Texas Wine fo the Month: Llano Estacado Winery 1836, 2008

Of the many battles fought on the vast Texas soil, there are a few that rate as pivotal moments in Texas history. One such skirmish was the famed Battle of San Jacinto. On April 20, 1836, in a part of northern Mexico known as “Tejas,” a group of settlers won a decisive battle leading to the formation of the Independent Republic of Texas, and eventually independence from Mexico. This month’s Texas Wine of the Month was made in celebration of those who fought for the Republic: Llano Estacado Winery 1836 Red Table Wine, 2008.

This month’s selection comes from the suggestion of Suzanne Pike, general manager and wine steward for Bin 555 Restaurant in San Antonio. A long time lover of wine, Pike took note of the 1836 the second she tasted it. “I like this wine because of its balance of flavors,” says Pike who detects hints of blueberries, currant, nutmeg, mocha, and a little smoke.

Llano Estacado Winery has been a long time player in the Texas wine industry offering a wide range of Texas (and non Texas) wines at affordable prices throughout most of our commonly known retail outlets. But they also focus on premium wines as well. In fact, in 5 out of 12 years one of their other top red blends, Viviano (~$30), has walked away with one of the prestigious “Grand Awards” as Texas Best Red Wine in the Lone Star International Wine Competition.

The 1836 is just as worthy of such praise. It is a red blend of Texas grapes primarily sourced from the Mont Sec vineyard in West Texas. (In the Chihuahuan desert.) The primary blend is 50.9 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 31.1 percent Syrah with smaller percentages of Petite Verdot, Malbec and Sangiovese—giving the wine an extra juicy kick of fruit.

The diverse variety of grapes each bring a different element to the wine. Perhaps its the spirit of the battle for the Republic that has been bottled in this wine, which exudes bold structure from the Cabernet Sauvignon, a smoky meatiness from the Syrah, ripe fruit from the other varietals and crisp acidity, perhaps from the hot days and cool nights and elevation of the Chihuahuan desert.

“To me it is the perfect summer BBQ wine,” says Pike who suggests that the 1836 would be perfect with grilled ribeye or smoked brisket or ribs. “This is an example of how Texas wines have come a long way. We’re starting to see beautiful fruit, and well-balanced wines that could stand side-by-side next to the wines of California. Everyone who enjoys a good glass of wine should really try what Texas has to offer.”

Though it’s certainly a heartier wine than the lighter summer whites and rosés that are often suggested for this time of year, don’t shy away from a wine like this. Just be sure to chill it for about 15-20 minutes in the refrigerator before serving—trust me, you won’t regret it.

Wine: Llano Estacado Winery, 1836 Red Table Wine, 2009

Retail Price: ~$30

Availability: At some Spec’s locations throughout the state as well as at some restaurants including Bob’s Steakhouse (Dallas), Four Seasons Resort & Club (Las Colinas), Charivari Restaurant & Bar (Houston), Kata (Houston), Bin 555 (San Antonio), Hudson’s on the Bend (Austin), Marritt at Horseshoe Bay (Marble Falls)

Tagged: Bin 555, Jessica Dupuy, llano estacado winery, Lone Star International Wine Competition, Texas Wine of the Month

Smoke was definitely in the air.

The quintessentially Texas aroma of smoked beef permeated the air at Live Fire! on Thursday evening at the Salt Lick Pavilion in Driftwood, outside Austin.
Billed as the kick-off event for the three-day Austin Wine & Food Festival coming up this weekend, Live Fire! was sponsored by the Austin Food & Wine Alliance. More than two dozen Central Texas chefs, with an outlier from Portland, Oregon, set up smokers and grills under towering pecan trees on the banks of Onion Creek while 650 attendees paid $75 each to stuff themselves silly, listen to music, swill adult beverages, and watch the amazing performers of Fire Knights, who twirled scary-looking flaming staffs with the ease of high school drum majors.
Meanwhile, the chefs cooked Texas beef up, down, and sideways.
There was smoked brisket from local barbecue hero Aaron Franklin of Franklin Barbecue and tongue pastrami sandwiches from Ned Elliott of Foreign & Domestic. Andrew Wiseheart of Contigo changed his last name to “Beefheart” for the night; his booth served up, yes, cured beef heart with a chicory-and-strawberry salad.
Naomi Pomeroy of the appropriately named Beast, in Portland, went native with Texas wagyu medallions topped with wild-ramp butter.

Jason Dady did battle with maurauding flies.

Jason Dady of San Antonio, owner of Tre Trattoria and Bin 555, did slow-cooked charred beef brisket with blue-cheese spoonbread and a caramelized onion purée. He encountered a problem that plagued many booths: “I’ve been fighting flies all night,” he said, sounding exasperated. ”Maybe our food smelled better.”
Josh Watkins of the Carillon could not stop at just one. He did two dishes: beef ribs with corn pudding and also fried beef cheeks with Brussels sprouts brushed with smoked maple syrup. And just exactly how to you smoke a liquid? Turns out there are at least two ways, but the one that worked best was a no-brainer: put a pan of syrup in a smoker. Watkins also proved himself adept at juggling Myer lemons, to the amusement of onlookers.

The most dramatic entry of the evening was Alamo Drafthouse Cinema chef John Bullington’s whole steer, cooked over coals on a specially constructed Argentine-style grill. “We wired very large pieces of meat to the platform, and cooked them for about sixteen hours,” he said. “We turned it once. The beef alone weighed 407 ½ pounds and the metal rack was another 100. It took six guys to flip that sucker.”

Wagyu medallions with tomato-jam tarts.

After so much bovine protein, it was a relief to find a dessert. Erin Echternach, pastry chef at Fino, skewered fresh strawberries and squares of cake to make grilled strawberry shortcake. Her assistant Christiana Rachut volunteered that “Strawberries are the beef of the vegetable world.” Kyle McKinney of Barley Swine made sweet zucchini bread,  grilled and served with dabs of goat cheese mousse and candied walnuts. (Thankfully, neither barley nor swine was involved.)

(A version of this post will appear on TMDailyPost.com.) Photos by Courtney Bond.

Tagged: Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, Austin Wine & Food Festival, Barley Swine, Bin 555, Contigo, fino, Foreign & Domestic, Live Fire! Austin Food & Wine Alliance, Salt Lick Pavilion, the Carillon, Tre Trattoria

There’s nothing like a bandwagon. No sooner did Food & Wine and Bon Appétit fall all over themselves to give Austin a whole lotta love than StarChefs.com (an online magazine for chefs and culinary insiders) decided to hold one of its four national awards ceremonies in Austin this year.  Their editorial board scoured the landscape for the top talent in Texas’ capital city (and in San Antonio, too) and recently announced more than a dozen winners in nine categories.

As a result, in February, a gaggle of the hottest chefs in Austin and San Antonio are going to be in one place at one time, offering samples of their best bites. And there will be some choice wine and cocktail sips too.

Here’s what you need to know: The tasting will be held on Tuesday, February 21, from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Driskill Hotel. Tickets are $85 for regular admission, $125 for VIP, and can be purchased online at starchefs.com/tickets or by calling 212-966-7575.

So, is StarChefs.com on the mark as far as their choices go? In my humble opinion, absolutely. They considered around 60 candidates (which they found through talking to local media and doing their own research, followed up by in-person tastings and interviews).

OK, it’s time to cut to the chase. Who won?

In the chefs category, it’s David Bull, Congress; Ned Elliott, Foreign & Domestic; Aaron Franklin, Franklin Barbecue; Bryce Gilmore, Barley Swine; Rene Ortiz, La Condesa; Paul Qui, Uchiko; Quealy Watson, The Monterey, in San Antonio; Andrew Wiseheart, Contigo.

In the pastry chefs category, it’s Plinio Sandalio, Carillon; Philip Speer, Uchiko. In the sustainability chef category, it’s Michael Sohocki, Restaurant Gwendolyn, in San Antonio. In the hotel chef category, it’s Josh Watkins, Carillon. In the artisan category, it’s John Bates and Brandon Martinez, Noble Pig. In the restaurateurs category, Tyson Cole, the Uchi group; Jason Dady, Bin 555, Tre Trattoria, Two Bros. BBQ Market, all in San Antonio. In the sommelier category, it’s June Rodil, Congress. In the mixologist category, it’s Jeret Peña, The Esquire, in San Antonio.

The host chef is  Jonathan Gelman, Driskill Grill. (By the way, the photograph is from a StarChefs.com  gala held in New York last year.)

Tagged: Aaron Franklin, Andrew Wiseheart, austin, Barley Swine, Bin 555, Bon Appetit, Brandon Martinez, Bryce Gilmore, Carillon, Congress, Contigo, David Bull, driskill grill, Food & Wine, Foreign & Domestic, Franklin Barbecue, Jason Dady, Jeret Pena, John Bates, Johnathan Gelman, Josh Watkins, June Rodil, la condesa, Michael Sohocki, Ned Elliott, Noble Pig, Paul Qui, Philip Speer, Plinio Sandalio, Quealy Watson, Rene Ortiz, Restaurant Gwendolyn, san antonio, StarChefs.com, the Monterey, Tre Trattoria, Two Bros. BBQ Market, Tyson Cole, uchi, uchiko

The stars were bright in the Capital City on Friday night where fans of Texas’ bountiful foods and wines celebrated not only the “locavore,” but the “loca-pour” in us all. Edible Texas Wine & Food Match, presented by Edible Austin and The Texas Food and Wine Gourmet was the first-ever culinary competition of its kind in the state of Texas. The event challenged chefs from Central Texas to create a menu using regional foods to pair with appellation wines of Texas. The goal: to bring out the best in both.

Held at the AT&T Conference Center in Austin, the dinner was offered as an official event of the 2011 International Association of Culinary Professionals’ national conference.

Though attendees were each given a ballot to cast a “Peoples’ Choice” vote, the evening was guided by a panel of guest judges including Jacques Pépin, world-renowned chef, television celebrity, author and culinary educator; Francois Dionot, founder and director of L’Academie de Cuisine; John Besh, chef, restaurateur, author and television personality; Michael Bauer, executive food and wine editor for the San Francisco Chronicle; and Paula Lambert, cookbook author and founder of the Mozzarella Company.

From a field of several dozen competitors, a committee of food and wine experts, including our own Pat Sharpe, selected their top five chefs to compete for the final event including Kelly Casey, executive chef at Hudson’s on the Bend restaurant, Austin; Patrick James Edwards, sous chef  at Bin 555 and Wine Bar, San Antonio; David Garrido, owner and executive chef at Garrido’s Restaurant, Austin; Josh Raymer, owner and executive chef at Navajo Grill, Fredericksburg; Peter Smith, executive chef at JW Marriott Hill Country Resort and Spa, San Antonio. Each competing chef vied for the perfect pairing reflecting Texas terroir using regional foods and a selection of Texas wines.

Fifteen Texas appellation vintages from eight Texas wineries were paired in the event including Becker Vineyards, Flat Creek Estate Winery, Fall Creek Vineyards, Inwood Estates Vineyards, Messina Hof Winery & Resort, Perissos Vineyard, Sister Creek Vineyards, and Stone House Vineyards.

The chef finalists offered an array of beautiful dishes including a local market salad with roasted beets, pickled peaches, and goat cheese from Chef Josh Raymer paired with a refreshing pear and floral 2010 Perissos Vineyards Viognier, a roasted lamb loin with a tongue-teasing porcini-raspberry soil from Chef Patrick James Edwards paired with Becker Vineyards 2009 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, and a fluffy cloud of aerated goat cheese with blackberry-persimmon paper, and an emulsion of fennel pollen and honey from Chef Peter Smith paired with a light and aromatic 2010 Flat Creek Estate Moscato.

But in the end, Chef David Garrido took first place with his famous crispy oysters with habenero honey aioli paired with the dry, yet slightly sweet Fall Creek Vineyards 2010 Chenin Blanc, a coffee-chipotle beef tenderloin paired with Fall Creek’s award-winning 2006 Meritus (Bordeaux blend), and a zucchini cake with lemon cream and candied pecan paired with Sister Creek 2010 Muscat Canelli—a special treat with a hint of honeysuckle effervescence.

All proceeds from the event will benefit the newly launched nonprofit Texas Center for Wine and Culinary Arts, a new nonprofit dedicated to promoting Texas food, wine, and agriculture through educational programming and hands-on experiences. Major sponsors of this event include AT&T Hotel and Conference Center, GO TEXAN, Whole Foods Market / Greenling Organic Delivery, Glazer’s, Trattoria Lisina / Salt Lick: The Driftwood Experience and Montesino Farm.

Hats off to Chef Garrido for his palate-pleasing efforts and a tip of the hat to the chefs and wineries featured in this momentous event. If you missed this year’s event, not to worry… This was the first of a 5-year program, which will travel around the state featuring regional chefs, foods, and wines.

- Jessica Dupuy

Tagged: Becker Vineyards, Bin 555, david garrido, Edible Austin, Edible Texas Food and Wine Match, Fall Creek Vineyards, Flat Creek Estate Winery, garrido's, hudson's on the bend, Inwood Estates, Jessica Dupuy, Josh Raymer, JW Marriott Hill Country Resort and Spa, Kelly Casey, Messina Hof Winery & Resort, Navajo Grill, Patrick James Edwards, Perissos Vineyard, Peter Smith, Sister Creek Vineyards, Stone House Vineyards