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A gem from the Garda I have this love-hate relationship with the Taste of Italy, which had become one of my favorite annual events before COVID-19 shut it down the in-person version for two years.
The love part of the equation, of course, needs little explanation. It’s a convivial gathering of foodies and oenophiles seeking to discover and savor new flavors. But it’s the “new” component that I hate because most of the wines we get to taste don’t yet have a home in Houston. The wineries participate in hopes of finding importers and/or distributors.One in particular wowed me, a pinot noir-carménère blend from Borgo la Caccia, located in the Trentino Garda region southeast of Lake Garda. Right, carménère. Who knew? Fact is, the grape we associate with Chile has long been a staple in Italy and even has its own DOC, Carmenere Colli Berici, in the province of Vicenza in the Veneto. But when we will see it for sale in Houston? Will we ever see it for sale in Houston? Hard to say. Oh well . . .I did, however, get to sample two satisfying Chiantis that will soon be sold at Spec’s – both for under $10. They’re from Refugio del Vescovo (the Bishop’s Refuge). A great find by Spec’s Italian wine-buyer Tom Dobson!Federica Mascheroni Stianti Speaking of Chianti, I also had the pleasure of meeting Federica Mascheroni Stianti of Castello di Volpaia when she hosted a dinner Thursday night at Roma. Federica’s visit was extra special because she was wrapping up her first international trip since the pandemic locked down Italy more than two years ago.
She had charmed us in a Zoom tasting in 2020, which she remembers only too well since she was holding court from the family’s castle at 3 in the morning while watching her virtual Houston audience chowing down.“It made me so hungry,” Federica said, laughing.Castello di Volpaia, which sits atop an 11th century fortified village between Florence and Sienna, is one of the highest-elevation wineries in the Chianti region with some of its vineyard land above 2,000 feet. The elegant 2019 Chianti Classico, always a favorite of the critics, sells for $25.99 at wine.com. Volpai’s outstanding higher-end wines are a little harder to find and cost a good deal more but offer plenty of value in their own right.Federica’s grandfather Raffaello Stianti, one of Italy’s leading printers and bookbinders, purchased the estate in 1966 (Volpai mean’s “fox’s lair”), then subsequently gave to his daughter Giovannella and her husband Carlo Mascheroni as a wedding gift in 1972. Today the Stianti Mascheroni family owns close to two-thirds of the village including 114 acres of vineyards and 40 acres of olive trees. Federica is proud to say that, despite Italy’s patriarchal heritage, it’s her mother Giovannella who has always runs the show.KudosTony Elsinga I got to know Tony Elsinga not long after he moved to Houston from Seattle in 2006 when I became the Chronicle’s wine columnist. He was equal parts delightful and informative as one the first sommeliers at the Tasting Room in Uptown Park and our paths crossed frequently when he took gigs at other locales, all the while hoping to start his own import company. That dream became a reality when he launched Medallion Global about a decade ago.
Because of my pandemic precautions – and his too, I suspect – I hadn’t seen Elsinga in a while until he came as one of the contestants in the Villa Sandi Sommelier competition held in conjunction with the Taste of Italy. However, he hadn’t lost a step, winning the championship on the basis of his service skills and knowledge.It came with a $750 check and an all-expenses-paid trip to Vinitaly, which, unfortunately, he likely won’t be able to take because health issues are limiting his ability to travel. But he has a plan to gift it to a younger, more mobile somm and he promised to keep me in the loop on how that plays out.Cheers, Tony!More KudosThrough single-night beverage sales last weekend, Underbelly Hospitality’s restaurants Georgia James, Georgia James Tavern and Wild Oats raised $9,846 for World Central Kitchen’s team in Poland helping feed Ukrainian refugees. And going forward, wine director Matthew Pridgen has selected some of his favorite wines with Georgia James donating 20 percent of every bottle sold for as long as Georgia James is open at its current location, 1658 Westheimer. Chris Shepherd’s steak house will soon be moving to a cool new spot at the corner of W. Dallas and Dunlavy.Chef José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen has been helping feed people affected by war and natural disasters for over 11 years now, serving millions of people around the globe. To help the cause directly, go to https://donate.wck.org/team/412271Sippin’ with SportyBubbles* 2011 Argyle Extended Tirage Brut – With the grape harvest extended into early November, the vintage was particularly well set up for long-term aging on the lees. It’s an elegant wine that checks every box for a relatively high-end bottle of bubbles. Texas A&M grad Roland Soles, Argyle’s co-founder and first winemaker, presided over this lovely brut when it was first bottled and routinely made America’s top sparkling wines – at least according to the Wine Spectator – before leaving in 2013 to devote his attention to ROCO, a winery he and his wife founded in 2003. $85 at shopargylewinery.comRed* 2017 Duckhorn Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon – Duckhorn has made this reference-standard Howell Mountain cab since 1989 (I fell in love with the 1990 vintage) and it never disappoints. A blend that includes a 10 percent merlot component, the 2017 offers rich, expressive fruit on the nose and only gets better from there with a long, immensely satisfying finish. It aged for 24 months, the first 18 in new French oak. $105 at duckhornwineshop.com* 2019 J. Lohr Pure Paso – The fruit, mostly cabernet (72 percent) and petit sirah, is all from San Luis Obispo County in the Paso Robles AVA, hence the name. The wine, a remarkable bargain, aged for 18 months in American and French oak barriques, 20 percent new. Intense black cherry fruit is front and center on the palate. $27 at https://www.jlohr.comH-town happenings* Thursday, March 24 – Nebbiolo Fest at Roma, 2347 University. 6:30-7:30 p.m. $49. Romahouston.com* Through Sunday, March 20 – The Champion Wine Garden at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. Go to rodeohouston.com for a complete list of entertainers and wine-seminar presenters.Follow me* Twitter: @sportywineguy* Instagram: sportywineguy* Facebook: Dale Robertson* Podcast: Sporty Wine Guy (A new one will drop next week!)Other folks to follow* Sandra Crittenden (winelifehouston.com) – Sandra and I shared a table as “observers” at the Villa Sandi somm competition, but she beat me to the punch in recounting our adventures. We were masquerading as a brother and sister celebrating our birthdays. I’d just turn 35 . . . wink, wink.* Russ Kane (vintagetexas.com) – Russ tells us everything we need to know about the Newsom Grape Day & Expo, held every March at Newsom Vineyards up on the High Plains.* Jeff Kralik (thedrunkencyclist.com) – Jeff reviews and rates the best wines he has received of late. * Jeremy Parzen (dobianchi.com) – My podcast partner writes about Darrell Corti, whom he calls “an Italian wine pioneer and gastronomic treasure.”* Katrina Rene (thecorkscrewconcierge.com) – Kat takes a comprehensive look at what’s happening in the world of Texas wine this spring.Jock Shorts* The sports writing/broadcasting profession lost a great one in John Clayton, who came to be known as “The Professor” in his years at ESPN. We were young reporters together in the 1970s, him in Pittsburgh covering the Steelers and me, of course, in Houston covering the Luv ya Blue Oilers. John, in fact, was present on that memorable afternoon three days before the 1979 AFC Championship Game – Houston’s last one, by the way – when the Oilers’ quarterback, Dan Pastorini, threw me out the door at the Oilers’ facility during a press conference (long story).Clayton had just asked Bum Phillips about the incredible synergy between those Oilers and the city of Houston, its media included, and Bum was going on and on about how we were indeed all one big happy family. Then my head landed on one of his cowboy boots with Dan on top of me, fist drawn back.Phillips, startled, looked down and blurted out, “Til now. What the hell’s going on?”Clayton, who died Friday, and I were bonded forever after that. We called each other “Partner.”RIP, Partner.* So, let me get this straight. Deshaun Watson doesn’t play for an entire season after behaving badly – if, apparently, not illegally – away from football and his reward is an extra $74 million in guaranteed money. True, he’s now stuck in Cleveland, but the bar for him becoming a hero there couldn’t be lower. Only Detroit has endured more seasons (56) without even one Super Bowl appearance than Cleveland (53). Houston, of course, “ranks” third with 51. -
Nick Maloney is a Californian who makes wines in both California and Burgundy, where he trained with some of the best in the business while honing his own palate in the process. Hence, Maloney is a New World guy with an Old World soul, which insured that his Father John/Père Jean wines, whatever their provenance, would be hyper-low in alcohol relative to modern standards.
“But,” he said, “I was told repeatedly that’s not going to work” because of how 21st century tastes have evolved, or devolved as the case may be.
Maloney refused to listen. And, when he took a first sip of what would become his inaugural Napa chardonnay, the 2020 Mesnil sur Blanc Cuvée 7, not long after the grapes were pressed, he felt vindicated. He knew he’d nailed it. Alcohol-wise, this newbie wine made from seven primo sites – with the Hyde Vineyard in Carneros front and center – came in “on the dot,” 12.5 percent alcohol. Flavor- and structure-wise? Well – and this is no exaggeration, friends – I thought I was tasting Grand Cru Burgundy. Le Montrachet even.
What elegance. What structure. What a juxtaposition of power and finesse. In a word, amazing.
Now, the bad news. Production was miniscule it will be available in Houston – in the entire U.S. market, for that matter – only at Stella’s, the sleek new wine bar in the Post Oak Hotel. Apparently, the head sommelier there, Julie Dalton, reacted much as I did and pounced. Maloney said she could have it on the condition that Stella’s wine list price would be no lower than $750.
Yep, Le Montrachet territory.
Maloney plans to also release the wine to just a single restaurant in six other countries, although it’s not placed anywhere yet. Clearly, he’s counting on similar reactions to Dalton’s, mine and his.
So who is Nicholas “Nick” Maloney? For starters, he makes his home in Katy – yes, Katy! – with his wife Ana Briz and their son Niko, whose next birthday will be his second. He met Ana on a serendipitous visit to a local ice house after he’d stopped here to explore distribution options in Texas. Briz, recently arrived from Guatemala, had landed a job with Texas Children’s Hospital and was out celebrating with new friends and colleagues.
Soon after they fell in love, Maloney concluded Houston would be a good half-way point between California and France and, in addition to Ana’s work ties to the area, Katy offered value in terms of real estate, certainly compared to California’s wine country. And, now, who knows? Niko could grow up to be a football star. Katy is more known for producing same than world-class vintners like his dad.
Maloney himself grew up on an apple farm in Sebastapol in Sonoma County and eventually founded his winery there in 2010, naming it after his grandfather, the Reverend John Weaver, a beloved Episcopal priest with, he recalls, “a big heart and a larger-than-life personality.” After driving a tractor in a vineyard in high school, he aimed higher, moving to France and honing his wine-making skills in such places as the Haute Savoie, Margaux, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Savigny-lès-Beaune, Pernand Vergelesses and Chablis.
Regarding the latter, Maloney said, “I love the linear acidity you find in those wines.”
He’s also a huge fan of white wines from Switzerland, which he also knows well and where he currently sells the most wine. He says through his travels he has uncovered a wine-making “technique, our house secret” that he believes is unique to Father John Wines and helps explains the straight-from-the-chute magic of the Cuvée 7. Pushed for more details, however, he politely declined.
“If you go to the great Burgundy houses and start knocking on their doors, asking for their secrets,” Maloney said with a sly smile, “they won’t tell you either. Why should I?”
He did reveal one thing, though. Almost all the other wineries who source their fruit from the Hyde Vineyard “are letting their grapes hang for a month longer than mine.” There you go. That’s how he keeps the alcohol in his (not so sweet) spot.
Go to fatherjohnwinery.com for info on all of Maloney’s wines.
Kudos
Three of Wedding Oak Winery’s 2019 vintage Texas wines claimed gold medals in the recent San Francisco International Wine Competition:
* Granitique, Cherokee Creek Vineyards, High Valley Block – It’s a syrah (50 percent), mourvèdre (45) and Carignan blend that spent 18 months in French oak, 25 percent new. Weddingoakwinery.comwine-club members can purchase it for $35.
* 2019 Tempranillo Tallent Vineyards – The fruit, all tempranillo, is from Drew Tallent’s prized property in Mason, just west of Fredericksburg. It aged in American oak, 30 percent new. It’s also a member’s-only wine, selling for $40.
* 2019 Sangiovese Buena Suerte Vineyards – The High Plains sangiovese is blended with a little primativo and teroldego to add color and structure. This wine also spent 18 months in French oak, 15 percent new. It’s available to everyone through the website for $30.
H-town happenings
* Saturday, March 12 – Empanada and Wine Night, SERCA Wines Tasting Room. 6-8 p.m. 713 405-0082. $35 per person or $90 for four with a bottle.
* Monday, March 14 – Taste of Italy Houston. 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Hilton Post Oak Hotel, 2001 Post Oak Blvd. tasteofitalyhouston.com
* Ongoing through March 20 – The Champion Wine Garden at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. Go to rodeohouston.com for a complete list of entertainers and wine-seminar presenters.
Breaking news!
I’m working with a longtime Houston chef-restaurateur on a revamped wine list that will feature a greatly enhanced rosé program, perfect for the season and for his spicy, frequently Asian-influenced dishes. I might even spend a little time on the floor, at least during happy hour. Details coming soon.
Podcast Update
Jeremy Parzen and I will be dropping hot wine takes right and left. Look for it to drop Friday afternoon (March 11) by going to “Sporty Wine Guy” wherever you find your podcasts.
Follow me
* Twitter: @sportywineguy
* Instagram: sportywineguy
* Facebook: Dale Robertson
* Podcast: Sporty Wine Guy
Follow these guys, too
Recently updated postings:
* Sandra Crittenden (winelifehouston.com) – Sandra shares her latest Galveston Monthly piece on Chiantis that she tasted at a recent Italian American Chamber of Commerce event in Houston.
* Russ Kane (vintagetexas.com) – It’s last-call time to enroll in Kane’s “Specialist of Texas Wine” class scheduled for March 23 at AOC, and he’s got all the information for you on his site.
* Jeff Kralik (thedrunkencyclist.com): Jeff evaluates and rates wines from his personal collection – not freebie samples! – that have recently made him very happy.
* Jeremy Parzen (dobianchi.com): The Roma wine director and my podcast partner in crime shares a touching story about how, during the COVID lockdown period, he helped a musician friend discover the wonders of Italian nebbiolo.
* Katrina Rene (thecorkscrewconcierge.com) – Kat showers some love on the Ribbon Ridge AVA in Oregon’s Willamette Valley.
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Hye Meadow’s Mike Batek with his wife Denise and 50 Cent However much upheaval the world may be in at any given moment, we can always count on Houston’s high-rollers, new and old money alike, to generously support the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo’s scholarship fund. And none do it more impressively than through what might, on the surface, seem to be the strangest of bedfellows, a fancy-pants wine auction.
But then even the most famous of winemakers/grape-growers consider themselves farmers above all else. Agriculture is agriculture, right? And the Rodeo, at its core, is all about agriculture.
Two records were set at Sunday night’s auction. Andrea and Bruce Bryant, John M. Cotterell, Julie and Alan Kent and Kristina and Paul Somerville ponied up $250,000 for the Grand Champion Best of Show wine, J. Lohr’s 2017 Cuvee PAU Red, a cabernet-centric left-bank Bordeaux-style blend. Meanwhile, 50 Cent, now a proud Houston resident, and his beverage partner Sire Spirits, LLC, the business end firm of Branson Cognac and 50’s Le Chemin Du Roi Champagne, forked over an unprecedented $125,000 for the Top Texas Wine, the 2017 Hye Meadow Winery Boooom Red.Boooom indeed!The 46-year-old New York-born rapper, whose given name is Curtis Jackson, has become a player in the Rodeo wine scene in a big way in a very short time. As you may recall, his fancy Le Chemin du Roi Brut champagne won Reserve Grand Champion Best of Show honors for 2021 and a three-pack of same went for $360,000 at the COVID-delayed auction in mid-May. That evening he got out-bid. He wasn’t going to let it happen again.However, had you told him when he was a kid growing up in South Jamaica Queens that he’d one day pay more than 100 grand for a Texas wine – even for a nine-liter bottle – he’d have thought you were smoking that stuff he freely admits he was selling on those mean streets back then.This year’s Reserve Grand Champion, the locally-owned Nice Winery’s Cabernet Franc from the 2017 vintage, sold for a near-record $200,000. Only one other Reserve Grand Champion had brought in more ($215,000) since the late Bear Dalton, Spec’s longtime fine wine buyer, first sold the Rodeo on the crazy idea of launching an International Wine Competition in 2003. In the years since, it has become one of the country’s largest and most prestigious.Note that J. Lohr, which has a major presence in Monterey County and Napa Valley as well as the winery’s home base in Paso Robles, joined lofty company with its Best of Show designation, becoming only the third winery to claim a second Grand Champion saddle. Its 2014 Signature Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles took top honors in 2018 (but sold for “only” $145,000).The Guado al Tasso, Bolgheri Superiore, a Bordeaux-style blend from the fabled Antinori family in Tuscany, also took top honors twice, in 2012 and again in 2014. But, of course, Alexander Valley Vineyard’s CYRUS, yet another Bordeaux-style blend, ranks in a class by itself with four Grand Champion saddles collected, most recently in 2021.As for the Texas champion, Hye Meadow’s Mike Batek – a.k.a. “The Grape Guru” and also “The Dude”– is the man behind the Boooom, in which he blended negroamaro, montepulciano, aglianico and sangiovese grown in the Texas High Plains that then spent 24 months in French oak. Like 50 Cent, Batek is another unlikely vintner, having grown up in south Texas or, in his words, “Miller Lite country.” But what he calls a divinely inspired mid-life course correction led him to Texas Tech to study viticulture and then on to the heart of the Hill Country.Batek, by the way, also makes a High Plains Nebbiolo ( http://www.hyemeadow.com) that I can’t wait to try. You know me and nebbiolo.The Rodeo’s Grand Champion wines through the years:* 2022 – J. Lohr Cuvee PAU 2017* 2021 – Alexander Valley Vineyards CYRUS, Alexander Valley, 2014* 2020 – Piper-Heidsieck Brut Champagne* 2019 – Graham Beck Brut Rosé South Africa* 2018 – J. Lohr Vineyards Signature Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles, 2014* 2017 – Arinzano Gran Vino Blanco, Pago de Arinzano 2010* 2016 – Orin Swift Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, Mercury Head, Napa Valley, 2013* 2015 – Rombauer Vineyards Diamond Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2010* 2014 – Antinori Guado al Tasso, Bolgheri Superiore 2009* 2013 – Alexander Valley Vineyards CYRUS, Alexander Valley 2008* 2012 – Antinori Guado al Tasso, Bolgheri Superiore 2007* 2011 – Alexander Valley Vineyards CYRUS, Alexander Valley 2006* 2010 – Davis Family Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2005* 2009 – Vina Robles Suendero, Paso Robles, 2006* 2008 – Stags’ Leap Winery Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, 2003* 2007 – Clos du Bois Marlstone, Alexander Valley, 2003* 2006 – Raymond Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, 2001* 2005 – Hang Time Pinot Noir, Santa Maria Valley, 2003* 2004 – Alexander Valley Vineyards CYRUS, Alexander Valley, 1999Sippin’ with Sporty
Bubbles* 2018 Goldeneye Brut Rosé – It’s a 60-40 pinot noir-chardonnay blend, with the Anderson Valley grapes from Goldeneye’s best vineyards undergoing whole-cluster pressing and fermenting in neutral woro, then aged sur lees for 10 months, followed by en tirage aging for two years. Disgorging and dosage happens six months before the wine is released. $65 at duckhornwineshop.comWhite* Lunaria Ramoro Pinot Grigio – You’ll see the bottle and think this is a rosé. It’s not. The biodynamically farmed grapes are fermented with skins on for about 30 days, explaining the hue and the wine’s rich texture and intense flavors. The Cantina Orsogna, a cooperative of 31 planet-friend growers who live in the heart of Italy’s Abruzzo, has been Demeter-certified since 2005. Buy it for $16.99 at Whole Foods.Red* 2019 OZV Old Vine Zinfandel Lodi – Lodi zin is king, in my book, especially when it can be had for such a price. Raspberries and blackberries with a suitable pinch of spice in this bargain bottle made from Oak Ridge Winery’s estate fruit. The family goes back five generations in Lodi. Yes, they know their terroir inside out. $12.99 at wine.comH-town happenings* Tuesday, March 8 – Four-course South African wine dinner, Astor Farm to Table, 1590 S. Mason Rd., Katy. 6:30 p.m. $49.99. astorfarmtotable.com.* Saturday, March 12 – Empanada and Wine Night, SERCA Wines Tasting Room. 6-8 p.m. 713 405-0082. $35 per person or $90 for four with a bottle. info@sercawines.com* Ongoing through March 20 – The Champion Wine Garden at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. Go to rodeohouston.com for a complete list of entertainers and wine-seminar presenters.Other folks to followRecently updated postings* Russ Kane (vintagetexas.com) – It’s last-call time to enroll in Kane’s “Specialist of Texas Wine” class scheduled for March 23 at AOC, and he’s got all the information for you on his site.* Jeff Kralik (thedrunkencyclist.com): Jeff recounts a memorable visit to Alentejo, Portugal’s largest wine region, with lots of great photos.* Jeremy Parzen (dobianchi.com): Parzen, the Roma wine director and my podcast partner, pays tribute to Fabio Picchi, the famous and influential chef (Cibreo in Florence) who’s considered the godfather of modern Tuscan cuisine. Picchi, only 68, passed away recently.* Katrina Rene (thecorkscrewconcierge.com) – Kat provides a recap of the recent comprehensive Houston seminar and trade-tasting that was focused on three of Italy’s “under-the- radar” wines from the Abruzzo and Franciacorta plus Moscato d’Astis.Jock Shorts* Baseball’s owners are clueless. Ditto baseball players. I mean, really? Doubt I’ll ever go to another game.* The world’s sports federations deserve a standing ovation for telling the Russians to get lost and stay lost. Honestly, this surprised me. Never thought they’d have the courage. . -
Houston food and wine-lovers lost out on a lot of in-person fun over the last couple years because of COVID-19, but the parties are mercifully returning. I had a ball at Sunday night’s Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo’s Best Bites competition and I’m now looking forward to another one of my favorite gastro-oenological confabs, the eighth annual Taste of Italy, March 13-14.
Kudos to Italy-America Chamber of Commerce Texas for rallying the troops after two years of having to do everything virtually. More than 500 folks are expected to attend the various events at the Hilton Post Oak where 150 Italian brands and more than 750 Italian products will be showcased. Also returning will be a competition for local sommeliers (I’m looking forward to making my debut as a judge) that, considering the prizes at stake, figures to attract many of our best and brightest wine stewards. The champion pockets $750 and a sponsored trip to Verona to attend Vinitaly, one of the world’s most famous wine trade shows, while the runner-up collects $750 and $500 goes to third place. The Texas Wine School is also offering two scholarships on the side.
Kroger’s Jaime Deleon is the primary force behind the competition, which had to be shelved the last two years because of the pandemic, with help from his AwwSommHouston study group. Entrants will be tested on theory, tasting and service skills. In the inaugural competition in 2019, the Post Oak Hotel’s Danny Steiner took top honors.
Panel discussions on Monday include one at 10:30 a.m. on responsible, sustainable wine-making focusing on two Umbrian producers and another at 2:30 p.m. on pairing Texas barbeque with Chiantis. My podcast partner in crime, Jeremy Parzen, heads up the morning session with me and Pappas Bros. Master Sommelier Steven McDonald joining him on the dais. Harlem Road Barbeque pitmaster Ara Malekian, Spec’s Italian wine buyer Tom Dobson and Culture Map food writer Eric Sandler are leading that talk.
A walk-around tasting for registered guests follows from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Information on all of the above and more can found at tasteofitalyhouston.com.
And, speaking of the Rodeo, the popular Wine Garden at Carruth Plaza is back in business, too, with the most highly decorated bottles from the International Wine Competition being showcased plus an excellent lineup of live music every day and terrific food-and-wine seminars most evenings from Feb. 28 through March 20. Reservations can be secured at rodeo-houston.com((where you can also peruse the Best Bites! Winners).
Wine lecturers include Master Sommelier/vintner Guy Stout and fellow local vintner, Ryan Levy, whose 2018 Nice Winery Cabernet Franc earned Reserve Grand Champion Best of Show honors. That’s a remarkable achievement made all the more special by the fact that, back in the day, Levy’s earning a Rodeo scholarship set him on his current life trajectory. Click on the Wine Garden link at the Rodeo web site above for the complete lineup of seminar hosts.
In case you missed it, the category champions are as follows:
* Grand Champion Best of Show – 2017 J. Lohr Vineyards Cuvee PAU Red, Paso Robles
* Reserve Grand Champion Best of Show – 2018 Nice Winery Cabernet Franc
* Top Red Wine – 2019 Three Sticks Pinot Noir, Gap’s Crown Vineyard, Sonoma Coast
* Top White Wine – 2020 Ruffino Italian Orvieto Classico DOC
* Top Sparkling Wine – 2020 Meiomi Sparkling Rosé, North Coast
* Top Dessert Wine – 2019 Pillitteri Estates Winery Vidal Icewine, Niagara-on-the-Lake VQA
* Top Value Wine – 2019 Apothic Merlot, California
* Top Wine Company – E&J Gallo Winery
* Top Region Wine Company – Ste. Michelle Wine Estates
* Top Region Wine – 2018 Revelry Vintners Limited Edition Reveler Red, Columbia Valley
* Top All-Around Winery – J. Lohr Vineyards
* Top Texas Winery – Becker Vineyards
* Top Texas Wine – Hye Meadow Winery Boooom Red, Texas High Plains, 2017
Sippin’ with Sporty
Bubbles
The Villa Sandi Prosecco family * Villa Sandi Prosecco Superiore – Diva Moretti Polegato was in town over the weekend working to get more of her family’s delightful Villa Sandi wines into our market. (https://www.villasandi.it/en/) All that I tasted were delicious, including a new pink Prosecco, but my favorite was the winery’s higher-end bubbles from Valdobbiadene, the region’s epicenter. It’s bright and acidic with a medley of fruit flavors playing off each other and some creamy mousse to boot. $22.99 at wine.com
White
* 2020 Marco Bonfante Roero Arneis Persté – Marco and his sister Micaela launched their lovely winery (marcobonfante.com) in 2000 in Ninza Monferrato across the Tanaro River from Barbaresco. The arneis grape has grown in their Roero neighborhood since the 1500s. “Persté” honors Micaela’s first son, Stefano, born in 2014 (“Persté” = per Stefano). How they can produce this good of a wine at this price point is beyond me, but a hearty “bravo!” is order. You’ll love the stone fruit notes on the nose and the fresh minerality in the glass. It’s only $9.89 at Costco. Are you kidding me? But hey, folks, please save me a couple of bottles!
Rosé
* 2020 Rose Gold Côtes de Provence – I’ve added this gem from the countryside above Saint Tropez to my short list of favorites, now that it seems to be widely available around town. Dallas’ Casey Barber fell in love with Provence and its pink wines while traveling there years ago and the “affair” led to her launching the Rose Gold brand in 2018. Savory red fruit takes center stage. Spec’s price is only $17.89.
Red
* 2017 Allegrini Palazzo Della Torre – The Allegrinis are legendary in the hills just north of Verona, in Valpolicella country. (https://allegriniwine.com) Three national critics have scored this vintage of the Palazzo Della Torre at least a 90 and I’m right there with them. An intensely flavored blend of corvina, corvinone, rondinella and sangiovese, it’s a steal for $16.89 at Spec’s.
A pink, a white and a red all under $20 Sporty Wine Guy Podcast
A new one drops in the next couple of days. Parzen and I weigh in all manner of wine topics – and, sometimes, other stuff – weekly. Go to “Sporty Wine Guy” wherever you get your podcasts.
H-town happenings
*March 5 – Taste of Two Legends: Morton’s and Michael David Winery. 6:30 p.m. at both Morton’s locations, downtown and in The Woodlands. $149 plus tax and gratuity. mortons.com
* March 13-14 – Taste of Italy Houston. tasteofitalyhouston.com
Follow my friends
* Sandra Crittenden (winelifehouston.com) – Sandra assesses the “undiscovered” wines of Mexico that she paired with Hugo’s cuisine.
* Russ Kane (vintagetexas.com) Russ weighs in Thomas Volney (T.V.) Munson, a fascinating and seminal wine-world figure whom Kane suggests was Texas’ original Renaissance man.
* Jeff Kralik (thedrunkencyclist.com): Jeff offers an eclectic list of seven wines that have recently impressed him.
* Jeremy Parzen (dobianchi.com): Jeremy provides all the pertinent facts on the aforementioned upcoming Taste Of Italy.
Follow me
* Twitter – @sportywineguy
* Instagram – @sportywineguy
* Facebook – Dale Robertson
Jock Shorts
* The Texans got it right in the end by hiring Lovie Smith. But they couldn’t have gotten it more wrong in how they got there. Privately, Lovie is laughing all the way to the bank.
* Kudos to my indefatigable former Chronicle colleague Jonathan Feign for somehow making the nowhere-bound Rockets worth reading about. Note that they’re comfortably on track to posting fewer than 20 victories in back-to-back seasons, after having just one comparable death march in their previous 53 seasons.
* Anybody missing spring training yet? I didn’t think so.
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Occasionally my two professional worlds, sports and wine, have collided. On Sunday, I celebrated the NFL’s 56th Super Bowl with three wines that proudly carry the name of Dick Vermeil, the NFL’s newest Hall-of-Fame coach.
The timing was perfect, too. Twenty-two Super Bowls ago Vermeil led the Rams franchise to its only Lombardi trophy until Sean McVay’s Rams rallied late to beat the Bengals 23-20. Vermeil’s 1999 team, which called St. Louis home, had eked out a similarly dramatic 23-16 victory over the former Houston Oilers, who had moved to Tennessee three seasons earlier. Fortuitously, Vermeil had seen his first wine, the Jean Louis Vermeil Cabernet Sauvignon, go into the bottle that fall while the Kurt Warner-quarterbacked Rams were marching toward their date with destiny against the Titans in Atlanta.
But, no, he wasn’t by then just another celebrity trying to capitalize on fame and fortune earned in another profession. Vermeil’s roots in Calistoga go down as deeply as those of the vines he grew up surrounded by, producing wines he first tasted as a child. Jean Louis, an émigré from France’s Var region in the hills above the Riviera, was his great-grandfather and every Christmas young Dick would be given a shot-glass-sized sample to try – and evaluate – by his winemaking grandfather Albert.
An essential source of grapes for Vermeil’s wines remains the Frediani Vineyard, 130 acres of prime Napa Valley terroir just east of Calistoga that first went under vine around the turn of the last century, when it was owned by Garibaldi Iaccheri, Vermeil’s other great-grandfather who had immigrated from Lucca, Italy. Vermeil might not have been destined to win a Super Bowl or become a Hall-of-Famer, but with his Franco-Italian grape-growing heritage he was all but certain to one day become a serious vintner.
I never knew Vermeil personally as a football coach, although I covered both Super Bowls his teams played in. In the first, his 1980 Philadelphia Eagles lost to the Oakland Raiders (who had brought an end to Bum Phillips’ tenure with the Oilers a few weeks earlier). But I got to know him very well when he began passing frequently through Houston to help market his wines, which have always done well here. If there existed a Hall of Fame for all-time great human beings, Dick would be a first-ballot selection, as he should have been with the NFL’s years ago. A two-time NFL Coach-of-the-Year, he’s also one of only four to have taken two franchises to the Super Bowl.
At least the Hall’s Veteran’s Committee finally got it right and Dick, who remains supremely fit and sharp as a tack at 85, will get his just desserts in Canton next summer. It’s safe to say Vermeil wines will be front-and-center on tables during the many celebrations surrounding his long-overdue induction.
I’ll be there in spirit, believe me. I love the man. And I love the Vermeil wines, too. The three I shared with friends during the game Sunday are described below. All of them were still the shelf at the Midtown Spec’s Saturday afternoon, although, truth to tell, I may have purchased the final bottle of the 2017 Sauvignon Blanc. However, the current-release 2020 is available through vermeilwines.com for $38.
* 2016 Vermeil Chardonnay – Made with sustainably-farmed grapes sourced from the heart of the acclaimed Dutton Ranch property in the Russian River Valley, which has been under vine since the mid-1960s (when Vermeil first broke into the NFL with George Allen’s Rams), it screams California – but with a refined, elegant voice. The Spec’s price is $39.89.
* 2018 Vermeil Sauvignon Blanc – All Frediani Vineyard fruit, it’s a classically creamy, oak-kissed Napa Valley expression of the grape and sells for only $24.99 at Spec’s.
*2016 Vermeil XXXIV Proprietary Red – This is a voluptuous, delicious fruit-forward cab-centric wine that finishes long and smooth. The cabernet franc and petit sirah in the blend add to its complexity. An off-the-charts value at $32.99 from Specs. I don’t need to tell you what the XXXIV refers to, right?
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From the fall of 1973, when I began covering Texas Southern University athletics as a boy sports writer for the Houston Post, through the fall of 2021, when my fabulous 14-year run as a weekly wine columnist for the Houston Chronicle came to an end, I rarely went more than a week or two without hacking out a story of some kind. But my recent four-month “sabbatical” – interrupted only by a couple of assignments for the Chronicle’s sports department – would be fortuitously timed. It gave me the chance to work through the loss of our beloved 18-year-old dog Ollie and, more recently, provided the downtime required for a total hip replacement. In between, I must admit it was nice to celebrate a holiday season completely unfettered by writing deadlines.
However, the act of stringing sentences together for the purpose of educating, entertaining and, yes, occasionally irritating readers has been my raison d’être since I was the sports editor of my high school paper in El Paso. Not writing felt strange and a bit isolating so . . . here we go again. With this missive, I officially become a blogger.
I’m one of “them” now.
So, does Houston need another wine blog? Truth to tell, probably not. We’ve already got many good ones done by smart, passionate folks, several of whom have become great friends. Therefore, part of my mission going forward is to be a clearing house for their work, an aggregator if you will, which means I’ll be sharing links to their work in my space. I’ll also, of course, be providing recommendations – some totally my own, others from collective tastings – updates on the local wine scene and a listing of the best wine events happening in the area. As COVID eases its dastardly grip on our daily lives, there’s certain to be a major uptick in dinners, tastings and seminars, many featuring fascinating vintners and their representatives.
Until the pandemic hit in March of 2020, practically a day didn’t pass that we weren’t swirling and sipping with somebody from someplace far away. Damn, I’ve missed that. But, because Houston has become a hugely significant market for winemakers, those folks will be back, I promise. They love our restaurateurs, our sommeliers and, most of all, our consumers, whose thirst – pun intended – for wine knowledge and wine experiences rival that of any city anywhere. It’s this that makes me want to stay in the wine-writing game.
As for sports writing . . . meh, not so much. Fifty years of that quenched my appetite. But, a word of warning, fellow winos: Do expect the occasional hot sports take (or, if the topic is Texans related, probably a profanity-laced rant). Can’t abandon my roots altogether. And, to close a circle in that regard, I’ll be calling that segment of the blog “Jock Shorts,” a nod to my column that ran in the Daily Cougar 50 years ago.
Yep, Jock Shorts. I was 18, OK?
Anyway, a big new adventure begins and it even includes a podcast, the first episode of which can be found wherever you get your podcasts by searching for “Sporty Wine Guy.” I’m partnering with Jeremy Parzen, the Roma wine director, all-things-Italy expert and for-real Ph.D./Renaissance man. We’ll be riffing on all things wine, with a strong Houston focus. And, down the road, we’ll add some very cool guests.
Wines to try NOW!Bubbles
* 2018 Cuvaison Brut Cuvée Méthode Champenoise – If you’re looking for new bottle of bubbles with which to celebrate Valentine’s Day, look no further. Carneros meets Champagne here. At $50 (cuvaison.com), this classic pinot noir-chardonnay blend isn’t cheap, but it doesn’t drink cheap either. You’ll taste almonds, pears and lemon zest.
White
* 2020 Masseria Li Veli “Askos Verdeca” – Tired of the same ol’ same ol’? This fresh and lively verdeca will excite you. The grapes grow on Masseria Li Veli’s property on the sunny Salento plain in Italy’s Puglia region. The wine is full-bodied, spicy and nicely acidic with tropical fruit and citrus notes. You’ll find it for $23.99 at wine.com.
Red
* 2019 Ruggero di Bardo Susumaniello – This might be the best Tuesday-night pizza/red-sauce pasta-pairing wine I’ve ever encountered A friend found it on the shelf at Trader Joe’s for 10 bucks. Seriously, 10 friggin’ bucks! Susumaniello is also a Puglian grape, but its origins are thought to be Croatia’s Dalmatian coast or Greece, the latter because DNA profiling turns up the white grape garganega in its family tree and garganega definitely has Greek roots. With lots of red-fruit flavor, it handles spicy foods splendidly.
H-town happenings
* Wednesday, Feb. 9 – DOC Wines: Italian Excellences at Roma Restaurant, 2347 University Blvd. 6:30 p.m. info@ieemusa.com or 305 937-2488.
* Thursday, Feb. 10 – Bubbles, Boots and Bourbon presented by the Women of Wine Charities at Pinto Ranch, 1717 Post Oak Blvd. $60 for members, $80 for non-members. Wowcharities.org.
Folks to follow
* Sandra Crittenden (winelifehouston.com): Sandra gives her assessment of Stella’s, the airy new wine bar in the Post Oak Hotel presided over by former Iron Sommelier champ Julie Dalton. Jeffrey Young, previously at Georgia James, is part of the team, too.
* Russ Kane (vintagetexas.com) Our leading expert on the Texas wine scene, Russ tells the story of the long-lost Guadalupe Valley Winery in Gruene, closing with a plea for help in finding out why the place went under.
* Jeff Kralik (thedrunkencyclist.com): Jeff talks about eight Italian wines that got his taste buds revved up.
* Jeremy Parzen (dobianchi.com): Jeremy weighs in on the huge challenges presented by Italy’s hot, dry 2017 vintage.
* Katrina Rene (thecorkscrewconcierge.com) – Kat tastes and tells the story of Jeff Long’s Longevity wines. Long, based in Livermore, Calif., is the president of Association of African American vintners and a great interview. I spoke with him this time last year.
Jock Shorts
I’ll keep it short today. The Texans’ coaching fiasco . . . No words. Well, how about two? Utter friggin’ insanity. Wait, that’s three. Sorry.
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A retired, and recovering, sports writer these days after almost half a century in the bidness, I’ve long told people the reason I became a wine drinker was because I had to cover Houston’s teams and wine seemed the most civilized way to kill all the pain. Think about this: The year I signed on with the Post the Oilers were about to endure back-to-back 1-13 seasons. The Rockets, having just moved here from San Diego, were still four seasons away from making the playoffs. And,10 years into their existence, the Astros were in the midst of an 0-for-18 postseason drought. Nonetheless, it was a gig that beat working for a living and I got to hang around long enough to be part of the magic of Luv ya Blue, then see the Rockets’ claim back-to-back NBA titles and the Astros finally win a National League pennant before becoming an American League powerhouse. The ride had its bumps, to be sure, but I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat. Like I said, it gave me an excuse to explore wine, often on somebody else’s dime. I do miss that expense account. I don’t, however, miss trying to explain the unexplainable, which is pretty much every decision the Texans make.
The Sporty Wine Guy
All things wine… but a little sports talk, too
The Sporty Wine Guy 