They say it’s the Top Texas Wine for 2012. By they, we mean the judges from the Houston Live Stock Show and Rodeo Uncorked! International Wine Competition. As part of the state’s most lauded rodeo’s, the wine competition bestows a Texas-sized stamp of approval on wines from all over the world.

By Top Texas Wine, we mean the Messina Hof Solera Texas, 2004, a Texas version of a sherry-style wine made from 100% Black Spanish (Lenoir) grapes grown at the Bryan-based vineyard. (Note: Black Spanish is one of Texas’ native grapes and grows well in just about all parts of the state.) This unique wine sits at the cream of the crop as one of nine Overall Show Award winners including wines from Italy, France, Spain, California and Washington State.

“This wine caught the attention of the judges in a double blind tasting,” says Stephanie Baird General Chairman of the Rodeo Uncorked! Wine Committee. “It is a great Top Texas Wine as it is made from what was once one of the most widely planted grapes in the state—Lenoir. It was abundant enough to be used by missions for communion hundreds of years ago, which gives this grape a great Texas history, and now, so does this wine from Messina Hof.”

What’s a Texas version on a sherry style wine?

It’s probably best to define what a Sherry is. Technically, Sherry is a fortified wine that is made in Spain near the town of Jerez. The primary grapes used to make sherry are Palomino, Muscatel and Pedro Ximenez and the process by which this delicate wine is made is called the “solera system,”—which is how the Messina Hof wine got its name. To be honest, the solera system is difficult to describe, but it is a method of fractional blending using old wine that is aged in barrels to refresh younger wine, creating a level of complexity in the overall flavor.

In Messina Hof’s case, owner and winemaker Paul Bonarrigo, used barrels of Black Spanish from 2003, 2004 and 2005 to fractionally blend an aged wine. He then set the barrel with this blend in the summer sun during 2007 to “bake” the wine with flavors from American oak barrels. The result is a crisp, off-dry/sweet wine with creamy vanilla and toffee flavors.

As Karen MacNeil says in her wine enthusiast handbook The Wine Bible, “As it stands, Sherry, the unsung hero of great wine classics, is misunderstood, under appreciated, and wrongly cast as the libation of old ladies.”

Messina Hof has proved this misconception wrong with the Solera. Even though it’s not technically an official sherry, the style is very much in the Sherry arena.

What makes it so good?

I sat down with Maser Sommelier Craig Collins of Prestige wine distributors. Collins is one of only six master sommeliers in the state and it just so happens that he got his start in the wine industry with a job in the tasting room of Messina Hof while he was finishing college at Texas A&M University.

“Messina Hof is a pioneer for the wine industry,” says Collins. “They work tirelessly at getting their wines into the hands of Texans and they have a lot of great wine to show for it.”

Solera Tasting notes:

On the nose, this tawny brown wine has notes of raisin, dates, toffee, and caramel. Collins also picked up orange peel, candied pecan, and a soft, savory herbaceousness. Almost like lavender.

On the palate, the wine confirms the nutty, raisin notes in the nose adding flavors of amaretto, vanilla and prune.

And while Collins finds the general flavor of the wine to be appealing, he was most impressed with the balance. “This wine has 18 percent alcohol, yet it’s unbelievably balanced. It doesn’t have a heavy body and it’s not very cloying with residual sugar. You don’t get an overwhelming sense that you’re drinking a high alcohol wine. Striking that balance is very difficult to do with wine like this and it’s probably why it made the Top Texas Wine.”

While this is a dessert-style wine, Collins suggests opting against sweet desserts to pair with the Solera. Instead, enjoy the wine with a cheese plate including a strong blue cheese, a sharp cheddar cheese and a few different nuts. If you must satisfy the sweet tooth, a rich walnut brownie would be fantastic. The clean, crisp body of the wine will enhance the walnut flavor and cut the bitterness of the chocolate.

Messina Hof cleaned house in this year’s competition taking home 21 total awards out of the 23 it submitted. Two other standouts were the Cabernet Franc Private Reserve, 2009, which won Class Champion and Texas Class Champion (Double Gold Medal). This big Texas Red is consistently one of my favorites from this winery with balanced tannin and deep, dark flavors of blackberry, Christmas spices and a little vanilla.

“This award shows us that we’re on the right track when we’re winning competitions like this in the same league as wines from all over the world,” says Paul Bonarrigo. “I’m particularly proud that we won using the Black Spanish grape. We use it in a number of ways with our wines including in port and a dry rose. It means a lot to get recognition for showing how diverse a native Texas grape is and how well it shows in an international competition. It says a lot for Texas wine.

You can visit the original Messina Hof Winery and Vineyards in Bryan or at their new Hill Country facility in Stonewall, just outside of Fredericksburg. The Tuscan-style winery not only features a warm and inviting tasting room, but a guest villa as well for those who would like to linger a little longer in the Napa Valley of Texas.

The awards will be given at the Roundup and Best Bites Competition on February 19, 2012 at Reliant Center. Tickets for the event can be purchased here. Congrats to Messina Hof for making some great Texas wine and hats off to the many other Texas wines who performed beautifully in the Houston Live Stock Show and Rodeo Uncorked! International Wine Competition! (See the full list of results here.)

Winery: Messina Hof Winery and Vineyards

Wine: Solera Texas Sherry 2004

Availability: Winery only. Click here to purchase

Price: $45

- Jessica Dupuy

Tagged: Craig Collins, Houston Live Stock Show and Rodeo Uncorked! International Wine Competition, Jessica Dupuy, Messina Hof, Paul Bonarrigo, Solera

Inwood Estates Vineyards Palomino Chardonnay courtesty of inwoodwines.com

In the past two years, we’ve spotlighted a number of different varietals that make great wine around the state. At this point, you’re likely familiar with Viognier and Tempranillo as the star grapes of Texas. (Be on the look out for Roussane (white) and Mourvedre (red) to make some headway in coming years.) But you’ve probably not seen a lot of talk about Palomino—and no, we’re not talking about the type of horse known for its golden coat and white main. Don’t feel bad, few people are probably familiar with this grape. It’s a popular grape in Spain, but few other places and it’s primarily used for making sherry, a fortified dessert wine made from white grapes.

But Dallas winemaker Dan Gatlin of Inwood Estates Vineyards took an interest in Palomino long ago and used Chardonnay to create a beautiful white wine blend. It’s a bit of an odd duck wine that sings with nectar and vanilla aromas and sits at the top tier of Texas wines.

Which is why Craig Collins of the Prestige division of Glazer’s Distributors has helped us select the August Texas Wine of the Month: Inwood Estates Palomino Chardonnay 2008.

“I have never seen this blend from any other country or region which is one of the reasons I like it so much and the fact that it is from Texas makes it all the better. This is a one-of-a-kind blend from Hunt County Texas near the Texas-Oklahoma border,” says Collins who is one of the recent additions to the small circle of Master Sommeliers in the state of Texas. (Read more about Collins here.) “These two grapes dance very well together with the Chardonnay adding richness and tropical fruit while the Palomino translates an expression of terroir and adds a beautiful mouth feel and textural component to the wine. This wine demonstrates a true sense of place and display notes of grilled pineapple, summer melon and lemon zest with well-balanced oak and a white flower bouquet. Not knowing, some might think this wine was from France.

“This wine is deserving of the Wine of the Month selection not only because of it’s uniqueness but  also because it is one of the best white wines being made in the great state of Texas. It is very food friendly and pairs perfectly with a fatty fish dish or grilled pork and chicken. One of my favorite pairing with this wine is a rosemary and lemon grilled pork chopped with grilled summer vegetables.”

At $59.50 a bottle, this is a serious Texas wine. And though you may want to save this for a special occasion, it’s complexity of flavor will reward you upon first taste.

Winery: Inwood Estates Vineyards

Price: $59.50

Availability: Central Market, Whole Foods, Spec’s, Richard’s Fine Wines, Twin Liquors

- Jessica Dupuy

Tagged: Craig Collins, Dan Gatlin, Inwood Estates Palomino Chardonnay

Fellow wine enthusiasts, how well do you know wine? Think you can tell the difference between a California Pinot Noir from one made in the Burgundy region of France? Are you able to list the major grapes of the Piedmont region in Italy? What wine is primarily associated with Hungary? Don’t worry, this isn’t a pop quiz. Rarely in life would you be expected to know this level of detail.

Unless, of course, you were a sommelier. And certainly if you were a Master Sommelier. But achieving a Master Sommelier status is no easy task. Before reaching this level, you have to pass the Introductory, Certified, and Advanced level exams from the Court of Master Sommeliers, the premier international examining organization for professionals in the wine service industry.

It’s no easy task. In fact, there are only 180 Master Sommeliers in the world and until two weeks ago, there were only four in the state of Texas: Guy Stout of Glazer’s Distributors; Drew Hendricks of Pappas Brothers in Houston; Barbara Werley of Pappas Brothers; and James Tidwell of the Four Seasons Las Colinas in Dallas.

As of July 31, Texas has welcomed two new Master Sommeliers to the table, Devon Broglie, the Specialty Coordinator for the Southwest Region of Whole Foods Market and Craig Collins, Regional Manager for Glazer’s Distributors. Both Broglie, 37, and Collins , 35, are from Austin.

The two joined 63 fellow wine professionals (by invitation only) in Las Vegas to take the three-part exam (Theory, Service, Tasting) for a Master Sommelier Diploma. Of the 63, only six passed, and two of those six were Broglie and Collins.

But getting to his point was no easy task for Broglie and Collins. Beginning in 2005, having already passed the Introductory level exam, the two committed to a rigorous study schedule every Monday morning, and often on weekends, to prepare for the Certified, Advanced, and Master levels. The Master level alone took them three years to pass. In 2009, they completed the Theory portion of the exam, which requires a mastery knowledge of wine origin, history, and production, but failed the Service and Tasting portions. In 2010, they returned only to nab the Service portion of the exam after having rigorously practiced restaurant service at Austin’s Paggi House in their spare time.

Craig Collins, Master Sommelier

“The tasting portion may be the most difficult because it boils down to not only a proper sensory analysis of wine but determining what your tasting through applying the theory you’ve learned,” says Collins. “Prepping for service was a big challenge as well, but it’s a really important part of being a sommelier because it’s about knowing how to convey a respect for the vineyards, the wine, and the hands that make it before pouring it in a patron’s glass.”

This year, they conquered the Tasting portion of the exam and gratefully received their hard-fought diploma.

“This was our third and final attempt to complete the exam. You only have three years to complete the Master level and if we didn’t pass, we would have had to start all over again,” says Broglie, who admits the Tasting part was the most challenging for him as well but that using a specific wine tasting grid helped him conquer this section. “It’s like learning music scales. You don’t have to use scales to play music, but it helps you understand the nuts and bolts of music better if you do. The same is true for the wine tasting grid, it helps you deconstruct the wine and, through deductive reasoning, determine what wine it is that you’re tasting.”

Three years to pass the tasting portion,” you ask. What’s so difficult about it? Here’s the break down of requirements: 6 wines; 3 red, 3 white. Sommeliers are required to analyze each individual wine based on sight, nose/smell, and taste to determine:

- The grape variety

- The country of origin

- The district and appellation of origin

- The vintage (year the wine grapes were harvested.)

Devon Broglie, Master Sommelier

It’s not exactly a multiple-choice, walk-in-the-park type of test. It requires a significant amount of familiarity with wine history as well as an extremely sensitive palate. Based on the tasting portion alone, it’s easy to see why there are only six Master Sommeliers in the state, and why Collins and Broglie deserve a Texas-sized pat on the back for their great accomplishment!

Collins and Broglie will join fellow Master Sommeliers Guy Stout, Drew Hendricks, and James Tidwell this weekend, August 13-15, for the 7th Annual Texas Sommelier (TEXSOM) Conference at the Four Seasons Resort and Club in Las Colinas near Dallas. The conference is a premier wine education symposium attracting leading wine professionals and connoisseurs from across the country.

“TEXSOM is an opportunity for beverage professionals in Texas to network with people from all parts of the industry and the country,” says James Tidwell, who along with Drew Hendricks co-founded TEXSOM. “It is also an opportunity to learn what is happening in the larger world of beverages; and, to show the dynamic culture of beverage service that we have in the state. Over the years, it has become a conference with national influence beyond its physical size.”

Prior to the conference, the Texas Master Sommeliers along with Melissa Monosoff, Serafin Alvarado, Larry Stone and Fred Dame will also administer the Level 1 Introductory course for the Court of Master Sommeliers and yours truly will have a front row seat as I try my hand, err palate, at the first stage of this thorough wine education endeavor. I’ll post details on the experience once I’ve completed the exam—Wish me luck!

Tagged: Barbara Werley, Court of Master Sommeliers, Craig Collins, Devon Broglie, Drew Hendricks, Guy Stout, James Tidwell, Jessica Dupuy, TexSom