Coming back to Texas with Messina Hof’s Winemaker Reserve

Messina Hof Winery will always have a special place in my heart. It was beautiful place to get away from school while I was at A&M. I enjoyed wine back then, but not to the extent that I do today. Like wine itself, appreciation only gets better with age.

My local grocery store regularly carries Messina Hof wines and I tend to grab the odd bottle on my trips there. A few weeks ago I picked up a bottle of their Winemaker’s Reserve. This is a non-vintage red wine made up of a blend of red varietals: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Tempranillo.  But the wine focuses more on the Merlot grape as its bedrock. Like most Merlots is has a good fruit nose with elements of blackberries and raspberries.  Spicy fruit is the first thing that hits the palate. This is followed by more spice, vanilla, and nice touch of mineral and tannin to finish. The Winemaker’s Reserve is a good medium bodied wine. Its dry, but not too much so.

I took the opportunity of a cool wet evening to pair the Winemaker’s reserve with a grilled cheese sandwich and a roasted red pepper tomato soup. This medium bodied red was a great accompaniment to the meal. It worked through the acidity of the tomato soup and the richness of the Mediterranean cheddar in the sandwich. Pair this one with pasta, with steak, a burger, or a good hearty stew. The richness of this wine will stand up to most meals.

The Modern Complexity of Tormaresca’s Primitivo

If you’ve been tracking with the blog for the last couple weeks you’ll notice I’ve been enjoying the joys of Italian wines lately. This is because I really enjoy the Italian varietals, which also seem to do especially well here in Texas. Over the years I’ve managed to work through most of the local grocery store's selection of Texas wines, and now I generally have to venture to Feldman’s or points north for more variety. However, the HEB on Trenton has a pretty decent selection of Italian and Spanish wines to choose from. One of these wines was Tormaresca’s 2013 Primitivo Puglia.

The Primitivo is comparable to the Zinfandel, and this particular wine is very similar to some of the old vine Zinfandel I’ve enjoyed. The Primitivo is all fruit on the nose, with strong ripe berries leading the charge. On the front of the palate you’ll get loaded up with rich raspberry and cherry. This is followed by luxuriant anise and spice that add a complex sweetness to the wine. This bottle finishes with mellow tannins and a slightly cloying sweetness. 

While this particular wine is a bit sweeter than what I usually gravitate to I still enjoyed it immensely. In fact, I had to restrain my enjoyment to one or one and a half glasses. Any more than that and I probably would’ve finished off the bottle in short order. The balancing of sweet and spicy was the key here.  The richness of Tormaresca’s Primitivo would work well with a variety of deep rich dishes. Pair it with tomato based pastas or roasted beef to get the most out of its well balanced richness.

You can find Tormaresca’s 2013 Primitivo Puglia at the HEB on Trenton in McAllen. It retails about $16 which is a pretty good deal considering there are several 90 point rated iterations of this wine in its history.  However, if you’re not a fan of the sweeter wines, give this one a pass. Or give it a shot, you may be pleasantly surprised.

Simi Merlot: A Reminder of Why California Knows Its Stuff

As Pris and I continued to work through our wine stash I came across a 2009 Merlot from Simi. Like many of the older items in our wine storage, its acquisition is now lost to antiquity. But I know where it ended up. 

This seven-year-old wine seems to have just hit its sweet spot: old enough to mellow and venture into an unparalleled smoothness that only older wines possess, but not old enough that it's turned. Though it was probably not too far off from the latter.  Rich dark red coloration hinted at the mix of berry to come. Once the bottle was allowed to breath properly, which is very important, aromatic spice is the first thing that hits the nose.  The usual flavors of Merlot are all present: plum, cherry, and blackberry, all followed by a mild tannin finish.

I paired the wine with a simple meal of sautéed shrimp and spinach in a garlic butter sauce over pasta and a salad with homemade vinaigrette. Simi’s Merlot was mild enough to not overpower this mild dinner. The mild tannins cut right through the richness of the garlic butter. This wine could have paired well with anything from fish to steak, though to be fair, I pretty much finished it off sans food and was perfectly content. 

Hahn Keeps Rolling out the Hits

Thanks to the higher carbohydrates in beer I’ve been turning back to wine to get through the holidays without putting on too much weight. That, and I really enjoying having a glass of wine while getting dinner ready. And of course there's nothing quite like a glass with the meal. I’d recently purchased Hahn’s 2014 GSM which is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre.  Pris and I really enjoyed Hahn’s Pinot offerings so I decided to see how their other varieties fared.

Like most red blends the result is determined by the winery finding just the right mix and percentage of grapes. Ripe red fruit takes the lead on the nose, followed by redolent berry notes on the palate. Raspberry and cherry stand out, and are bolstered by a solid backbone of mineral from the Granache.

I paired Hahn’s GSM with homemade chicken tenders and an herbaceous mac & cheese. It worked flawlessly with the simple, yet very rich meal. The fruit was a great counterpoint to the rich cheese and breading. The tenders were loaded with fresh herbs in the breading, and this red blend  complimented them very well.

Hahn’s GSM can be found at HEB on Trenton, and it runs about $12 a bottle. This wine is another great everyday drinking wine that won’t break the bank. You can pair it with steak, BBQ, or fried chicken. It will go with about everything, especially a charcuterie and cheese plate shared among friends mixed with great conversation and music.

The Genius of DaVinci Chianti

I think I may have just found my new low cost go to wine for everyday drinking in DaVinci’s Chianti. Both the folks living in Italy and Spain know a thing or two about easy drinking table wines. It’s a large part of their culture, and you’d be hard pressed to find a lunch or dinner served without a bottle. That said, DaVinci’s 2014 Chianti is superb example of a versatile and decidedly drinkable table wine.

The DaVinci winery is located in the Chianti region of Tuscany, between Florence and Siena. It draws its grapes from a cooperative of growers in the region, making the most of the climate and terroir. This wine is soft, subtle, smooth, and delicious. Rich fruit notes are the first thing you notice on the nose. From there ripe berries cascade over the palate, followed by rich notes of plum. Unlike heavier wines there is little or no tannic bite until the very end when light tannins and minerals finish the piece.

I started drinking this bottle while I was making pasta. Not original, but it works. Chiantis are made to go with pasta, and DaVinci’s was no exception. The rich fruit cut through the acidity of the tomato sauce and the fat of the sausage with ease. Instead of stopping at one glass though I poured a second when the meal was done and the wine held nicely all on its own. The lighter fruit filled wine will work with a variety of dishes from pasta, to fish, to barbeque. Essentially you can’t go wrong uncorking this bottle for dinner, or just a relaxing glass after work.

I picked up the DaVinci Chianti at HEB on Trenton for just under $11.  At the price point it’s an easy choice for an everyday drinker.