EXPAND YOUR WINE PALETTE DURING THE TEXAS HARVEST
People ask me how to develop your palette on wines. I have several opportunities for you to have an evening of tasting diverse, but outstanding wines. The best way to expand and educate that palette is to taste a diversity of wines while also getting an education on each wine. Your first opportunity is next Friday, August 12th at Bayway Cadillac of The Woodlands located on the east side of I-45 at 16785, I-45. There will be sixty or so premium wines for you to experience at a variety of wine tasting stations manned by wine experts providing their take on each wine’s characteristics. Did I also mention that outstanding Chefs will be pairing foods with those wines? A limited number of tickets for this palette please are still available through Food and Vine Time as a part of their expanded Food and Wine Week in The Woodlands at www.WineandFoodWeek.com. This event runs for three hours starting at 6 pm. Also add to your wine tasting calendar AROUND THE WORLD IN 180 MINUTES on Saturday, September 17th benefitting Bridgewood Farms. On October 6th, the Market Street Wine Walk will be held during the cooler time of the year in lieu of in June during WINE and FOOD WEEK in THE WOODLANDS.
Several Texas wineries and vineyards are looking for volunteers to help with their harvests. These harvests provide another experience to taste a “wine before it is made” by tasting grapes as you harvest. The first thing you will notice when munching on those grapes is how sweet they are with sugar levels ranging from 25% to 30%. As you further taste the grapes, you will notice that the grapes brightly show the characteristics of the various fruit flavors found in those grapes like dark cherries, apricot, peach, and pear. Many people are astonished to find such flavors in these raw, sweet grapes. Your grape picking opportunities include the following locations:
• Flat Creek Estates Winery and Vineyard near Marble Falls (www.exploretock.com/flatcreekestate)
• Bending Branch near Comfort (www.BendingBranchWinery.com)
• Los Pinos Rach Vineyards near Pittsburg, Texas (www.LosPinosRanchVineyards.com)
• Messina Hof Winery near Bryan (www.MessinaHof.com)
These are just several of the opportunities to pick grapes and to taste those grapes. Please make inquiries as to times and locations for the harvest. Most vineyards start picking around 6:30 am when the weather is cool. You must wear comfortable shoes to cover your feet entirely as vineyards do have hazards like fire ants. Dress accordingly and stay hydrated. Most vineyards will provide food and a complimentary tasting as their gratitude for your grape-picking. You will benefit by experiencing first-hand what a grape harvest is while having a chance to taste the grapes.
Texas Restaurants Serving Texas Wines
Amore’ Restaurant on the shore of Lake Conroe provides a wonderful setting for an intimate dinner paired with great wines. The Rotary Club of Lake Conroe hosts their Tuesday evening meetings in the spacious event room. I was invited to speak to these Rotarians about Texas Wines and found a great Texas Italian wine called Trebbiano from Duchman Family Winery near Driftwood, Texas. This crisp white wine has great acid and is a wonderful Summer Sipper. It pairs wonderfully with Summer Salads.