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IT APPEARS THAT PEOPLE HAVE AN increasing penchant for sweetness these days. Many wine magazines now hype “semi-dry” as the “new dry.” Why is this? Well, many folks come from a generation that started the day with a good cup of strong coffee and a newspaper. But nowadays, it is not unusual to have a diet Coke or other caffeinated soft drink with our morning email. Sweetness has permeated our existence, whether in the sauce, drink or dessert. At this time of year, we are all especially looking for ways to tell our special someone that he or she still holds a sweet spot in our hearts and minds. So, naturally we look to sweets such as candy and chocolates to illustrate our affections. But this year, why not turn to an alluring alternative...sweet wines from Texas. Many premium wine producing regions that rim the Mediterranean have something in common with Texas. If truth be told, they actually have a sweet streak. These regions include Riveraltes and Banyuls in The Rhone. Jerez in Spain. Duoro in Portugal. Vin Santo in Chianti and points south in Italy, and Madeira Islands where sunlight coalesces with balmy breezes to create ripe grapes that produce sweet concentrated nectars. We normally think of premium wines in esoteric “wine speak” that extols the virtues of their dryness, complexity and finesse. But, we forget that. in many cases, the most sought after wines from these regions that actually attract the highest prices, are not their dry table wines, but sweet late harvest, dessert and fortified wines. I recently asked several Texas winemakers if they thought that Texans have a sweet palate. Gene Switzer, Chief “Sweetmeister” at Fredericksburg Winery summed it up best by saying, “I guess it’s actually universal. If you were to call the biggest wine distributors anywhere and ask them how many gallons of White Zinfandel they sell versus Cabernet Sauvignon,I would bet the White Zin would win, hands down. We find that in our tasting room in Fredericksburg (and have confirmed it in other states too) that most people talk dry, but drink sweet!” And, he should know. Fredericksburg Winery produces just about every wine they make in three different levels of sweetness, with a sweetness scale on each label. Other Texas wineries see it in perhaps a more balanced light. Rick Nabor, owner of Flatcreek Estate near Marble Falls said, “To a certain extent, there seems to be a strong demand in our tasting room for sweet wines. However, we do not subscribe to presenting a sweet wine for the sake of pleasing all those who ask. We believe that there is a place in our wine portfolio for sweet wines, but they need to be well-crafted wines.” Rick’s view is something that nearly all of the Texas wine-makers echoed. Paul and Merrill Bonarrigo, winemaker and owners of Messina Hot Wine Cellars in Bryan point out that, “The hardest part of making pleasing sweet wines is getting the balance of sweetness and acidity correct. Sweet wines should stimulate all parts of your tongue with sweetness along with a balancing acid which keeps the flavor clean and fresh, sip after sip.” Many believe that the Texas sweet tooth comes from our relative inexperience with wine. People often commence their wine experience by drinking wines made with a small percentage of residual sugar. These quaffable, fun wines provide good company to fun foods such as barbecue, burgers and pizza. If made properly with a good balance of sweetness and acidity, these wines can be both pleasurable and amazingly versatile in food pairing. Once consumers discover that wines are not so intimidating, they commonly graduate from drinking just sweet wines to including dry white wines like Chardonnay and then venture on to dry red wines with more structure, body and tannins, and on up to Port (returning to sweet). This is the basic cycle of wine appreciation. In order to find the context of sweet wines in Texas, Culinary Thymes hosted a wine tasting and invited a panel of pastry chefs to taste several Texas sweet wines. Our premise was that these are experts in the tastes and smells of things sweet and who better to comment. We presented them with a selection of Texas late harvest, dessert, fortified and fruit wines. Two white wines that the panel universally enjoyed were Flat Creek’s Travis Peak Muscat D’Arancia (Orange Muscat) and Messina Hof’s “Angel” Late Harvest Johannisberg Riesling with between 8 to 10 percent residual sugar. Our panel indicated that both seemed to capture the balance of sweetness and acidity in combination with lower alcohol (9 to 11 percent) that made them smooth without an alcoholic “bite.” The tasting panel members also thought that Messina Hof’s Riesling and the Travis Peak Orange Muscat would be very versatile wines. In fact, Marian Tindall, cooking instructor and the former owner of Bistro Cuisine suggested that the Riesling would pair well with spicy Indian food as well as with peach or plum tarts. Her recommendations for the Orange Muscat were even more daring, and included such offerings as foie gras and lobster, as well as Middle Eastern desserts with honey, citrus and nuts. Mercedes Dewey, owner of Mercedes Dewey Cakes, suggested that restaurants that serve foie gras in Texas should automatically serve a wine like the Travis Peak Muscat D’Arancia. This will allow diners to enjoy a truly wonderful wine and food pairing experience. The two favorite fortified wines (brandy or grape spirits are commonly added during fermentation) were La Bodega de Mitchell Cream Sherry from Homestead Winery and Brushy Creek Ruby Port. To say the least, our panel was very surprised to see a Texas sherry, but really gravitated to this wine. Heidi Marie Vukovic of Chocolate Harmony, commented on its aromas of caramelized sugar and honey, and suggested pairing this wine with pound cake, scones, or almond desserts, but later added that she felt that it would work well with a variety of earthy soups on a cold winter night. The panel universally enjoyed the Brushy Creek Ruby Port (Alvord). It was a fresh, fruit-driven experience with ripe cherry and berry flavors that would only gain more pleasurable nuances with bottle aging. The food pairings included fruit tarts and dark chocolate desserts. Texas Winemakers’ Sweet Wines for Valentines Day Flat Creek Estate (Marble Falls)-Muscato Blanco (Muscat Canelli) or Muscato D’Arancia (Orange Muscat). Both have been international medal winners from previous vintages with natural sweetness provided by Mother Nature, as only she can do. Messina Hof Wine Cellers (Bryan)-For a man: Papa Paulo Private Reserve Port. For a woman: Angel Late Harvest Johannisberg Riesling (its name prefaces the divine taste). Fredericksburg Winery (Fredericksburg)-Place sliced fresh fruit in a bowl and apply a liberal amount of our Orange Muscat dessert wine. Stir, cover and refrigerate for an hour. Serve it with a crisp peanut butter cookie and a glass of Fredericksburg Orange Muscat. Becker Vineyards (Stonewall)-For a woman: Becker Vineyards Muscat Canelli Amabile as an aperitif or with cheese cake. For men, Becker Vineyards Vintage Port with cheese cake, toasted pecans and dark chocolate, and maybe a nice cigar. |
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Texas Wine...for your Valentine