly lived.

Given that much of the wine purchased in America is consumed within a few hours after it’s bought (and certainly within a year or two of its vintage), I really enjoy opening an older bottle and thinking about what was happening when the grapes were harvested and crushed and what the wine has seen during its aging.

So much has happened in our lives in the ten years since these grapes were picked and crushed and this wine was born.  A lot of   good things . . . and some not-so-good things.  But at the end of the day, all those experiences make us who we are.  Just like all the things that make this wine what it is.  I only hope I’ve aged as gracefully and the end product is as subtle, smooth, and pleasant.

Blogger’s Note:  I want to preface this post with the old adage, ‘All things in moderation.’  You might get the impression when reading this particular post that I spend all my days drinking wine.  Not true.  In fact, I probably don’t get the medical benefit that derives from one or two glasses of red wine per day, not because I drink MORE than that, but because I drink LESS.  Days and even weeks go by when I don’t have a single glass . . . which makes it all the more enjoyable when I do, right?  So, with that caveat in place . . . . read on!

I love wine.  No secret, right?  I enjoy it on a lazy Saturday afternoon or on a weekday evening when a couple of glasses stretch out across a few hours.  I enjoy it late at night while listening to music and talking with friends.  I love to drink it inside kicked back in a comfortable chair.  I love to drink it outside under a tree or under the stars.  I love it for a lot of reasons.

Maya (from the movie, Sideways) probably articulates my thinking best when Miles asks her how she became enamored with wine.  About halfway into the conversation she says, “And the more I drank, the more I liked what it made me think about.”  She goes on to say, “I like to think about the life of wine.  How it’s a living thing. I like to think about what was going on the year the grapes were growing; how the sun was shining; if it rained. I like to think about all the people who tended and picked the grapes. And if it’s an old wine, how many of them must be dead by now. I like how wine continues to evolve, like if I opened a bottle of wine today it would taste different than if I’d opened it on any other day, because a bottle of wine is actually alive. And it’s constantly evolving and gaining complexity. That is, until it peaks. And then it begins its steady, inevitable decline.  And it tastes so good.” (Okay, so I edited a word or two because my mom might be reading this post.

Anyway, I really think Maya expresses it well.  But the truth is, most wine is at its best when it’s consumed with food.  I mean, that was really the original purpose anyway, right?  And some wines  – most wines actually – only reach their finest, most spectacular presentation when paired with exactly the right food.

I was reminded of that again this past week.  There’s a little restaurant on Greenville Avenue that Lisa and I have come to love over the last several years called, “The Grape.”  Frankly, one of the greatest things about living downtown is that we’re only about five minutes away from The Grape.  We first discovered it when Lisa attended a cooking class several years ago taught by Chef Brian Luscher, who owns The Grape with his wife Courtney, who is the restaurant’s GM and who manages the “front of house” with a flair commensurate with Brian’s artistry in the kitchen.

While we love going to The Grape on almost any occasion (including to have the absolute BEST hamburger in Texas only served on Sunday and Monday), we have come to really enjoy attending their monthly “Chef’s Come-As-You-Are” Wine Dinners.  Each month, Courtney invites a different winery or distributor to showcase their product and Brian creates a menu designed to show off the wines at their best.

This week the dinner featured wines from Washington State.  The first wine was a 2007 Northstar Merlot (93 WE, 92 WA, 91 WS).  The merlot grapes were blended with cabernet sauvignon and petit verdot in a “Right Bank” Bordeaux style.  Northstar is a small producer in the Walla Walla Valley, and Winemaker Merf Merfeld was at The Grape to show off his “baby.”  Chef Brian Luscher chose to pair the Merlot with a parmesan gnocchi with sweet and spicy Italian sausage, roasted red peppers, and arugula pesto cream.  Not only did I tell Brian that his gnocchi is the best I’ve had outside Italy (it’s true), but I also told him that Merf owed him a special thanks because while the Merlot was very good when tasted on its own, when paired with the gnocchi it was raised to a completely new level.  All the tannins and “hot” alcohol in the wine (those things that make it possible to age a wine long enough for the complexity of the wine to be revealed) stepped back and the black cherry, plum, and spicy vanilla took center stage.  It went from being “very good” to being “excellent.”

Next, Marcus Notaro showed off his 2006 Col Solare (94 W&S, 93 WA, 92 WS, 91 WE), a traditional “Left Bank” Bordeaux dominated by cabernet sauvignon with merlot, cabernet franc, petit verdot, and (in a break from the Bordeaux model) a little bit of Syrah.  Marcus is the winemaker in this collaboration between Chateau Ste. Michelle (a well-known Washington State wine brand) and the famed Antinori family from Italy.  Again, this wine was VERY good on its own.  But when Brian’s herb and garlic rubbed pork roast with mustard jus, shitake risotto, and oven dried tomatoes joined the Col Solare at our table, the wine came ALIVE!

Finally, Domaine Ste. Michelle’s Blanc de Noirs NV (a sparkling wine) arrived with a valrhona chocolate terrine with French brandied cherries.  I don’t even have the words to describe this one.  It was a perfect finish to a great meal with spectacular pairings of incredible food and wines.

As always, Courtney and Brian were “on their game.”  I would highly encourage you to make it to The Grape next time you’re in Dallas.  In fact, if you’d like us to join you I’m sure you wouldn’t have to twist our arms!  And if you do go without us, be sure you tell Courtney that Tim and Lisa sent you.  There’s nothing in it for us but the pleasure of connecting favorite people with favorite food and wines.  And that’s one of our favorite things!

And be sure and remember . . . wine is always good.  But when paired with the right food, it reaches its full potential and becomes . . . spectacular!  Call us.  We’ll be glad to show you!

You don’t have to go to France or Italy to find decent wine.  You don’t even have to go to California or Oregon.  There are about 3,000 commercial vineyards in the United States and there’s at least one winery in every state (even Hawaii).  Many of the wineries obtain their berries (grapes) from across state lines, but the vinification takes place in state.

Texas produced about 675,000 gallons of wine in 2009, dwarfed by California (675 million gallons), New York (about 26 million gallons), and Washington (about 24 million gallons).  Even states like Florida (1.8 million gallons) and Missouri (just over a million gallons) out produced Texas.  But I’ve tasted wine from a lot of states and I can tell you that, while the “Big Three” wine producing states aren’t in any danger of losing their top billing from any of the other states, Texas wine fares better than any of the bottom 47 with the possible exception of New York state.

Not only are Texas wines eminently quaffable, the Texas wine country is accessible for a long weekend from all the major cities in the state without having to go through security at DFW or IAH!  In addition, the wineries in Texas realize that wineries are for more than just “tasting” so they have added quaint restaurants, B&B’s, etc.  Couple that with the knowledge that Texas wine is produced in some of the most aesthetically pleasing geography in these United States, and you discover the “experience” that is Texas wine.

I may have mentioned in a previous blog post that the seductive contours of the Texas Hill Country and the lonesome blue of the state flower and the stately skies conspired against me one weekend several years ago with the result that we came home with five cases (sixty plus bottles) of Texas wines in the trunk, back seat, and floorboard of Lisa’s Acura.  While it’s true that our palates have developed beyond the capacity of most Texas wines to challenge us, we still enjoy driving through the Texas Hill Country and the Pines of East Texas a couple of weekends every year sampling the latest “crush.”  Sometimes the grapes are grown locally, sometimes they’re imported from the Llano Estacado in West Texas, and sometimes they come from California (or even Australia in the case of one Lake Travis area winery).  But always . . . ALWAYS . . . there is something uniquely “Texas” about the experience.

One of our favorites (I’m mention several in later blog posts) is nestled in the pine covered rolling hills just south of Tyler and east of Bullard.  It’s called Kiepersol Estate and we were introduced to it by some very old, very good friends . . . Debbie and Gary.  Truth is, they didn’t introduce us to the wine, but to the Bed and Breakfast.  Even more specifically, it was the breakfast!  The first time we went there, the B&B was full . . . and they normally don’t serve breakfast at the restaurant to non-B&B guests.  But Debbie talked them into serving us.  And what a breakfast it was!  Eggs Benedict, but instead of Canadian Bacon it was a big old chunk of estate-bred sirloin.  Amazing!

As we got to know Kiepersol better and better, we began to appreciate the wines more than the B&B.  Kiepersol Estates was founded by South African Pierre de Wet in 1984 and is one of the few Texas wineries to use estate grown grapes for the bulk of its wine.  Oddly enough, there is a micro-climate in a small area there in East Texas that contributes to the healthy and flavorful growth of three red and two white varietals.  Pierre’s daughter, Marnelle, became the family winemaker after an internship at Trefethen Vineyards in California.  She does a remarkable job of creating an Old World style wine right there in rural Texas.

It’s well worth the drive over there if you live in Dallas or Houston, and it’s only one of the many wineries in Texas that are interesting enough to warrant a visit.  I could go on and on about other Texas wineries like Becker (a favorite of George W. in the White House) and Flat Creek (a beautiful Tuscan-like setting) . . . but I think I’ll save those for another post.

Drink up, friends.  As a good friend just informed me (he’s on a visit to the Texas Hill country and sent me a picture of this sign by SMS), “Wine drinkers make GRAPE lovers.”