Wine

Dallas Sommeliers on How to Pick a $20 Bottle of Wine for a Dinner Party

We've all been there, hopefully: that moment in the adult world when we're invited to dinner by another grown-up. Specifically a grown-up we're not close enough with to have the understanding that grabbing a case of Shiner and showing up "whenever" is appropriate. Societal custom dictates the invi ... More >>

Wine Poste Open in Design District for a Unique Wine Experience in Dallas

A new wine venue unlike any other in Dallas, Wine Poste (2001 Irving Blvd., Ste. 145), has opened in the burgeoning Design District. James Jordan, a local wine industry veteran of 30 years, and Matthew Thompson, a certified sommelier and wine writer, are leading the charge in this new concept that s ... More >>

Toast the New Vintage

Toast to Texas

She's a Thirsty Girl

Find Truth In Wine At These Vino Events

​For all of you out there who are fretting over the remainder of the work week, just remember that's there's a glass of wine with your name on it. Actually, there are multiple glasses waiting for you because we've found three wine events you won't want to miss. For her final column in the Observ ... More >>

Sigel's Discounts Mysterious Cheap Wines

Sigel's is readying to put its 90 Cellars wines on sale, making the label Time recently described as a "magical combo" of good wine and cheap prices an even better deal. ​90 Cellars, the subject of a feature story in The Boston Globe this week, has been garnering attention for its unique bu ... More >>

Savor Dallas Rolls Into Town This Weekend

Sara KerensSavor Dallas 2010​If you've had the kids home this week during spring break, it's time to reward yourself with a little adult time, and by that we mean a few glasses of wine -- or more. You'll have all weekend to get your drink on at Savor Dallas, and here's a taste of what you'll ... More >>

Texas Wine Industry Considers Identifying Best of the Bunch

​Texas wine enthusiasts seeking a better way to convey to consumers which local wines deserve their attentions are broaching the possibility of creating a wine quality program. Russ Kane, a wine writer who's moderating a panel on wine quality at this week's Texas Wine and Grape Growers Associ ... More >>

Sommeliers Choose Their Favorite Texas Wines (So the TDA Doesn't Have To)

​The Texas Department of Agriculture is compelled to promote all the permitted wineries in Texas, a mandate that doesn't resolve the thorny issue of how to address varying degrees of quality within the industry. But a recent event proposed by industry members has allowed the department to di ... More >>

Lap It Up

Newest Menu Items at Leading Chains Not Designed for Teetotalers

​Corporate kitchens are continuing to add wine and spirits to their dishes, apparently angling for sophistication and increased perceived value. Olive Garden is now pushing a pasta dish with shellfish "sautéed in white wine" and a stew "simmered in light white wine." Red Lobster's developed ... More >>

Cross Timbers Winery Sangiovese: Bloody Good
With Saucy Italian Fare

​Just as most people recognize pinot grigio, chances are good that if you ask someone to name an Italian red grape varietal it will be sangiovese. Or perhaps chianti, which was certainly popular back in the day, when many a mom-and-pop Italian eatery sported a straw-covered bottle of chianti a ... More >>

Hey, Hey, Beaujolais

San Martino Tempranillo Reserve: Tasting an Up-and-Comer

​Along with malbec, Grenache, and cabernet franc, tempranillo is viewed by oenophiles as one of the up-and-coming red grapes in today's wine scene. It is often called the "noble grape" of Spain, and is used as the base for that country's magnificent Rioja reds. Almost black in color, temprani ... More >>

Khatter Vineyards: Want More Than a Bottle? Buy the Vineyard.

​If you are familiar with Parker, Texas, at all, doubtless it's because of Southfork Ranch, home to JR Ewing and his fictional clan from Dallas. But while the symbol for the Ewing empire might be the oil well, the signage for Parker's only winery features the peacock. You see, when Jay and Ca ... More >>

Wales Manor Picnic Meritage: A Drink for Tailgaters

​Once the home of bedroom communities and sleepy suburbs, Collin County is finally starting to mature and develop its fine wining and dining scene. Nowhere is this more apparent than the county seat of McKinney, where any bright and cheery weekend has visitors hard pressed to find available pa ... More >>

San Martino Winery: A Fine Place to See Red -- But Only Red

​When you think of wine-making countries in Europe, most people naturally assume France and Italy have just about cornered the market. Indeed, Italian and French wines are known around the world as standard-bearers of the tipple craft for centuries. However, more and more people are being drawn to ... More >>

55 Degrees: Just Right For Malbec,
Just Not Enough of It

​From the outside, 55 Degrees Wine Bar & Bistro doesn't appear to be anything special. Just the name on the rather dingy double-decker strip mall announces its presence, and there is no patio. Inside, however, is quite another matter. Sofas, comfy armchairs, and coffee tables greet you when yo ... More >>

How 'Bout Them Wineboys? (At Least Some Texas Competitors Had a Good Monday Night.)

​There's no dispute that Texas trounced New York in last night's Grape Gridiron Classic, a Texas Department of Agriculture-sponsored competition featuring wines from both states. What's debatable is whether it was a fair fight. "You guys killed us, and we deserved it," Albany Times-Union wine ... More >>

Times Ten Cellars Cabernet Franc:
A Gentler Cab Ride

​Cabernet Sauvignon is probably the most famous red varietal in the world, so much so that if you were to walk into any bar and say, "I'll have a cab," the bartender will assume you mean Cabernet Sauvignon and act accordingly. These days, however, another cab is being called more frequently by ... More >>

Texoma Winery Punches Humble Ruby Cab's Dance Card

texomawinery.com​People aren't the only ones who suffer through hot Texas summers. Grapes feel the scorch as well, which means the state's not the place to produce varietals that wither in the heat. After years of stubborn experimentation with Pinot Noir and other delicate grapes, the Texas wi ... More >>

So Three Cabs Walk Into a Wine Garden...

For those of us who visit the State Fair, it's worth braving the Midway to revisit old favorites and discover new delights. As I reported last week, my wining companion and I were particularly pleased to find the Go Texan Wine Garden, a little Hill Country-esque oasis of vino, music and sanity near ... More >>

Drink Up, You Cheap Winos

​You've heard of Two Buck Chuck? How about three-buck Wink? The $2.99 Winking Owl Merlot is found exclusively at Aldi, the deep discount grocery store. Bottled by Gallo, it's a thoroughly respectable little bottle of grape with hints of cherry and other sweet fruits. I dare you to put it on t ... More >>

Go Texan Winery Passport Program: Drink and Be Rewarded--But with What?

​The other day on City of Ate, my colleague, Hanna Raskin, bemoaned the state of the Go Texan Restaurant Week, one of the numerous programs designed by the Texas Department of Agriculture to spur interest and business in our state's food industry. She noted that only seven restaurants in Big D sig ... More >>

What Wine Does One Pair with a Corny Dog?

Photo by Chris Meesey​The State Fair of Texas makes it easy to find your way around Fair Park if you know how to use one of the handy free maps handed out at the entrance gate. If you wish to find the Go Texan Wine Garden, for example, merely mosey a ways down the Esplanade, turn left at Inter ... More >>

A Shoot Off The Vine: Sampling McPherson Cellars' Viognier

​Winemaking is a laying-on-of-hands tradition, a passion that is often passed down from generation to generation. Most often, the children, grandchildren and other family members will stay with the core brand, further refining and developing its tipples and making it better. Occasionally, one ... More >>

Dallas Pizzerias Have Trouble Matching
Wines and Pies

​Winemakers trying to woo Americans more comfortable with cola than Cabernet tend to lard their labels with extraordinarily user-friendly language: "The perfect wine for afternoons spent with friends," a description might read. "Enjoy with hamburgers or pizza." The problem is not every wine i ... More >>

Unexpectedly Exciting Shiraz From Messina Hof

​Messina Hof winery in Bryan is the second-most visited tourist attraction in Brazos County. The winery has a restaurant, bed-and-breakfast and an annual guest tally of more than 250,000 eager oenophiles Messina Hof is said to be the most award-winning Texas winery in national and internation ... More >>

Dry Comal Creek Bottles Up
Something Really Dry

​Once known for making inconsistent, if not downright weedy wines, Texas winemakers have been slowly but surely improving quality as the vineyards become established, the vines get older, and the winemakers themselves receive better education, training, and practice in their craft. Also, learn ... More >>

Llano Estacado Vintner's Selection Signature Red Meritage

​Meritage or Claret? What's the difference? Typically, both terms refer to Bordeaux-style blends, heavy on the Cabernet Sauvignon and/or Merlot, with one or more of the regions classic blending grapes added for body, spice and completeness. Most fans of Argentinian reds would be surprised to l ... More >>

Remember the Alamo: Mission San Antonio De Valero Sauvignon Blanc

​In 2008, Fall Creek Vineyards in tiny Tow, Texas, released a couple of wines with a mission. They dedicated their 2007 Sauvignon Blanc and 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon harvests to help raise money and awareness for much-needed restoration of the Mission San Antonio de Valero (aka The Alamo). Spec ... More >>

Big Tex Will Go All Texas With Wines
At State Fair

​Kroger has pulled out as a wine garden sponsor at the State Fair of Texas, taking its West Coast wines with it. With the Texas Department of Agriculture left as sole sponsor of the wine tasting and teaching space, all of this year's featured wines will come from Texas. Jeff Siegel, who will ... More >>

Grapes of Wrath: Too Much "Texas" Wine,
Too Few Grapes Threaten Lone Star Vintners

​Here's a romantic scene: Two wine connoisseurs in love pack a basket with cheese and crackers, roll down the roof on a rented convertible and spend the day zigzagging the scenic, hilly roads between Texas' newest wineries. But by the second or third stop, the young couple begins to grow crab ... More >>

From Sir With Love: Pairing Pizza with Fuqua Merlot

​One Dallas winemaker is so good at his craft, he was knighted by the French. In 1992, Lee Foster Fuqua was made a member of the Ordre Ducal de la Croix de Bourgogne (Cross of Burgundy) in Dijon, France. He is one of fewer than 100 Americans to be inducted into the order. Impressive. Even ... More >>

Do It Uruguay: South American Wines Ready
To Make Splash in the States

​Argentinian wines make good sense in Texas. Like Texas, Argentina is big and dry and hot. Most important, it's a beef-eating country -- the average Argentinian annually eats more than 150 pounds of beef -- and the wines are made to pair with steak. But the leaders of a session on South Amer ... More >>

BYOB: Taking a Guided Tour
Of Grapevine's Wineries

​North Texas has "poor clay soil, high humidity and really warm nights," in the words of a tour guide at Delaney Vineyards, but that hasn't stopped a few entrepreneurs from trying to jump start a wine tourism boom in Grapevine. Grapevine, home to seven wineries, has hosted an annual wine fest ... More >>

Flat Creek Estate Super Texan: Able
To Withstand Sausage Kryptonite

​When Texas winemakers began ramping up production in the last dozen years, they first planted conventional varietals: cabs, chards, pinot noirs and the like. After much trial and error and a few mediocre vintages, however, many of them discovered that some grapes such as pinot noir did not f ... More >>

Crossroads Winery Sunfusion: A Cool Local Wine for Texas Summer

​Tucked discreetly into a nondescript industrial park in the middle of nowhere is one of the best-kept winery secrets in Dallas. Bob and Darlene Leiker run Crossroads Winery, and the largest room in the warehouse space houses casks, tables, tasting bar and the occasional forklift. John Otis is ... More >>

Wall Street Journal Critic Shocked, Shocked by Dallas' Taste in Wine.

​The Wall Street Journal's Lettie Teague, late of Food & Wine Magazine, was stunned by Dallasites' wine habits when she was in town this week. Teague yesterday wrote about her recent visit to a Sigel's Fine Wine shop in Frisco, where she picked up a $9 Domaine du Pouy - "a brisk, refreshing ... More >>

Wine Me, Dine Me, Texafy Me

Grape-Picking Volunteers Needed;
César Chávez Rolls Over in Grave

​Cooperative weather has put plenty of grapes on Texas vines, and wineries are now recruiting volunteers to help pick them. In a stratagem with shades of Ton Sawyer, small wineries annually appeal to connoisseurs to join them for harvesting. As Jeanette Raines of Bernhardt Winery in Plantersv ... More >>

The Place and Perry's Invites You to Sip With Servers

​The Place at Perry's is inviting guests to join its servers for its weekly distributor-led wine tasting sessions, designed to orient the staff to the uptown restaurant's revamped wine list. Of the 150 wines on The Place's new list, operations director Devin Cox estimates more than two-thirds ... More >>

Art Of The Wine Taste

Pairing a Pleasant Wine with the Big Honkin' Celebrity Cheeseburger at The Grape

Colleen MeeseyTwo meatballs walk into a gourmet restaurant...​There are certain peaks in life that must be surmounted, simply because when Mount Everest shows up in your backyard, you must climb it sooner or later if for no other reason than it's there. The Grape has been the standard-bearer of Da ... More >>

Dallas Wants To Be Savored, Wine and Beer Are Throwin' Down, Nana's Friday Night Flights, Eatzi's Needs More Time

Savor Dallas​Looking for weekend plans? Do you like food? Are you a wine lover? Do you like strolling around the Dallas Museum of Art? Answer yes to all four questions and we have the perfect event for you to attend. The latest foodie fest rolling into the city this weekend is Savor Dallas, ... More >>

Pairing Off: Latkes

Patrick MichelsI say Latke, our artist says Latka​Each week, Pairing Off attempts to find just the right bottle of wine to go with ordinary food.OK, much of what I know about Hanukkah and its traditions comes from Adam Sandler. But I'm also a big fan of the potato pancakes served in some Jewish ho ... More >>

7-Eleven vs Barefoot: War Of The Wines

Alex Flores​Yesterday it came to our attention that 7-Eleven planned to introduce their own wine brand, priced at a Thunderbird-like $3.99 a bottle--that's right, $3.99 for .75 of Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon in glass with a real artificial cork. No screw-tops for wine this fancy.They call the ... More >>

Pairing Off: Pork Rinds

Patrick Michels/foodistablog​Each week, Pairing Off attempts to find just the right bottle of wine to go with ordinary food.There's gonna be a moment when you think "this is the low point--it can't get any worse." Of course, intellectually you know it can get much worse. But the little speech, how ... More >>