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"Screamin' straight through Texas (like a mad dog cyclone...)"

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In celebration of Texas Wine Month, we're filling the month of October with a selection of lesser seen wine from the Lone Star State - in a series I have subtitled "Weird and Wonderful" (apologies to Reg Dwight). For those not following the Texas wine scene closely, it has a been a remarkable place to be these past 10 years or so. The arrival of many young producers, along with a passion to find varieties and styles that really suit our climate, and a willingness to seek and embrace our own terroir - rather than hiding it behind over-manipulation or efforts to mimic other domestic styles - has really pushed Texas winemaking in a fantastic new direction (or many directions, depending on how you look at it).

We’ll ease you back out here at the end of our little October adventure - with a “weird” wine that's, honestly, only a wee bit different from what you might expect, a “wonderful” wine that is just impossible to beat as an affordable poolside tipple, and a “bonus” wine that is not really a wine…but is still just a little “weird” (or at least unheard of) to most.

To start, we bring back our friend, grapegrower, and producer: Nolan Newsom (who produced the Merlot you really should have tried in week one!)  You could be forgiven for thinking his Pinot Grigio is a rosé. In fact it has more color than many modern rosé wines, but it is in fact a throwback to an Italian style of Pinot Grigio - Ramato - that faded in the 1960’s (thanks mostly to Santa Margherita) and has only recently begun to re-emerge. In Italy the traditional, rustic - some might say “farmhouse” style - Pinot Grigio frequently saw skin contact - from 24 hours to weeks, depending on preference - imparting a fair bit of ‘copper’ color from the skins of this ‘grey’ grape.

In the Texas High Plains, Pinot Grigio achieves a full ripeness unlike most places it can grow - so the skin can actually attain color levels (in response to the hours of sun and UV light) unheard of most places. So this is actually a fairly short skin contact wine, but the rich pigment gives it a great deal more color and body than we have become accustomed to from the rather watery offerings of many mainstream Pinot Grigios out there. It’s great with food, and has a lot more to say than a grocery store Pinot Grigio. Give it a whirl!

[But if this isn’t enough, Nolan also makes an “Orange” (long maceration/skin-contact) version in small batches. It’s as dark as many Pinot Noirs I’ve seen, and takes on some amazing herbal notes from the skins - almost resembling a vermouth in flavor profile by the time it’s done. He doesn’t make much of this one, but if anyone would like, I can try to get a case of that oddball wine in when it’s released early next year. Drop me a line.]
 
Moving on, our “wonderful” bottle of the week is a ridiculously drinkable rosé from a favorite producer of mine, Doug Lewis. With the unassuming name of “High Plains Rosé”, Doug has captured a lazy summer day in a bottle. This is fundamentally southern French in temperament, but it’s not a wine that demands either your full concentration or any fussy note-taking.  It’s just quite delicious. I would describe it as strawberries-and-cream, but that would scare some folks into thinking it’s sweet. It is not. But the texture (probably a result of the Carignan that plays a big role for the first time this year) is excellent. It does NOT have a laser like focus, nor chewy tannins, and it will probably not age brilliantly - but it’s soft and approachable with enough minerality to keep your attention. It would make a fabulous aperitif for your Texas Style Thanksgiving - but it will also hang out happily with the Turkey and the Cranberries.  Did I mention that it’s sensibly priced?  Take two!

OK. You read this far, you earned it - a BONUS wine!  Actually it’s not a wine - no alcohol (sorry). But it’s pretty darn cool. The folks at William+Chris (see Texas week one, again!) recently decided to play around with some of the green grapes that are dropped when pruning the vines. This is a natural part of keeping the crop in balance with the vines to produce the best fruit, but most modern producers just drop the fruit and let it return to the Earth.  Much of the world, throughout history, frowned upon waste… so many cultures turned these unripe, green grapes into juice - which was bottled as “Verjus” (or any number of other names across the globe), meaning “Green Juice”, to use in cooking.  This is fresh juice from Estate grown Tannat grapes - that will serve as a bright, acidic, grape-y ingredient: ideal for steaming seafood, brightening up dressings or sauces, marinating meats, etc. Think of it as an exotic substitute for lemon juice or vinegar, in - well - pretty much anything! Cool, eh? (also very sensibly priced...)

Cheers, y'all.

As with all of our wines and spirits, you can order these right here on our web site,
 or we'd love to talk with you at 713-524-3397.

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