Making a Splash at Culinaria

In mid-May, San Antonio foodies and beverage connoisseurs come together to celebrate the best the city has to offer. Culinaria -- San Antonio's wine and culinary arts festival -- provides a number of opportunities to taste some of the finest food and drinks the city has to offer. From the best food trucks, to burgers and beer at the Pearl, to the famed Becker luncheon in the Lavender Haus, and everything in between, there is something for everyone. Sean and I finally got a chance to go this year, but we just couldn't do everything, so we chose wisely. We waited till the end of the week and attended the Grand Tasting in the Grotto at the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center. With the Riverwalk floating by us, we sipped on great wines and nibbled on great food. Best of all, five Texas wineries came out with some great wines to showcase some of the best of Texas.

Texas Wineries

 Pedernales Cellars

When we got there, we scanned the room for friendly faces. It didn't take long to see three such people, all of them from Pedernales Cellars. Owners Fredrik Osterberg and Julie Kuhlken were there -- proving to be two of the best dressed of the evening -- with wine club and events manager Shannon Brown. In fact, Frederik sported one of the few tuxedos of the evening; the event is billed as black tie, but few made the effort. Of course, the attention was on the selection of wines. I started the evening with the most recent Viognier. This is a light and soft wines with hints at fruit; a subtler version compared to the Reserve that won Double Gold in the international competition in Lyon. This crisp wine prepared me for the many wines ahead, including one of the Tempranillos. I was glad that Pedernales brought two wines that are quickly becoming iconic Texas wines.

Flat Creek

Around the tables from Pedernales (They had two squares of tables, one on each side of the room) was another Texas Hill Country winery, Flat Creek. They brought one of the evening's showstoppers, their Bronze winning Viognier (also from the same competition that Pedernales won Double Gold). This Viognier emphasized the sweeter characteristics of the fruit -- without being sweet -- compared to Pedernales crisper one. It was a nice contrast. They also brought one of their top sellers, their Super Texan. This Sangiovese based blend was one of the richer Texas wines for the evening. They rounded out their tasting with a fine Muscat.

Llano Estacado

There were two sides to the wine room. While Flat Creek and Pedernales held court on one side, Culinaria backers, Becker Vineyards, along with Llano Estacado and McPherson Cellars held sway on the other. I was very happy to see that Llano brought two of their best, the 2010 Cellar Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2010 Cellar Reserve Tempranillo -- one of the June Texas Wine Twitter Tuesday wines. I couldn't say no to either of these great reds. The Llano Tempranillo is one of my favorites; it has the rustic, earthy nature of a Rioja but is tempered with the fruitiness common in New World Tempranillo. It is that balance of New and Old World that I love in Texas wines.

Becker Vineyards

Becker Vineyards plays host to two Culinaria events. During the main week, the luncheon provides a getaway into the hill country to taste great food and great Texas wine. In August, just before Restaurant Week, Ramblin' Rose (check out my post on last year's event) takes center stage, providing delightful, refreshing Rose's to beat back the summer heat. With such an investment in Culinaria, it was no surprise to see Becker at the Grand Tasting. Like Pedernales, they opted to not bring their Lyon winning Viognier -- their Reserve took home the silver -- but another. I have to say it was the weakest of the three but still a nice choice (UPDATE: This Texas Viognier just won silver at the Lone Star International Wine Competition). However, they also brought the Reserve Tempranillo -- they have the fruitier one, Pedernales' is earthier, while Llano's is nestled in-between. They also had the newest Canada Family Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes from this High Plains grower are a consistent favorite -- and a part of the May wine club shipment. Of course, they brought one of the crowd pleasers, Sean's favorite, the Claret. The reds were a big hit.

McPherson Cellars

Along with Llano was one of the wineries I have grown very fond of, McPherson Cellars. Since they joined forces with Brennan and Lost Oak to create 4.0 out on the 290 trail, I have ample opportunity to taste a large selection of their wines, and I am always pleased. And the selection of reds they brought -- can you tell what I was interested in -- including two of my all time favorites: Tre Colores and La Herencia. I was glad to see two incredible blends front and center.

 

 Other Great Finds

Yes, the evening had live music and a dance floor -- that filled up with dancers as the night wore on. Yes, there was plenty of great food from local restaurants. What was the funnest part of  night was one of the wine tables full of non-Texas. The table had the most interesting array of wines, not the typical ones. The one that caught my eye was a very familiar looking bottle of Montepulciano that is very popular at Vinously Speaking. This Italian import is one my favorites carried at the shop, and I was glad to see it next to La Pistola -- another top seller from the shop. It was great to see the shared appreciation for the wines, as they had both been apart of Vinously Speaking's Grand Tasting less than a month prior.

From Left: Steven Krueger, Fredrik Osterberg, Julie Kuhlken

Besides the wine and food, there was also the people. Among the mingling guests was Steven Krueger, the sommelier for Westin La Cantera. Steven is a strong supporter of Texas wine; he hosts a near daily Texas wine tasting at the resort (check out my post or Tanji Patton's Goodtaste.tv video). Besides running into Steven again, we also met two aspiring wine bloggers. It was nice chatting with Sally and Julie; I was happily surprised to find Julia was another wine lover and lover of  Japanese anime and manga. I do have to admit that they were hesitant about Texas wines. And I understand. They had last had Texas wine well over five years ago and had limited experience. They didn't get a chance to taste the wines that were changing the face of Texas wine. I happily encouraged them to taste the wines inside -- so did Julie Kulkhen -- and also to jump online and start writing with the rest of us.

The Grand Tasting at Culinaria was a great experience, one I will repeat next year. Every year, more Texas wineries get involved. Five was a good number (only out done by the San Antonio Wine and Food Festival sponsored by KLRN [San Antonio's PBS station]). I do hope to see more Texas wineries among the crowd next year, making it clear that Texas wines are just as good as any other.

36: Rambling Rose' (Culinaria)

36: Rambling Rose'
Deceptive pink gem:
your soft flowers on the nose 
belie crisp fruit depths.


San Antonio's annual Culinaria event at Becker Vineyards took place Saturday, August 11. Rambling Rose' invited guests to blind taste six rose' wines picked by the panel of experts. This lesson in wine was a great place for beginning wine drinkers and experts alike.

The Event

Rambling Rose panel (Dr. Becker center) and guests

Dr. Richard Becker presided over a collection of wine experts, aided by Steven Kreueger, Resort Sommelier for the Westin La Cantera. Joe Becker joined his father on the panel with a San Antonio wine retailer (Vintage 2.0), a wine connoisseur and friend of Dr. Becker's, a San Antonio food and wine writer (John Griffin from Savor SA), a Houston area chef, and Becker's new winemaker John Leahy. (Note: It was sometimes difficult to hear and keep up, which is why I do not have everyone named. I honestly feel horrible about this. If anyone knows who I left out, please let me know so I can make the change). These knowledgeable gentlemen guided the assembled group through six roses they helped choose, including Becker's Provencal.

Our six wines

We were provided six roses, ranging in color from a nearly white pink to a deep magenta pink. The group went through them, one at a time. Members on the panel described their responses to the wine and encouraged the rest of us to do the same. In addition, they gave lessons on roses, discussing each wine's merits as roses. They also happily welcomed questions about rose' wines and wine in general, answering the questions as completely as possible. At the end, we found out that most of the wines, with the exception of two, were French roses.

Food provided by Chef Brand

Before we started, we were welcomed to enjoy an array of fine cheeses and crackers. Towards the end of the tasting, what was actually a bit poorly timed, was the arrival of our hors d'oeuvres. We enjoyed lamb, carrot tar-tar, and a stone fruit with mustard salad prepared  by John Brand (Las Canarias and Ostra in San Antonio).

The Wines

At the end of the event, things got rushed. First, the food came out later than anticipated and interrupted the panel. And with all that, the wines were introduced quickly. And as I do not speak French, I struggled to get the wine's names (and had no chance to see them afterward as they needed to prepare for the 3 o'clock sitting).

Insight

First, what is a rose' wine? Basically, it is general a red varietal or blend that has limited contact with the grape skin (as I learned at Grape Creek later, it can be as little as a few days). This causes the wine to have a soft tone or hue to develop that can range from just a hint of pink (looking more like a white) to a more magenta and robust pink that is more akin to a typical red wine (these are deep or high roses).

Steven Krueger, Westin La Cantera Resort Sommelier

The panel shared some interesting trivia and info about this wine. First, in Europe, it is not uncommon to see a group, after a hard day of work, to sit down and enjoy a nice rose' (here it would more often be a beer). This wine is a part of the culture of France and Italy.

The other interesting topic was temperature. Here in South Texas, we don't mind this wine being cold. However, the panel said for the best result, it depends on the wine itself. A rose' can be enjoyed anywhere from slightly chilled to cellar temperature. In our gathering, with the heat just outside the doors of the Lavender Haus, we all would have preferred the wines a bit cooler (they were probably set out a bit early). One key thing to keep in mind when choosing temperature was flavor. The colder the wine gets, the more the fruit flavors actually diminish and the mineral flavors come out. Again, Texas drinkers are comfortable with this, as we have come accustomed to wines rich with minerals.

The Tasting

1: Becker Provencal

Wine one, one of the most popular in the bunch, turned out to be the Becker Provencal (the only Texas wine in the bunch, which I found a bit sad). It was one of the lightest in color, with the hint of pink matching the light floral aroma. This proved to be one of the most delicate with subtle fruit flavors (strawberry is just noticeable). For me, this wine was a cool spring day. I could easily see the early wildflowers in bloom, especially the light yellow and pink slips that can blanket fields.

2: Provence Rose'

Wine two, from Provence, was a bit darker with more a stronger floral bouquet and fruit tones. Here, fruits like cherry slipped in and turned earthy towards the end. This wine was like swimming on a hot summer day. The pool keeps the heat at bay, but there is still the warmth just above the water line.

3: Mondavi Deep Rose'

Wine three was a Mondavi high or deep rose' from Napa. This wine looked more like a light red than a rose', but it was pleasant nonetheless. The redder color gave way to a richer fruit aroma (versus the more floral ones) and taste. Stronger fruit flavors, like a touch of blackberry, came through. To me, this wine was like picking fruits in the early morning at the peak of the season. It is still cool but the sun is quickly warming things up and sending the smell of oozing fruit into the air.

4: Languedoc Rose'

With wine four, we returned to France and the lighter colors. This wine, from Languedoc, was a solid pink or salmon tone that smelled mainly of fruit with a hint of the floral. This wine had a fullness of flavor that the others didn't -- they were mainly a bit subtle. This wine ended up dry with a nice blend of fruit and minerals. It was a smooth wine from start to finish. This wine was a playful and yet relaxed one. This wine reminded me of the Texas coast in October. Though it is fall, the days are still warm and so is the water. It is my favorite time of year because I can go swimming by day and enjoy cool strolls along the beach at night.

5: Cape Bleue

The next wine (five) was Jean Luc Columbo Cape Bleue (I'm glad I got this one right). It had a darker tone than our fourth wine, but it was obviously a rose'. The floral tones took center stage, pushing the fruit aroma to the back. The same can be said of the taste. This wine was the earthiest and driest of the bunch. It was crisp and acidic, which caused the fruit to be light and minimal. This is a perfect spring day. The sky is an almost-white blue with only a few very thin clouds. Even the sun seems lighter in color than normal. The cool winds are still blowing and the world seems lighter.

6: Chablis region Rose'

Our last wine (six) was the second darkest, but its dark pink color was a trick, as the aroma was light and more floral than the other dark wines. This 2011 from Chablis was complex and relied on the Syrah to provide the more developed fruit flavors not as noticeable in the aroma. There was an underlying earthiness, but the deep fruit flavors like plum stood strong throughout. This wine is a summer evening; the heat of the day is slowly being washed away as the sky turns purple. The breeze picks up and is cool. This is a respite from a long summer day.

All done!

These six wines were an interesting tour of a type of wine that I am just really getting into. In fact, this has been my summer of rose'. I started focusing on this wine as the days grew warm. During my May trip, I searched for some nice, cool roses, but found that close to home I found the best: Becker's Provencal, Bending Branch's High Plains Rose', William Chris's Current, and Pedernales' Rose'. After all of this, I know it will be my go-to wine next summer.