Updated Oct. 8
A random recent tout led to make a quick trip over the mountain to Italy late last week to check out a possible home base for my Piemontese wine tour next spring. And I needed about 10 minutes, with my head on a 360-degree swivel because of the magnificent views in every direction, to decide to reserve four rooms at the Relais Luigi Einaudi above the gorgeous town of Dogliani in the Langhe.
The only bad news is I wanted seven rooms, but four were all they had left for the last week in May. So me and my partner Pablo Valqui are going to have to bunk elsewhere. Hey, our clients always come first with gourmettours.biz (http://gourmettours.biz). But I do intend to drop by for a dip in the cool wine-bottled-shaped pool, show below.
If the name Luigi Einaudi rings a bell, it should. Long before he became a beloved president of the Italian Republic in the post-war years — 1948-57 — he was an aspiring vintner, having purchase the first of his estates at the age of 23 in 1897. But Einaudi (pictured below) would go on to pursue careers in high finance and journalism until the fascists came to power, ultimately forcing him to flee to Switzerland, not returning to Italy until Mussolini fell in 1943. A liberal in the true European libertarian sense, he is remembered as a vocal, pioneering force in economic federalism, the end result of which would become, long after his death in 1961, the formation of the European Union.
But, despite all the years he would spend in Rome, his heart never left his beloved Langhe hills. Today, Einaudi’s heirs own 10 farmsteads with 111 acres under vine from Barolo (Terlo and Cannubi) to Dogliani, where they were instrumental in creating the DOCG Dolcetto di Dogliani. The Einaudi winery with its 240,000-bottle cellar is conveniently located beneath the lovely albergo where my folks will be based.
I can’t say enough good things about the Barolos and the Dolcettos, but the wine in the Einaudi lineup that’s the most special to me personally is the Langhe Rosso, an juicy, well-extracted blend of nebbiolo (30 percent) cabernet (30 percent), merlot (20 percent) and barbera that represents a perfect intersection between flavor profile and price point ($30). Unfortunately, I rarely see it in Houston, although Enoteca Rosa’s Brian Brossa, bless him, has had it on his wine list in the past.
Our tour is good to go as is, but we can still accommodate one more couple. We start in Turin May 23 and finish in Milan June 1 with lots of crazy good winery detours in between, including Bruno Rocca (http://brunoroca.com), Ceretto (http://ceretto.com), Marchesi di Gresy http://marchesidigresy.com), Oddero (http://oddero.it) and Pio Cesare (http://piocesare.it) in the Langhe and Ca del Bosco (http://cadelbosco.com) in Franciacorte.
As Rachel Maddow is wont to say, watch this space for updates. I’ll be returning to the region in late October to knock around, taste and fine-tune the itinerary. I know, dirty thankless work . . .
The Sports Page
Raising a glass to . . . the Astros
Who, improbably, won their consecutive AL West title on the last night of the season despite having entered their final series of the season two games back of the Texas Rangers. Remember Rudy Tomjanovich’s praising his Rockets’ “heart of a champion” back during their championship run? It should be said of these resilient Astros, too. They’ve gotten knocked down with worrisome frequency in 2023 but never knocked out. Another World Series triumph would surprise no one.
And to . . . C. J. Stroud
No quarterback in NFL history — in NFL history, people! — had thrown for more than 1,200 yards without a single pick during his first four starts until Stroud buckled his Texans chinstrap. Through Sunday night’s 21-19 loss at Atlanta, C.J. has thrown 186 passes for 1,461 yards without being intercepted. At the other end of the spectrum, the Oilers’ Dan Pastorini suffered 13 picks in his first five NFL starts . . . but eventually led the Oilers to back-to-back AFC Championship Games, something no Houston QB had done before or since.
And to . . . J.J. Watt
A couple of serious, late-career injuries kept him from becoming one of the greatest players in NFL history, but he’ll still be a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer and would be, of course, a no-brainer pick to go into the Texans’ Ring of Honor on Sunday. What he did for Hurricane Harvey relief alone assures he’ll never not be loved by his adopted home town. Speaking of the “L” word, Watt admitted during his on-field remarks, “I’ve got a lot of love flowing through my veins right now and all that love is directed towards Houston, Texas . . . I’m incredibly honored and thankful to be a part of your family forever and all I want to say is H-Town, I love you. Thank you.” His taking out a full-page ad in the Houston Chronicle to express his appreciation for what the city gave him made me, no kidding, tear up. Here’s hoping young C.J. will in time become another J.J. He’s certainly off to one helluva start.
And to . . . Billie Jean King
Yep, Mother Freedom herself. She whupped Bobby Riggs, who proudly — and profitably — branded himself a male chauvinist pig, on a magical evening in the Astrodome a half century ago that I was fortunate enough to have been a part of. It was the first tennis match I ever saw live, and the first I was assigned to cover. Billie Jean, who became a friend, will always be on my personal sports Mount Rushmore. What a player, what a lady, what a for-real feminist trailblazer.
H-town happenings
Tastings Every Saturday at French Country Wines: Noon-5 p.m. Free. http://frenchcountrywines.com
Tastings Every Wednesday at Montrose Cheese & Wine: 5-7 p.m. Free. http://montrosecheeseandwine.com
Tastings Every Thursday at Cueva in the Marriott Marquis Houston: 6:30-7:30 p.m. $40 http://eventbrite.com
Symposium Saturdays: 4-5 p.m. at Stella’s Wine Bar in the Post Oak Hotel. $75. http://eventbrite.com
Newsom Vineyards Wine Tasting: 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5, at 25200 Grogan’s Park Dr. in The Woodlands. $20 http://eventbrite.com
Seghesio Wine Dinner: 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5, at Atkins House. $85. http://eventbrite.com
Celebrity Wine Tasting: Lights, Camera, Wine: 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 13, at AR Workshop in Cypress. $60. http://eventbrite.com
Light Years Wine Tasting: Noon Saturday, Nov. 4. $50 http://eventbrite.com
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Others to follow
Jeremy Parzen (http://dobianchi.com)
My Podcast partner in crime writes: “Most Italian-focused wine professionals in the U.S. face a sticky linguistic challenge: how to distinguish between the classic expression of an appellation and a vineyard-designated or riserva category. And it’s not an issue confined solely to purely anglophone wine pros. Italian speakers often get tripped up by the tongue-tying conundrum. For many, the knee-jerk reaction in such cases is to call the classic wine normale or normal . . .”
Sandra Crittenden (http://winelifehouston.com)
Sandra writes: “Like so many of the great wine regions of the world, a river runs through France’s Rhone Valley. The Rhone River shapes the landscape and lends its character to the wines grown there. Viticulture arrived with the Greeks in the Fourth Century BC, but flourished during the Roman Empire . . . ”
Russ Kane (http://vintagetexas.com)
The Texas Wineslinger writes: “I just wanted to let you know that Heath Family Brands is pleased to announce the Grand Opening of Invention Vineyards on Highway 16 in Fredericksburg on Friday, September 22nd. Invention Vineyards crafts predominantly Texas blends, with a classic presentation of old-world varietals.”
Jeff Kralick (http://thedrunkencyclist.com)
The DC writes: “Over the course of a week, I taste a bunch of wine, usually with friends, and almost always with my wife. Here are some of the wines we tasted over the past few weeks. These are wines that were not sent as samples—in most cases, I actually paid for these wines (although a few have been given as gifts).”
Katrina Rene (http://thecorkscrewconcierge.com)
Kat writes: “So your girl had to take some time off and settle into back to school, Thing 2’s surgery, not to mention all of the projects on my desk at the office (all that #LawyerLife stuff). Hence, no September roundup of events in Texas Wine Country. But given that October is Texas Wine Month, I most certainly had to share some of the great events that will be happening to celebrate our great wine region.”
The Sporty Wine Guy 