By Cecil Flentge

Vinously Speaking is a small wine shop in the medical center area powered by two dynamic women.  Veronique ‘Ceci’ Barretto and Melissa Unsell formally opened the successful shop a year ago and they want to do more – and they want you to help.  They are using crowdfunding, a method of asking for financial backing online and in this case donations (with perks).

While speaking with Ceci Barretto about their plans for expansion and innovative push for funding, she spoke of her excitement about all the new, big wine retailers in San Antonio.  More than competition, Barretto looks at them as helping to raise the awareness of wine in the Alamo City, which can only help her business.

But she insists that small retailers have to ‘up their game’ to offer their customers something more, something like – a wine bar.

That is the object of their funding campaign, to add on to their existing shop and offer better ways for their customers to enjoy wine.  Like wines by the glass, by the flight, some deli items to match their wines, and private event rooms.

Their goal is $30,000 — and they have raised more than $5,300 at the time of this writing.

A few more things on the wish (or “need”) list posted on the funding site include — alcohol license, furnishings, decor, paint, lighting, bar build out, wine dispenser, stemware, utensils, updated computer system, additional water closet, wine storage and “a few other items to get the ball rolling.”

Those are the current goals and they want you involved in making it happen.

On their funding site (click here), you can donate whatever amount you want and they list the “reward levels” where they acknowledge your commitment to the project.  It ranges from getting a T-shirt to the impressive naming of an event room after you with your picture on the wall.

Sounds like an endowment to an Ivy League college — but does it work?

The two women have already raised thousands of dollars and you can track their progress on the site.  If this sounds ambitious and intriguing, visit their shop during one of their weekly wine tastings and meet Unsell and Barretto. Maybe your plans can include theirs.

Vinously Speaking An Eclectic Wine Shop & Blog is at 7271 Wurzbach, Ste. 117,  210-793-4078.

Cecil Flentge is a San Antonio wine educator for professionals or novices and a restaurant/bar consultant. Restaurant events or home tastings. Questions? Email cecil@wine2you.com

Learn more about Gewurztraminers, Rieslings and other white wines.

Seminar is such a dry word that it has you reaching for a glass of whatever’s handy in hopes of escaping the stuffiness of what’s around you.

Yet Culinaria is offering three seminars during its Festival Week that will have you reaching for your glasses in a refreshing new way.

All three are grouped under the heading Taste Test Education, which sounds like more fun than, say, Russian Theory or Introduction to Medieval Technology. All are set for Saturday at Arcade Midtown Kitchen, 303 Pearl Parkway, and will entertain you while taking you to new places in the wine world. The schedule includes:

“Gewurz – what?” at 1:30 p.m.

The sweet wines that are much easier to taste than to pronounce. Sweet wines do not always equal dessert wines. In this Taste Test, we’ll examine the Gewürztraminers, Rieslings and other tasty white wines that are gaining respect and a following all their own.

“Name That Price” at 3 p.m.

It’s a fun, interactive, educational way to taste wine – as if wine tasting isn’t already fun? Using the senses and knowledge of wine, the challenge is to see if attendees can taste the difference and pick the correct value of the presented wines. Quality wines can be found at many price points.

“Wine + Cocktails” at 4:30 p.m.

A glass (or two) of wine stands strong on its own, but, these days, a cocktail incorporating wine is a whole new game. This progressive and modern seminar will explore the various cocktails made even better with the addition of wine.

Each class is priced at $30 a person, but you can get a combo ticket to all three for $75. For tickets to any of Culinaria’s events, click here.

Cucumber Ginger Margarita

The thermometer is telling us that summer is fast approaching, so what better way to spend a warm Friday evening (or any evening, for that matter) than with a refreshing margarita?

Celebrity chef Roberto Santibañez isn’t content with a classic recipe. In his recentt cookbook, “Tacos, Tortas and Tamales: Flavors from the Griddles, Pots and Streetside Kitchens of Mexico” (John Wiley and Sons, $19.99), he offers a variation made with cucumber and fresh ginger added to the mix.

When I tried it, I made two slight variations: I omitted the powdered sugar, because I prefer my margaritas tart, tasting of lime and, in this instance, ginger. I also chose not to strain the drink, so I could get all that chewy fiber from the  ginger and the cucumber peel. I will admit it made the drink chewier than you might expect, but it still went down easy.

Cucumber Ginger Margarita (Margarita de pepino y jengibre)

1 1/4 cups silver tequila
1 cup Cointreau
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (from about 3 juicy limes)
1 English cucumber, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 teaspoons finely chopped peeled ginger
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Ice cubes

Blend the tequila, Cointreau, lime juice, cucumber, sugar, ginger and salt until smooth, about 45 seconds. Season to taste with lime juice and sugar. Strain the mixture through a sieve, if desired, and into a pitcher and refrigerate until cold.

Stir well, pour into 6 ice-filled glasses and serve immediately.

Makes 6 drinks.

From “Tacos, Tortas and Tamales: Flavors from the Griddles, Pots and Streetside Kitchens of Mexico” by Roberto Santibañez with JJ Goode

It’s time for suds and hops. It’s San Antonio Beer Week.

Can anyone get enough beer? That’s the question that beer lovers will ask themselves when the third annual San Antonio Beer Week begins May 12 with a Mother’s Day party at Freetail Brewing Company. It concludes the following Saturday, May 18, with a pint crawl that will visit at least five breweries.

SABW “is a special week dedicated to celebrating beer and the community that enjoys it!” according to the event’s website. “Events will include a special night at each of the San Antonio-area breweries, special beer dinners and tastings, walking pub crawls, a bus pub crawl, (and) a pro-am brewing competition for a chance to have your beer entered in the Great American Beer Festival.”

Here are a few highlights of the week:

• Bake, Boil and Brew, 1508 Guadalupe St., is hosting is its annual Sweet and Sour Soiree at 5 p.m. May 12. Four samples from Sour Beers paired with treats from Sweet Fuzion Cupcakes will be featured at the event.
• Visit Pedernales Brewing Company in Fredericksburg and taste its new beer, the Lobito, on a bus tour that leaves Blue Star in San Antonio at 9 a.m. May 13. Lunch is at the Fredericksburg Brewing Co.
• Branchline Brewing Co. hosts the opening festivities at 6 p.m. May 13 at its brewery, 3633 Metro Parkway. A new beer brewed just for the occasion will be served.
• Gastronomica Progressive Culinaria, an underground dinner group, and Big Hops Growler Station are partnering up for a 7-course craft beer dinner at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. May 15. Tickets are $50. The dinner’s at Big Hops, 8313 Broadway.
• The Point Park & Eats, 24180 Boerne Stage Road, is hosting Open the Taps, a showcase of Texas craft beers, set for 6 p.m. May 16.

There are more events on the schedule. For a full list, click here.

A few of the participating breweries include 5 Stones Craft Brewing Co., The Granary, Blue Star Brewing Co., Ranger Creek Brewing and Distilling, Alamo Beer Company, Branchline Brewing, Freetail Brewing, Pedernales, and Fredericksburg Brewing Co.

It all just makes you want to fill a mug with your favorite beer and then chase it with a brew that’s new.

Mint juleps aren’t the only drink you can enjoy Saturday as you watch the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville.

Don Marsh prepares a cocktail at Bar 1919.

Don Marsh, owner and operator of Bar 1919 in the Blue Star Complex, 1420 S. Alamo St., has crafted the Bluegrass Fizz, a bourbon-based cocktail that’s sure to please people at your party as much as it pleases regular patrons of 1919, a temple of handcrafted cocktails.

“It’s my creation,” he says, adding that he first made it for a Maker’s Mark event about four years ago. He has since changed the main ingredient to Buffalo Trace Bourbon, though you can try it with your favorite bourbon and adjust the rest of the ingredients to taste.

To make the drink, you’ll need to make a couple of syrups, one flavored with ginger and the other with honey. Marsh won’t share his ginger syrup recipe, but he did say that his other syrup recipes are made with 60 percent water and 40 percent sugar. Try honey in place of the sugar, and heat it until the two ingredients are completely incorporated. Then chill until you need to use it. For your own homemade ginger syrup, click here.

The folks back in my old Kentucky home would love it, though they might have to have a second before firmly committing themselves.

Before we get to the drink recipe, let’s take a moment to mention two other Derby-related recipes worth investigating:

• Chocolate-Pecan Pie
  

  1919′s Bluegrass Fizz

• The Mint Julep

Bluegrass Fizz

1 1/2 ounces Buffalo Trace Bourbon
1/2 ounce Noilly Prat Sweet Vermouth
1/2 ounce honey syrup
1 ounce fresh ginger syrup
1/2 ounce lemon juice
Perrier

Combine bourbon, vermouth, syrups and lemon juice in an ice-filled shaker. Shake and strain straight up in a tall glass or a frosty large coupe glass. Top with Perrier.

Makes 1 cocktail.

From Don Marsh/Bar 1919

Cantina del Rio’s Premium Margarita

Cinco de Mayo is coming up this weekend, and the Gruene Historic District are planning to party.

For the first year ever, the District is joining in on celebrations at Cantina del Rio, 1299 Gruene Road, New Braunfels. On Friday and Saturday, stop by for $3 sangria and margaritas while Mexican beers are priced at $2.50 until 7 p.m. On Sunday, the official Cinco de Mayo, a live mariachi band will perform from 2 to 5 p.m., along with food and drink specials all day long.

Or, if you prefer to drink your own pleasure at home, here are some specialty drinks from restaurants within the district, include the Gristmill Restaurant, Moxie’s and Cantina del Rio.

Cantina del Rio Premium Margarita

1 3/4 ounces Don Julio Blanco Tequila
1/2 ounce Patron Citronage
2 ounces lime juice or margarita mix
Lime slices or orange slices, for garnish

In an ice-filled shaker, add tequila, Patron Citronage and lime juice.  Shake well and pour into a chilled margarita glass (with salt on the rim, if desired) that has fresh ice in it. Garnish with a slice of lime and/or orange.

Makes 1 cocktail.

Adapted from Cantina del Rio

The Gristmill’s Famous Frita

Mozie’s Mojito

5 or 6 fresh mint leaves
2 lime wedges
1 1/2 ounces Bacardi Silver Rum
Club soda
Mint sprig, for garnish

Muddle mint and lime together in the bottom of the glass. Add rum and and ice. Stir. Then fill glass with soda and top with mint sprig.

Makes 1 cocktail.

Adapted from Moxie’s

The Gristmill’s Famous Frita

This recipe makes plenty – enough for a party!

2 cups sugar
4 cups hot water
3 cups fresh squeezed lime juice
1 (1-liter) bottle tequila (whichever brand you prefer)
1 cup triple sec
Lime slices

Mix sugar with hot water until combined, then add in lime juice, tequila and triple sec. Stir vigorously. Pour into glasses filled with ice. Or toss in a strong blender, such as a Vitamix, with ice and slush it into a frozen margarita. Garnish with lime slices.

Makes 12-15 servings.

Adapted from the Gristmill Restaurant

On the third Thursday of each month, The Grapevine in Gruene invites visitors to meet the people who are responsible for making some of the finest wines in Texas.

Now you have the chance to meet the folks behind the growing craft beer movement in the state as well.

The dual tastings will be featured in the Grapevine, 1612 Hunter Road, New Braunfels.

Each event will be held on The Grapevine’s outdoor patio and garden and will be uniquely designed around the featured winery and brewery, providing an intimate setting for each representative to tell about how they craft their wines and make their beers. Complementary tastings will be offered of the craft beer and three of the winery’s latest releases, top-selling and hardest to find wines. You can also sample the food that is for sale.

This a great opportunity to learn direct from these craftsmen, engage with other visitors interested in wine and beer and enjoy the natural surroundings and all the other offerings of Gruene Historic District.

Each event features Ryan Waguespack’s Classical & Spanish guitar duo or French bistro music by Rumbullion, both local artists. Giveaways include wine, Grapevine merchandise and possibly gift certificates for wine tours, resort accommodations or winery merchandise.

The lineup of wineries for the rest of the year will include the following:

• April 18 – Pedernales Cellars
• May 16 – Haak Winery
• June 20 – Bell Springs Winery
• July 18 – Los Pinos Ranch Vineyards
• August 15 – Fiesta Winery
• September 19 – Duchman Family Winery
• October 17 – McPherson Cellars
• November 21 – Westcave Cellars
• December 19 – Grape Creek Vineyard

For more information, call (830) 606-0093 or click here.

Basil Hayden’s “Mad”-Hattan

“Mad Men” returns for a sixth season Sunday night on AMC. What better way to celebrate and catch up on the doings of Sterling Cooper Draper Price than to mix up a cocktail in honor of both the show and its Manhattan locale.

Basil Hayden, the small batch bourbon distiller, offers this take on the classic Manhattan, redone in a “Mad” mod style.

Basil Hayden’s “Mad”-Hattan

2 parts Basil Hayden’s Bourbon
3/4 parts Dolin Blanc Vermouth de Chambery
1 bar spoon Luxardo Maraschino Cherries
1 dash orange bitters
Orange twist

Add bourbon, vermouth, cherries and bitters to a mixing glass with ice and stir until combined.

Editor’s note: If you can’t find Dolin Blanc Vermouth, go lighter (maybe 1/2 part) on the vermouth in your version and adjust to taste. I’ve seen Italian marschino cherries, which are different from the American style, at GauchoGourmet, Twin Liquors and more in town.

Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice.

Garnish with an orange twist.

Makes 1 cocktail.

From Damian Windsor

By Cecil Flentge

Duchman (pronounced Duke-man) Family Winery in Driftwood, Texas, specializes in wines made of grapes commonly thought of as Italian. Sangiovese of Chianti fame and Montepulciano, which is grown extensively in the Abruzzo region, are two examples. Their Vermentino (pronounced ver-mehn-TEE-noh) follows in the same vein. Most famous in northern Sardinia, this Texas edition is both a surprise and a delight (pronounced Good!). It is available at Twin Liquors for about $12.

Fact:

Made from 100 percent Texas grapes grown in the Texas High Plains AVA (American Viticultural Area), this robust white evokes lime and citrus blossom on the nose. It has the appropriate mouthfeel, a smooth viscosity found in classic Vermentino wines, and the flavors flow to pear, lime and grapefruit with a nice minerality lingering in the finish. The alcohol does not give any harshness, even though it is high at 14.4 percent, and that is a side benefit of the rich presence of the grapes’ glycerol. Overall, a nice Vermentino from a new area.

Feeling:

This so calls to be a brunch wine! Delicate enough to caress lobster or shrimp salads, robust enough for a plate of braised clams, and crisp enough to mingle with the tastes of the sea in oysters on the half shell. But just chill it and taste the welcome that it gives.

Cecil Flentge is a San Antonio wine educator for professionals or novices and a restaurant/bar consultant. Questions? Email cecil@wine2you.com.

“Let us celebrate the occasion with wine and sweet words,” the Roman playwright Plautus once wrote.

Well, here are some sweet words about even sweeter wine events happening in the area.

Enjoy some Cakebread at Las Canarias on April 4

Las Canarias at the Omni La Mansión del Rio, 112 College St., will be showcasing the wines of Cakebread Cellars during a five-course dinner set for 7 p.m. April 4.

Chef John Brand’s first course features Pacific blue marlin with avocado, lime and melon with tomatillo paired with the 2011 Cakebread Sauvignon Blanc. This will be followed by sardines with kale salsa verde gribiche on toast and the 2011 Cakebread Chardonnay. The third course will feature tamarind lacquered breast of duck with a confit of carrot and ginger paired with the 2008 Cakebread Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon. Fourth course will be lamb prime rib with smoked medjool dates, braised rhubarb and salsify paired with a 2009 Cakebread Cabernet Sauvignon. Finally, the meal will close with Valrhona chocolate along with caramelia gelato, cake, mousse and red velvet, all paired with a 2010 Cakebread Zinfandel.

The price is $85 a person, plus tax and tip. To make a reservation, call (210) 518-1177.

Sample four Texas Hill Country wineries at one party

The Texas Hill Country Wineries, an organization that promotes what the Hill County has to offer, is trying something new this year. On the first Friday evening of each wine trail, local wineries in one area will gather together to share a sample of their wines with you.

The first of these will be 6-8 p.m. April 5 in conjunction with the popular Wine & Wildflower Trail. The tasting will be at Dry Comal Creek, 1741 Herberlin Road, New Braunfels, and will feature samples from four wineries, including Bending Branch, Kerrville Hills and Singing Water as well as the host. The kick-off allows you to take your time on the trail over the following two days.

The tickets are $25 apiece, or $15 with a Wine & Wildflower Trail ticket.http://www.savorsa.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=45183&action=edit&message=10 They include tickets for 10 tastings and light appetizers. Wine will also be available for purchase. Plus, food trucks will be on hand for those who want a heartier meal.

For more information, click here.

Raise a glass for charity

The Ruth’s Chris Steak Houses in San Antonio are celebrating their 20 years of business in the city by offering a fundraiser for local charities.

Guests who buy a glass of a special Ruth’s Chris designated bottle of Stag’s Leap Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon at $10 apiece will be getting more than a great glass of steak-friendly wine. Two dollars from that purchase will go to the Texas Cavalier Foundation and Roy Maas’ Youth Alternatives.

The wine will be available at both steakhouses, 1170 E. Commerce St., (210) 227-8847, and 7720 Jones Maltsberger Road, (210) 821-5051.