During wine classes, cooking classes with wine, and just about anywhere when people find out that I am in the wine business, they have questions.  Some also want to give me pointers about a wine that they like and that has had good results overall.  But mostly it is questions and the “Why do …?”

Here are a few of the most often asked:

Why do you swirl the wine?

Your tongue can get salt, sweet, bitter, and sour.  OK, some say it also gets picks up umami.  No, that is not something you get from kissing the Blarney Stone; it is a flavor/impression some foods have.  But when you have a cold, you say that your food tastes bland because your nose cannot help you.  If you think of green apples when you try a Riesling — thank your nose; the beautiful cherry-watermelon flavor in a good rosé — thank your nose; the dried black cherry, cedar, dried leather, and blueberries in a quality Cabernet Sauvignon — thank your nose!

I did not forget the question!  You swirl the wine to aerate and evaporate some of the wine so that when you sniff, you pick up on all of the olfactory stories the wine wants to tell.

What does “reserve” mean?

In most countries the only thing it means for sure is “higher price.”  In Italy, a Chianti Reserva means that it has been aged longer before release.  To my knowledge, that is the only case where reserve has a definition in law.  Most of the time, reserve will be the best that a winery has, or the wine so designated will have had the grapes more carefully picked, or better/longer oak aging, or different yeast and temperature for fermentation, or only stomped by virgins, or …

But mostly it is an unregulated, vastly overused term.  Particularly when the winery ONLY makes “reserve” wines.

Shouldn’t red wines be served at room temperature?

I have tried to answer this one many ways over the years, but now I have a new way!  The answer is … NO!  Red wines should be served at 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit.  They should always seem cool to the tongue.  If you pour a 60-degree wine into an 80-degree glass it will be at 70 degrees in a heartbeat.  If the wine is too warm it tastes different from what the winemaker intended.  He PLANS on you drinking it at 60 to 70 degrees.  If you do not do that, then you may miss some of the beauty of the wine.  The old saw about room temperature was for the temp of a chateau in Bordeaux in the fall where those old drafty buildings are always at 65 degrees.

Does that mean I need one of those wine cave-do-hickeys?

No, put your red wine in the refrigerator for 25-30 minutes before pouring and you will be fine.  Or put it in the fridge a day ahead — it will warm up in the glass, but it is real hard to chill it in the wineglass.

Can’t I just put ice…

STOP RIGHT THERE!  Do not even go down that road.  OK, at some outdoor parties I have put an ice cube in a glass of wine that was warm.  But it was icky wine anyway.  The problem is that the ice melts and dilutes the wine.

What about white wine?

Whites should be at 45-55 degrees.  Same for rosé and blush wines.  Pinot Noir (red Burgundies), Beaujolais, Bulgarian Gamza grape wines, and most dessert wines: 55-65 degrees.

As I have written here before, some Malbecs are quite nice at a cooler temperature as well.  But do not get tense — if they are cool to the tongue, that will probably be fine.  (No, your tongue is not at 98.6 degrees.)

What do you think of screwtops?

I think very highly of screwtops, or the classy name of the manufacturer of most,  Stelvin Closure.  I know that Boone’s Farm, Night Train, and Ripple had screwcaps, but it was not the cap’s fault that the wine is yucky.  Many high-end Scotch whiskeys use screwcaps.  What if you went to your pharmacist and she gave you a bottle of medicine with a cork in it?  You would probably start singing “Love Potion N0, 9!”  Get over it; the cork is starting to phase out.

The problem with corks is a contaminant that makes the wine taste bad.  Maybe as often as one in twenty bottles are affected.  It is not dangerous to your health, but it does ruin the wine.  Corks, bad; screwtops, good; plastic corks, very limited use.

Now, the most asked question:

What is your favorite wine?

Right now?  This second?  The one in my glass.  When it is warmer, I drink more whites.  Like Albariño, Riesling, white Burgundy, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris, white blends, older, Australian Chardonnay.  When it is cooler, more reds grace my glass.  Like Spanish Garnacha or Tempranillo, California Meritage or Cabernet, Washington Syrah or Merlot, Australia GSM’s, CSM’s, Shiraz, and old vine Grenache, Brunello, Amarone, Barbaresco, Barolo.

Am I avoiding the question?  My tastes, and I hope yours, are ever changing to suit the food and temperature and mood that you find yourself enjoying.  I just enjoy wine, which is what it’s for!

More importantly, what questions do you have about wine? Please post them here.

At some restaurants you’ll find stemmed wineglasses that hold about eight ounces when filled to the brim. Other establishments have 32-ounce glasses that they pour five or six ounces into, and some are using the new iteration of stemless from Riedel. At some Greek, Italian, or Asian restaurants they pour wine into six ounce juice glasses. All of that is just fine.

But some wineglasses are Burgundy glasses, and some are called Bordeaux. Does that mean you have to have different glasses with those wines? Then we found out about Sherry glasses and Champagne flutes. How many of these things are there?

In slick wine magazines you can read ads with icons of the wine industry endorsing glassware and creating fear. Fear that you would commit the sin of using the wrong wineglass. Suddenly, the glassware you have is declared not the right wine glasses. The wine now needed more than a stemmed glass, you had to have Riesling glasses, Pinot Noir and younger Cabernet glasses, then better Cabernet glasses and great-red-wine-that-is-expensive-and-old glasses!

Relax; take a deep breath, maybe a sip of wine. Wine is for life, enjoyment, and relaxation. It is for sharing with friends, complimenting a meal, toasting something important to you, something that is probably much more important than a wine glass.

Here are some points about wine glassware and shopping for glassware.

1. The glass shouldn’t leak. (Relax.)
2. No colored glass. At least not the bowl of the glass; it changes how the wine looks, hides its color.
3. The main bowl of the glass can have etching or faceting, but just plain glass is the preferred style. I said glass and I meant it. Plastic is only acceptable at the beach or inside the pool. Oh, and the leaded-glass thing. There are some that worry that they will get lead poisoning from leaded glass. Fine, don’t buy that kind. I heard one theory that the reason really good glasses make the wine taste better is because of the lead in the glasses. If you buy that argument, then, fine, buy that kind.
4. At least 16-ounce capacity and don’t be afraid of sizes up to 36 ounces. And you still only pour 4-6 ounces in the glass, regardless of its capacity.
5. Look at the base of the glass. You know basic engineering, look for a base that is large enough to balance the top. Too many cutesy glasses are made with a small base and large bowl that are just accidents looking for a place to happen.
6. If you like Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Bordeaux, that type of wine uses a Bordeaux style glass. Kind of teardrop shaped. The other basic kind of glass is Burgundy and it is much wider, more of a globe with the top cut off. That is better for Pinot Noir, French Burgundy, Chardonnays, and Beaujolais. Either glass will work just fine for any wine. The type of glass can help, but good wine still tastes good in a Mason jar.
7. Better wineglasses do not have a rolled lip. This is what they call the rounded rim on the lip of the glass. Supposedly, this makes it easier for you to drink the wine and not dribble on your shirt. This does make a different look for the glass (the roll) but I have not seen it as a problem except in drinking out of jelly jars and thick-sided coffee cups. However, almost all better-quality wineglasses have omitted the roll, so it shouldn’t be a problem. Why do they add the roll? It makes the glass stronger and more durable.
8. Get a glass with a stem. I know that there is a current love of the fat, stemless, Burgundy-style glass. But let me tell you why I like the stems. One, if you hold the glass in your hand, it warms the wine. Even if it has a stem, don’t hold it by the bowl of the glass. Second, it makes the glass ‘messy’ and in a tiny way spoils the picture of the wine dancing in the light as you swirl. Third, when you toast while you hold the bowl, it sounds clunky. If you hold a glass by the stem, a toast rings like the special announcement that a toast really should be.
9. Riedel (pronounced REE-dul) is the current “in” company for wine glasses and they make excellent glassware in at least four levels. They are great, and if you don’t mind paying $10 to $150 a stem, just go get them. A lot of liquor stores and a few department stores carry them. On the other hand, there are other brands that are also good — and cheaper. Many department and homewares stores carry a wide selection of quite nice glassware. Also, if you just follow the basic tenets I have written, go to any store you like.

Remember that one of the most famous references to wine — “A loaf of bread, a jug of wine, and thou” — doesn’t even mention a glass.

Fishemen, how do you cook your catch?

You prepare carefully, so we want to learn from your example!

To all the hikers, kayakers, hunters, campers, mountain bikers, picnic-maniacs, fishermen, bow hunters, clam diggers, spear-fishers, divers, boaters, and things I don’t even know, what’s your recipe?

There must be more to dove recipes than adding a slice of jalapeño and wrapping it in bacon. Though that is pretty tasty, someone must still be using the whole dove, maybe deep-frying, maybe stuffing. Then you think of the possibilities from turkey hunters and the mind reels!
Those of you that are more athletic than I and take a day walk through Government Canyon, what do you pack for lunch? I want to hear about your trail mix, your special sandwiches, pasta salad, dates and jerky pitas, which give you the go-juice to make it back to the car. You boaters that just like to cruise on the water have to eat sometime, what is your “only when I’m boating” meal plan? People in the kayaks and tubes, what’s on the menu?

If I rode a bike over hill and dale — I’d need an emergency room. But those of you that enjoy cross-country biking need sustenance; what do you like/make/devise to keep those wheels rolling? Speaking of wheels rolling, campers, truckers in the super rigs, and fifth-wheelers, what are your culinary tricks on the road?

I could tell you a fish story, but most fishermen have already heard it. Yet I haven’t heard your favorite way to cook smaller fish, big fish (that didn’t get away), crabs, clams, shrimp, octopus, and the giant kraken. Heck, tell me how you clean one.

Hunters bag the game and then get it home — how? To prepare it — how? Do you make javalina sausage? What is the best way to produce venison jerky, dove/quail/duck/turkey/Texas turducken, and rabbit stew/chili/tacos?

Even those of you that bag most of your fare at H-E-B, what do you make for a picnic or backyard party?

Send me your tried and true recipes and we will give you credit for your hard work slaving over a campfire. E-mail cecil@savorsa.com, subject “wild fare.” I’m hungry!

So a restaurant owner says, “I offered the Sauvignon Blanc, but she said she didn’t like grapefruit.”

“Well, some of the Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand and other places does have a grapefruit taste at the end.  I guess she just doesn’t like that flavor.”

“No, she said she knew that they put grapefruit in it. I told her no, but she was not going to believe me.”

This is really a common misconception.  I have been asked in many wine classes to describe the flavor of a Riesling and my answer might go like this, “There is certainly the classic aroma of green apple that you find in most Riesling wines.  Then a hint of under-ripe peach, maybe cinnamon-nutmeg, with an almost sea salt finish.”

That is when a lot of them look at me as if I just gave verbal instructions on how to solve a Rubik’s Cube.  Some of them say, “How do you know this stuff?” and my stock reply is that I have been drinking a lot of wine for a very long time.

Then there will be a few brave souls that speak out.  “I definitely get the apple and I understand the sea salt thingy, but I do not get the other.  I guess my palate isn’t that good.”

I then try to encourage them to give themselves time to develop this attention to detail, because my palate is probably no better than theirs.

They scoff at this, but I continue by saying, “When was the last time you sniffed some nutmeg?”  Generally, it has been a long time, if ever.

“So if you are not familiar with the aroma, how could you identify it?  Do not be so hard on yourself. Smell an orange, an apple, a mango, a lemon and a lime.  Then go to a wine with the tools you need.”

It is about then that someone, perceiving me to be the gentle curmudgeon that I am, asks the question:  “They don’t really put that stuff in the wine, do they?”

No, they don’t.  They used to in wine coolers, now called Arbor Mist, but in regular wines it is just grape juice.  The many flavors that come through that grape juice are tweaked and tempered by the heat of the sun on the skin of the grape as it matured in central Germany.  Also by the minerals and fog of that valley in California or the French oak barrel it is aged in or the type of yeast that is used in fermentation.  All of these things change grape juice into a wonderful mosaic of tastes that we are not familiar with day to day.

So our brain tries to take the input from our nose and our tongue and give us an answer to the question, “What does this taste like?”  It can only answer with things we have already taught our brain to recognize.  Like apples, peaches, and cinnamon.  If someone says it reminds them of Australian Pepperbush, you probably would not know what he or she is talking about.  But if that person said it had a slight green peppercorn flavor, you might know.

“Yes, now, class, everyone go out and smell and taste things.” It doesn’t have to be that odd.  Next time you are eating and drinking different items, pay attention to what they smell and taste like, develop your brain’s library of tastes.

And honest, they don’t add grapefruit.

Last Saturday morning, I took a cruise up I-10 to Boerne Stage Road and dropped by the farmers market at the Leon Springs Baptist Church parking lot. On a sunny morning it was easy to park and not yet steamy hot, so I could enjoy making the rounds of vendors.

Even at a distance, the plants and flowers displayed were a welcome eyeful of color in our currently dusty landscape. There were two tents with beautiful, healthy looking herbs, Hibiscus, and an intriguing flowering plant named a Rangoon Creeper.

I met Mario Obledo as I photographed some of the produce. He is the vice president of the Hill Country Farmers Market Association, the organization that promotes this market and three other markets in the area (see below for details). I learned that the Leon Springs market is year-round, 2 1/2 years into its growth and development, still with room for new additions and new ideas.

Every day you hear about “going green,” and at The Green Brownie company they are doing green in brownies! No, this isn’t a St. Patrick’s Day gimmick; these are delicious treats made with all-organic ingredients so you can feel good about indulging. Owner Tracy Carlson told me that they even used packaging that is eco-friendly. If you are in a more playful mood, the stand also has Brownies-on-a-stick (they are cute) as well as gluten-free brownies.

But the vision that most of us hold about a farmers market includes lots of fresh vegetables and fruit. As it should be, there were three well-stocked displays of bright, fresh, produce. I saw some good looking squash that were named Sunburst and White Scalloped, very much like a pattypan squash, at Bob Mishler’s Uncertain Farms. Lots of people were buying peaches and tomatoes, cucumbers and okra, potatoes and green beans, plums, bell peppers, jam, wow!

But there were baked breads, pecans (even pecan oils at Circle H Orchards), and some super yummy granola at Cowgirl Granola. Heather Hunter, the Head Cowgirl, has been making her toasty, oaty, nutty, tasty, amazing granola for about 8 years. She is out at Leon Springs every week, as well as the other three markets in the association. You can also contact her at cowgirlenterprises@gmail.com.

There is usually a grass-fed beef dealer, but he was out-of-town that morning. He’s expected back soon; meanwhile, there are other vendors with free-range eggs and various goodies to keep you busy until then.

I have been to a few farmers markets in our area and in other states — and even other countries. Leon Springs is not the biggest, but it has a good variety, easy to get service, and just a friendly, can-do, attitude. Go see for yourself and try something new!

Close

Saturdays, 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Leon Springs Baptist Church
24133 Boerne Stage Road (behind the H-E-B)

The other markets affiliated are:

• Boerne, Kendall County Fairgrounds, 1307 River Road, Boerne TX  Wednesdays 2-6 p.m., now through Nov. 18
• Bulverde-Spring Branch, The Branches Church, 4594 Highway 281 North, Bulverde, TX  Saturdays, 2:30-5:30 p.m., year-round.
• Helotes-Grey Forest, Helotes Hills United Methodist Church, 13222 Bandera Road, Helotes, TX  2nd & 4th Fridays, 3-6 p.m., now through Nov. 13

Do you like anchovies? Some people do, some don’t. I am one of those who do. So when I see a menu that says “with anchovies,” I am looking forward to those pungent little fish fillets. Then the dish arrives and there are no anchovies. I ask the waitstaff; they tell me one of three things:

“I am sorry, let me take that back so they can get that done for you.”

Hey, we all goof now and again, no problem. It may have been the kitchen staff that missed it, it may have been the waitstaff as some of them do plate prep or at least finish a plate.

“Oh, they haven’t changed the menu, but we don’t put those on anymore.”

Then that is a big mistake and I may want to change my order. I mean if you ordered an anchovy pizza and the restaurant just decided that they were not going to put on anchovies anymore, wouldn’t you send it back? Why should I react differently with a salad or a sauce?

“They are there, just mixed in the dressing/on the croutons.”

This is deceptive. I do not care if you like anchovies or not, you can tell if they are there.

What is the point? Restaurants need to look at their menus as a contract. They are making a proposal and when you order you have accepted the deal. They will provide items listed for a pre-set price, you will pay for these items at the end of a meal. Simple social contract. If you do not pay, consequences can be ugly. But if they do not provide items as listed, then that is a failure to perform and nullifies the contract. Sure, they told the server, “We don’t have the rice or anchovies or the bass is actually tilapia tonight.” But if the server does not tell us, then naughty, naughty!

In any of the scenarios, the server still wants a tip. In the first example where they work to correct the goof, their tip is unharmed. The next two examples will hurt their tip. The last one may stop me from going to that restaurant again.

We all have things that can disturb the yin and yang of a dining experience. This is one of mine, what are yours?

Maybe it is easier to show your love for Dad if you think more about what he does for fun than what gets advertised.

So if your father likes to get up and have a good breakfast — make him a special one like Spiced Baked Apple. (All recipes below.) If he likes to watch movies, there are a bunch of guy movies showing during the Father’s Day weekend and a batch of Spiceman’s Nachos would be a perfect accompaniment to watching an old western.

Perhaps your ol’ Pop is not a morning person, so a nice dinner with a Good Rib-eye is more in line for him. No matter which way Dad would like best, he’ll love the attention.

Spiced Baked Apples

The first time I had these was at Brennan’s in New Orleans. That was the place I learned about ordering a bottle of wine for breakfast (after cocktails) and how to spend more for breakfast than I did on my monthly grocery bill. I will always remember how they showed me a few priorities in life. This is real simple, do not be afraid of your food. Do not cut back on the sugar and 2-percent milk is NOT the same as cream. Every now and then, just reward yourself and indulge a little.

Spiced Baked Apples
9 firm apples, like Pink Lady or Winesap
2 teaspoons cinnamon
¾ teaspoon mace
¼ cup sugar
3 tablespoons butter
3 cups heavy cream

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Core the apples and place them in a lightly oiled baking dish. Sprinkle them with spices, then with the sugar. Portion 1 teaspoon of the butter into the hollow of each apple. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, or until tender.
(Note: At this point the apples can be set aside, or refrigerated, then reheated before serving.)

Place baked apples into serving bowls and pour 1/3 cup cream over each.

Serves 9.

Spiceman Nachos

OK, it’s coals to Newcastle and preaching to the choir time. You have had, and made, nachos before. This recipe will not change your culinary life, but this recipe does upscale a manly favorite.

Sure, you could open a “pop with the foam on top,” but this also will go well with many lightly sweet rieslings or fruity reds like a shiraz.

Spiceman Nachos
1 pound tube sausage, your favorite
1 pound hamburger, 95 percent lean
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 (16-ounce) can refried black beans
1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
1 bag corn chips, at least 16 ounces
1 pound Cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (7-ounce) can jalapeño slices
8-32 ounces sour cream, to taste
1 bunch green onions, chopped

Place sausage in a cold pan and put on medium heat. As it starts to cook and render fat, add the hamburger. Cook until done.

While the meat cooks, melt butter in a small pan and the add beans. Stir until incorporated; add the poblanos, stir well and set aside. On a oiled or foil-lined baking sheet, arrange small piles of chips, or chip islands, for the number of servings you desire. Drop a little of the refried beans on each island and then sprinkle cheese on top of each.

When meat is cooked, add the cumin seeds and stir for a minute; add the chili powder and repeat. Add the onions and cook until transparent, about 4 minutes. Pour juice from jalapeños into the pan to deglaze, simmer until most of the liquid is gone. Remove from heat.

Portion the meat on top of the cheese and broil for a few minutes until the cheese starts to toast but before the chips start to get dark brown. Remove from oven, top with sour cream, green onions and sliced jalapeños and whatever other topping — salsa, pico de gallo, tomato or peppers — you want. Use a spatula to serve nachos on individual plates. (If you used foil, just cut the foil and put your portions on a plate.)

Serves  2 to 8, depending on the size of your portions.

Good Rib-eye

Good beef, when it isn’t cooked dry, is simply wonderful. I am quite convinced that I have a genetic pre-disposition that requires that I consume beef on a regular basis.

So, we will take a little rib-eye, season it, and later bask in the decadent, sated feeling you can only achieve with red meat. Am I getting passionate, or what?

Serve with a cabernet sauvignon from Chile, California, or Texas.

Good Rib-eye
4 rib-eye steaks, ¾ to 1 pound each
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil

Grilling method:
Heat your cleaned grill until it is hot. Season meat with thyme, pepper, garlic and salt. Quickly wipe the grates with an olive-oil infused paper towel and slap those steaks on! Adjust the grills heat to medium and let them cook for about 5 minutes and then turn them. You should have a definite grill mark on the cooked side when you do this. Continue cooking for 4 minutes and remove the rib-eyes from the grill. For the size steaks I have listed, these times should give you a medium finish, depending on the thickness of the rib-eyes and the heat of your grill.

Stovetop method:
Heat oil in a sauté pan to medium. Season outside of rib-eyes just before placing into the sauté pan. Cook to your desired level of doneness (use the times listed above for grilling) and then set aside to rest.

For the sauce:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/4 cup minced shallots
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups red wine, good enough to drink
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
Heat butter in the sauté pan you cooked the beef in and cook shallots until soft. Add mushrooms and salt, and cook until soft. Add wine and reduce until sauce starts to thicken, add thyme. Simmer for 3 minutes, correct seasonings, spoon over the beef.

Serves 4.

Honey Bees

You just had to know what that was, didn’t you? Same for me when I looked at a National Public Radio Web site and read about the interview with a Washington, D.C., chef.

The chef’s hotel has purchased a whole passel of bees from Europe. No, not the bees-with-an-attitude from Africa, good bees, nice bees, sit! They are doing two good things with this endeavor. First, they are helping with the decline in bee population that has been a real problem for agriculture by bringing in new stock.

That would be good enough, but they are creating their own locavore concept. They intend to use the honey their bees produce in the hotel food service.
This is just great! Helps nature and contributes to local plants by providing little pollen messengers.

Then I eagerly read about the recipe for making Honey Caviar. The recipe will be below, but it is basically mixing sugar and honey with agar-agar. Then you pour a thin stream of the honey-sugar into icy cold grapeseed oil and let it clump into balls. Strain the globules and tah dah, oily, honey-sugar thingies!

If you feel that I was underwhelmed, you are right. This was such a beautiful, fanciful and imaginative name that it promised better, deserved to be better — and so it will be!

I have contemplated taking those tiny champagne grapes (actually currants and other types of currants would also be good) and mixing them carefully in some honey thinned with a touch of brandy. I think you could get some of those tiny cornstarch or tapioca balls like they use for bubble drinks and do the same. Or add some spices. Or, … Please tell me what you think Honey Caviar could be, should be, would be if you ran the zoo. Send in your ideas and defend the good name of Honey Caviar.

Click here for the recipe.

Just a few upcoming events we wanted to let you know about. We will be adding a calendar soon …

Frederick’s Restaurant
7701 Broadway, Suite 20. 7:30p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, $75 plus tax and tip.
June Gourmet Wine Dinner with five courses, each matched with wine.
Call (210) 828-9050 for required reservations. Or click here.

Rock San Thai and Sushi Restaurant
5238 DeZavala Road. 6:30 p.m. Thursday, $39.95 plus tax and tip.
Wine Dinner French, South African and Californian wines are served with a four-course dinner at the restaurant.
Call (210) 561-0011 for reservations or click here.

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar
Father’s Day Brunch
11:30 a.m. -3 p.m. Sunday, $29.95 per guest.
Treat Dad to brunch at Fleming’s in the Quarry, 255 E. Basse Road on Father’s Day and the restaurant will treat him to a $25 dining card. Call (210) 824-9463.

Morton’s the Steakhouse
849 E. Commerce St. 5-10 p.m. Sunday, $65
The special Father’s Day menu includes choice of soup or salad, choice of entrée, choice of side and dessert. Call (210) 228-0700.

Shiraz
Summer Wine Dinner
4230 McCullough Ave. Seatings from 6 to 9 p.m. June 25. Cost is $55 a person.
Reservations: (210) 829-5050 or e-mail dineatshiraz@yahoo.com. Dietary restrictions gladly accommodated with advanced notice.

Dry Comal Creek Vineyards and Winery
‘Red, White and New’
1741 Herbelin Road, New Braunfels. 11:30 a.m. sharp to 1:30 p.m., July 4-5
A celebration and private tasting of four new wines. This event will feature wine and food pairing instructions and recipes by caterer Jordan Russell.
Go here to register:
http://www.drycomalcreek.com/redwhitenew.html?lnum=108838&E=11604&C=2018518690&S=0&lnum=108838

The Lodge Restaurant of Castle Hills
Summer Wine Dinner
1746 Lockhill Selma. 6:30 p.m. July 8. $55 plus 20-percent tip.
A five-course dinner with beef tenderloin and pan-seared salmon. Wines include 1999 Merryvale Beckstoffer Vineyards Las Amigas Merlot and 2005 White Oak Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Call (210) 349-8466.

Women are from Venus and Men from Mars. Men and women do not share the same interest in either duct tape or shopping. That is a wonderful thing. Some people want to analyze wine and some people want to know how it will fit in their lives. Both valid viewpoints, not right or wrong, but each deserves attention.

In our wine reviews we will address each view. We will present the facts and the feeling of the wine. Happy sipping!

Casisano – Colombaio Brunello di Montalcino 2001

Fact: This young Tuscan wine is an outstanding value. Plum, clove, and smoky allspice with dried cherries underneath provide an enticing nose. About an hour after opening, there is a definite spearmint aroma. On the palate there is a ripe cherry, black fruit and tart, spiced apple.
Open and decant to aerate at least 30 minutes before serving. It sells for $38-44 locally and will age for another decade.

Feeling: The roast lamb or pork is almost ready after a long, hot day. This is a wine to enjoy slowly from sunset to dark, so it has time to tell you about the Tuscan village where it was raised.