Dallas Wine Chick
A top 100 wine blogger with a love of the grape and a collection to prove it. Explore more on wine and from people just starting to learn to certified experts and try building a community.
South Australian Winemakers. Maryland Wine Vineyards. Stories of Wine of Virginia. Top Wine Blogger in the USA. Australian Winemakers. Australian Winemakers Dallaswinecheck. Aged Rose Wine Dallaswinecheck. Wine Club Dallas, TX. Aged Rose Wine USA. Stories of Wine of Virginia. Wine Club Dallas Texas Dallaswinechick. The Best Blog on Wine. Wine Club Dallas Texas. Best Virginia Wines Dallaswinechick. Best Wine Club Dallas Dallaswinechick. Best Wine Blogger in the USA. Sensi Vigne e Vini Dallaswinechick. Wine from Virginia Dallaswinechick. Wine Of Virginia Dallas Wine Chick. Best Virginia Wines Dallaswinechick. Francly, Cabernet Franc Headlines; It’s Not an Opening Act - DallasWineChick.com. Photo Courtesy of Unionville Vineyards Let’s be franc.
Cabernet Franc headlines; it’s not an opening act. While it adds magic as a Bordeaux-style blending grape in conjunction with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec, the single varietal stands on its own. A Little History Globally, Cabernet Franc is one of the twenty most widely planted grape varieties.
Cabernet Franc is reported to have been established in southwest France sometime in the 17th century, when Cardinal Richelieu transported cuttings of the vine to the Loire Valley. If you want to see the conversation, go to Twitter and follow the hashtag #CabFrancDay. Unionville Vineyards As a part of this day, I was sent a bottle of 2019 Unionville Vineyards Silver Lining Cabernet Franc. Unionville’s home vineyard is an 88.7 acre farm that was once part of the largest peach orchard in the United States.
Bruno Paillard: Breaking the Mold in Champagne - DallasWineChick.com. Celebrating the holidays with Bruno Paillard Bruno Paillard is known for changing the game in the champagne industry, one that almost never sees change.
After following his family legacy of becoming a champagne broker, he decided he wanted to create a different champagne. Not having a penny or a vineyard to his name, he sold a vintage Jaguar to start his own company. Today he owns his own Champagne house and 32 hectares of vines, including 12 grands crus that provide two thirds of the grapes that the house needs. The remainder are from independent growers from more than 30 different villages. Next Generation Winemakers in Argentina - DallasWineChick.com. Photo Courtesy of Wines of Argentina Argentina – it’s a land known for beef, culture, dance and wine.
People have been planting grapes there as far back as the sixteenth century and there are multi-generations of families that have been cultivating Old Vine grapes influenced by the Andes Mountains with its extreme temperatures and diurnal temperatures. We joined a session led by Tahiirah Habibi, Founder of The Hue Society and a recognized and celebrated sommelier, who led us through a session on Wines of Argentina to celebrate the next generation of Argentina’s winemakers.
Argentina is the eighth largest country and the fifth largest wine producer in the world after Italy, France, Spain and the USA. The best known and main producing region is the province of Mendoza producing more than 85% of the Argentinian wine, followed by the provinces of San Juan and La Rioja, and then Salta, Tucumán, Catamarca, La Pampa and Rio Negro. There were many parallels in the conversation. Wine from Virginia. Bruno Paillard Champagne Dallaswinechick. Wines from Contra Costa County DallasWineChick. My First Taste of Maryland Wine: A Glimpse Into Old Westminster Winery - DallasWineChick.com. Maryland.
It’s a state with more than 80 wineries and a mission of showcasing what the state can do. Living in Texas, I haven’t had the opportunity to explore Maryland wines, so it was a gift to be introduced to Old Westminster Winery in June. Not only was it a glimpse into Maryland, but also an introduction to a small boutique family winery with a mission to create wines that express a sense of place from vineyard to the glass.
Drew Baker serves as the vigneron, and he planted the first 7,600 grape vines on the family farm at age 22. His sisters are also deeply involved in the business. In our #winestudio June program with Old Westminster Winery, Drew talked about how redefining American wine involved taking a fresh look at indigenous/native/hybrid/mixed-heritage varieties and producing incredible wines with minimal intervention. Savour South Australia Wines: Old Vines, Classic Wines, Family Lines. Terry, Michelle and Ryan Representing the Texas Wineauxs Savour South Australia Wines came to Cafe Momentum in Dallas recently and it reiterated for me how much wine is a journey and how much I still have to learn.
When I thought about Australia, Shiraz was the grape that naturally came to mind. But there is so, so much more. Adelaide is the wine capital of Australia and South Australia has 18 unique wine regions including Barossa, Clare Valley, Coonawarra and McLaren Vale. Rose Archives - DallasWineChick.com. The Jordan Experience During the Wine Blogger's Conference: Hail to Lisa Mattson! Debbie Gioquindo, Lisa and me In my last blog post, I talked about my top 10 discoveries from the Wine Bloggers Conference, but posted #11 referencing another post next week.
Today is that post where I get to talk about my friend, Lisa Mattson, the communications and marketing director of Jordan Winery. If you haven’t been to Jordan Winery’s majestic chateau, located in the heart of Sonoma, it takes you straight to visions of Bordeaux. The bloggers lucky enough to have signed up for the Jordan dinner began with a caviar pairing seminar in Jordan’s barrel room with from Tsar Nicoulai and specialty blinis crafted by Jordan’s Executive Chef, Todd Knoll. A Pre-Stop at Pellegrini Wine Company and My Top 10 Favorite Things from the 2017 Wine Bloggers Conference. Alexia Pellegrini, Chief Operating Officer of Pellegrini Wine Company Our last stop en route to the Wine Bloggers Conference was to meet with Alexia Pellegrini, the Chief Operating Officer of Pellegrini Wine Company, where we joined Thea Dwelle and Megan Kenney for lunch and a fantastic introduction to the family winery.
The Pellegrini family traces its winemaking roots back to the 1900s when Nello and Gino Pellegrini arrived in New York City from Tuscany. Francly, Cabernet Franc Headlines; It’s Not an Opening Act - DallasWineChick.com. Stories of Wine of Virginia Dallaswinechick. Best Wine Blog in Dallas Dallaswinechick. Wine from Virginia Dallaswinechick. Tasting History with the Women of Bacigalupi Vineyards - DallasWineChick.com. The Women of Bacigalupi Vineyards, Photo Credit: Bacigalupi Vineyards Bacigalupi Vineyards is one of the best kept secrets in the Russian River Valley.
You may have heard the story of a 1976 tasting in which a California chardonnay gained world recognition by beating French burgundy wines in a side-by-side competition. That wine was made by Miljenko “Mike” Grgich from Chateau Montelena. But what is not widely known is the Chardonnay made with 40 percent of the grapes was farmed by the Bacigalupi family. On this chat, we were invited to join two generations of female family members who helped to blaze that trail.
You Had Me at Pinot: Exploring Wines of Germany - DallasWineChick.com. I didn’t grow up in a wine household.
A special occasion was a bottle of Blue Nun on the table, which was my first introduction to German wines. I recently attended a You Had Me at Pinot class exploring the diversity of the grape with a Pinot Gris, two versions of Pinot Noirs and a Pinot Blanc. Pinots have a complex family tree and was fun to explore. Hosted by Wines of Germany and taught by Wines of Germany Ambassador Brent Kroll and Niki Lang of Washington DC’s Maxwell Park, we explored the history and flavors of Germany’s Pinot trio – Weissburgunder, Grauburgunder, and Spätburgunder. You may know Germany for its quality Riesling, but it’s actually the third-largest producer of Pinot Noir in the world, behind France and the United States, according to the Wines of Germany trade organization. Exploring Wines of Germany Dallaswinechick.
Bacigalupi Vineyards Dallaswinechick. Top Wine Blogger Dallaswinechick. Wine Country: Fire Update and Time to Help - DallasWineChick.com. Each Fall, it seems the horror sequel starts again for those who live in wine country.
It’s fire season and like clockwork it seems to repeat itself annually. This year, the horror was magnified with the timing of harvest. No one knows the genesis of the fire that began in the early morning in St. Helena, which was named the Glass Fire. Fueled by triple-digit temperatures and high winds, it quickly spread to Sonoma County. Thousands of people have been evacuated, 67,000 acres of wine country land have been impacted, 600 homes have been lost, 31 wineries, restaurants and some esteemed resorts have been damaged or destroyed (also validated through San Francisco Chronicle, East Bay Times, but those have firewalls, as well as numerous wineries and Wine Spectator). On a very small scale, I know what it is like to leave a burning building with only the clothes on my back. Stop Giving Merlot the Side Eye - DallasWineChick.com. Stop Giving Merlot the Side Eye A Trip to Ehlers Estate Many Years Ago I’m not going to mention that movie.
The one that maligned an entire varietal of wine. Granted, it was time for a wake-up call as many Merlots stopped being great due to over planting, but a 2 percent drop in sales based on one movie tells you the power of pop culture. It’s taken a long time for Merlot to bounce back. Merlot is French for “the little blackbird” and is the term for the red grape variety grown in climates around the world. Line Up for Merlot Month. Tasting History with the Women of Bacigalupi Vineyards - DallasWineChick.com. Top Wine Blogger in the USA Dallaswinechick. Rutherford Hill Rosé of Merlot. The Second Day of Pre-Conference in Sonoma: Our Journey Continues with Arista and Mauritson - DallasWineChick.com.
Michael Kansberg, Artisa, Estate Sommelier, Cindy Rynning and me; Photo Credit: Chris Pittman Our second day began with a visit to Arista Winery. I first met Mark McWilliams at a wine dinner at Lakewood Country Club in 2002. He is a former Texas boy and our friendship clicked immediately. When I had the chance to visit the winery again, I was bummed to find that Mark was going to be out of town, but he set Cindy and I up with Michael Kanbergs, Estate Sommelier, who took fabulous care of us. We arrived at the picturesque Pavilion for our Taste of Terroir. The family purchased the property in 1999, initially for grape growing, and then decided to switch to winemaking in 2003. A Pre-Stop at Pellegrini Wine Company and My Top 10 Favorite Things from the 2017 Wine Bloggers Conference - DallasWineChick.com.
Alexia Pellegrini, Chief Operating Officer of Pellegrini Wine Company Our last stop en route to the Wine Bloggers Conference was to meet with Alexia Pellegrini, the Chief Operating Officer of Pellegrini Wine Company, where we joined Thea Dwelle and Megan Kenney for lunch and a fantastic introduction to the family winery. The Pellegrini family traces its winemaking roots back to the 1900s when Nello and Gino Pellegrini arrived in New York City from Tuscany. They moved to the West Coast and became Sonoma County grape merchants in 1925, shipping grapes throughout the US for home winemaking. The Jordan Experience During the Wine Blogger's Conference: Hail to Lisa Mattson! - DallasWineChick.com. Debbie Gioquindo, Lisa and me In my last blog post, I talked about my top 10 discoveries from the Wine Bloggers Conference, but posted #11 referencing another post next week.
Today is that post where I get to talk about my friend, Lisa Mattson, the communications and marketing director of Jordan Winery. If you haven’t been to Jordan Winery’s majestic chateau, located in the heart of Sonoma, it takes you straight to visions of Bordeaux. The bloggers lucky enough to have signed up for the Jordan dinner began with a caviar pairing seminar in Jordan’s barrel room with from Tsar Nicoulai and specialty blinis crafted by Jordan’s Executive Chef, Todd Knoll. The Pedroncelli Family 90th Celebration Continues: Bring Me Your Finest Wines and Recipes - DallasWineChick.com. Samples that Inspire a Rallying Cry Moment - DallasWineChick.com. As a wine blogger, I get a lot of samples and I am very grateful to have the chance to try the amount of samples I do.
But occasionally, there are wines that when I open the box I drop my “professionalism” and I am sure you might hear an involuntarily “whoo hoo” rallying cry. Today I am going to write about a few of those wines that have earned that reaction. Note, several of these are special occasion wines and most of them have a price tag that commands that experience. But, I highly recommend splurging for that special occasion. Champagne NV Champagne Bruno Paillard Première Cuvée. Growing Up Gaja: A Conversation with Gaia Gaja and Delving into Ca’ Marcanda with #winestudio - DallasWineChick.com. Me and Gaia Gaja If Italian royalty comes knocking, one answers the call with an appropriate curtsy. A Conversation with Tom Gamble: Preserving a Family, Farming and a Legacy - DallasWineChick.com.
It’s been about 18 months since I last had the chance to sit down with Tom Gamble, Owner of Gamble Family Cellars, yet constants remained. Tom Gamble remains a farmer first. He talked about never remembering a time when “there wasn’t dust in his nose.” Virginia is for Wine Lovers: A Mix of History, Diversity and Great Wine - DallasWineChick.com. Jon Larson: Returning Home to Angwin Estate - DallasWineChick.com. Jon Larson, Proprietor and Winemaker of Angwin Estate Vineyards, Photo Courtesy of Angwin Estates. Sonoma: A Day of Diversity at Arista, Passalacqua, Skipstone and Scherrer Wineries: But the Heart of Sonoma Remains Aligned - DallasWineChick.com. Our wine trip continued in Sonoma where we spent time at four places– Arista, Passalacqua, Skipstone and Scherrer Wineries.
Stories of Wine of Virginia. Best Wine Blog in Dallas Dallaswinechick. The Best Wine Blog in Dallas. Stories of Wine of Virginia. Gary Farrell Vineyards & Winery Dallaswinechick. Best Wine Blog in Dallas. Stories of Wine of Virginia Virtually Tasting the Best of Gambero Rosso. Stories of Wine of Virginia Virtually Tasting the Best of Gambero Rosso. Stories of Wine of Virginia - Virtually Tasting the Best of Gambero Rosso. Blue Ostrich Vineyard & Winery. Best Wine Blog in Dallas Dallaswinechick. Blue Ostrich Vineyard & Winery Dallaswinechick. Arista Winery Explore Dallas Wine Chick. Best Virginia Wines. Best Wine Blog in Dallas.