The Texas Terroir Lineup at TexSom

For anyone wondering how Texas wines fare among experts in the wine industry, the proof was in this year’s 2012 TexSom conference. In it’s eighth year, TexSom—short for Texas Sommelier’s Conference—reserved one of their nine wine sessions for an hour completely devoted to Texas Terroir.

A few hundred sommeliers and industry retail and restaurant professionals were in the room as part of the sold out two-day conference, which was held at the Four Seasons Resort and Club Las Colinas outside of Dallas. The session was led by the Guy Stout, a Master Sommelier who manages the wine education program at Glazer’s, and Christy Canterbury, a Master of Wine, wine educator and writer, and native Texan who helped judge the 2012 Dallas Morning News/TEXSOM International Wine Competition earlier this year.

The two opened with a few comments on the state of the Texas industry showing numbers on just how big Texas wine has become. In 2001, there were only 46 wineries producing only about 600,000 cases of wine. By 2009, there were more than 220 wineries producing more than 1.2 million cases. And the growth has only increased in more recent years.

Among the top points Stout drove home was the fact that Texas winemakers have finally honed in on warm climate grapes to produce the best wines within the state. Among the lineup included many examples of these varietals such as Italian Vermentino, Viognier from the Rhone Valley of France, and Touriga Nacional from Portugal.

Of the eight wines showcased for the tasting, all were “single vineyard” wines, meaning each one was made from grapes that came from a specific Texas vineyard.

“We really wanted to show the terroir of Texas for this seminar,” says Drew Hendricks, TexSom co-founder and director of wine and beverage education for Pappas Restaurants. “It is possible to make wine that has a sense of place in Texas and these wines show that.”

Below is the list of Texas wines tasted, with a comment or two from Stout and other audience members in between…

 2010 Duchman Family Vineyards Vermentino (Bingham Family Vineyards)

“The typicity of this wine is outstanding,” said Stout. “It tastes exactly like Vermentino should taste.

2010 McPherson Cellars Reserve Roussanne (Bingham Family Vineyards)

“This shows what we can do with Rhone varieties,” said Stout. “McPherson is one of the greatest winemakers in the state of Texas and this wine is an example of why.”

“This wine is outstanding,” added Marcy Jimenez of Houston Wine Merchant. “It’s brilliant and so exciting that this is happening here in Texas.”

2010 CapRock Winery Viognier (Reddy Vineyards)

“This wine tastes like the variety should taste,” said Canterbury. “It’s floral with apricots and orange peel. It’s beautiful.”

 2009 Sandstone Cellars VII (Mason County)

“This wine has iron and spice like you would find with Touriga,” says Canterbury, but it is also very savory. It’s not fruit forward, but restrained and European in style.”

“Don Pullum is the winemaker for Sandstone and I’d say he’s one of the best winemakers in the state and this Touriga blend is an example of the great job he’s doing,” added food and wine journalist Andrew Chalk of D Magazine.

2009 Pedernales Cellars Kuhlken Vineyards Reserve Blend

“Pedernales Cellars aged this wine in both American and French oak. It’s a lovely wine that will definitely hold for a while if you age it,” said Stout. “The blend has Tempranillo and Merlot and shows a more European footprint than a lot of Californian wines.”

2010 Fairhaven Vineyards Chambourcin

“We really wanted to show this wine because it’s from someone who really believes in American hybrid grapes,” said Stout about the red Chamburcin grape, which is a French-American hybrid between that has shown to be resistant to fungal diseases . “R.L. Winters hangs his hat on these varieties and this is one of the best representations he has of why.”

2010 Vineyard at Florence “Veritas” Cabernet Sauvignon

“This isn’t a warm variety grape, but this wine shows really well with black currant, eucalyptus and a little sweet vanilla from the oak,” said Canterbury. “It’s really nice.”

2010 Haak Vineyards “Madeira” Blanc du Bois

“I think Blanc du Bois is one of the most exciting white wine varieties in Texas,” said Stout. “It’s an American hybrid that took five generations to get correct, but Raymond Haak at Haak Vineyards is doing it right. It has orange blossom and orange water on the nose and palate. Beautiful.”

The two days of wine-filled education featured eight other seminars including some particularly eye-opening (and delicious) sessions on Riesling, Cabernet Franc and perhaps my favorite, Oregon wines. TexSom ended Monday evening with a festive Grand Tasting featuring more than 150 wines from all over the world. And of course, Texas was there to represent with wines from CapRock Winery, Duchman Family Winery, Inwood Estates, Pedernales Cellars, and Sandstone Cellars which brought along an intriguing Tempranillo from a new Mason County Vineyard, Pontotoc Vineyard.

Winners of the Texas Best Sommelier competition at TexSom, David Keck (2nd place), Ryan Tedder (1st place), Steve Murphey (3rd place)

The highlight of the evening was the announcement of Texas’ Best Sommelier, Ryan Tedder of FT33 Restaurant in Dallas. Tedder was one of 23 competitors in the annual Texas Best Sommelier competition which is run behind-the-scenes at TexSom and proctored by a number of Master Sommeliers from the Court of Master Sommeliers. An integral part of TexSom, the competition was designed to help give aspiring sommeliers scholarship funding to help further their wine studies. (Tedder received $2,500 for his top honor.)

David Keck of Uchi Houston was the second runner up and Steve Murphey of Mid-Stage Wine & Liquor in Plano received third place. Additionally, the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena, California will offer scholarships to all three to placers.

- Jessica Dupuy

Tagged: Andrew Chalk, CapRock Winery, Christy Canterbury, David Keck, Drew Hendricks, Duchman Family Winery, Fairhaven Vineyards, Guy Stout, Inwood Estates, Jessica Dupuy, Marcy Jimenez, McPherson Cellars, Pedernales Cellars, Ryan Tedder, sandstone cellars, Steve Murphey, TexSom, The Vineyard ar Florence

2010 Fairhaven Vineyards Chambourcin

You often hear about Texas wines in the Hill Country. You occasionally even hear a bit about how most of the grapes grown in Texas are actually in the High Plains near Lubbock. But you rarely hear about the other pockets of the state that produce wine. There’s the Bluebonnet Wine Trail near Brenham, the Munson Wine Trail near Forth Worth and there’s also a wine trail in The Piney Woods of East Texas, which is where this month’s wine of the month comes from.

Out near Hawkins—about 20 miles from Tyler—Fairhaven Vineyards has made a name for itself specializing in French-American and American hybrid grapes for wine. (Without getting too geeky, there are well known European native grapes “vitis vinifera” such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, and American native grapes “vitis labrusca,” such as Concord or Norton.)

Fairhaven’s owner and winemaker R.L. Winters emphasizes a focus on native American grapes for his wines. Almost all of the grapes used for his wines are sourced directly from almost a dozen acres of his own vineyard and are produced to make European styles of wine. Fairhaven also propagates and sells a variety of root stocks for individuals looking to start their own vineyard along with a complete vineyards installation service to help get things started.

Since the winery opened in 2004, it has received numerous awards for its heritage grapes including the 2009 Lomanto, the first American Hybrid grape to wine an international award since 1873, and the  2010 Chambourcin, which won a gold medal in the 2011 Lone Star International Competition and is this month’s Texas Wine of the Month.

The Chambourcin grape is a French-American hybrid that Winters has found does unbelievably well in warm climates such as Texas and has a high resistance to fungal disease. And though you won’t find a lot of it in Texas, you can find it throughout the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. in states such as New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and North Carolina.

Drew Hendricks, MS

This month’s wine of the month Comes from one of Texas’s seven Master Sommeliers, Drew Hendricks, the director of wine and beverage education for Pappas Restaurants. Hendricks’ career on both the distribution and service side of wine demenotrates not only his extensive knowledge of the world of wine, but his passion for sharing it with other people. Perhaps his greatest effort in sharing wine with others is through the 9th Annual Texas Sommeliers Conference (TEXSOM), which Hendricks co-founded in 2005 with fellow Master Sommelier James Tidwell of the Four Seasons Los Colinas.

“I really like what Fairhaven is doing with their wines,” says Hendricks who carries this wine at both Pappas Bros Steakhouses in Dallas and Houston. “This Chambourcin is juicy, jammy and delicious. It shows that sometimes it pays to pay attention to these [grape] varieties that are outside the norm.”

The wine also has racy acidity and a little tartness as well. It’s fruity, but has a great earthiness to it as well, which is evidence of Winters’ drive towards a European style of wine. This is a wonderful food wine that would be fantastic with a juicy ribeye—perhaps why Pappas has it on their wine list—but it would also be delicious with a couple nibbles of dark chocolate after dinner.

Attendees to TEXSOM will likely have a chance to sample the Chambourcin during one the nine conference seminars. It’s one devoted strictly to wines from single vineyards throughout Texas and will be led by Texas native and wine expert Christy Canterbury and Houston-based Master Sommelier Guy Stout. Hendricks helped select the wines for this particular seminar and the Chambourcin was high on his list.

Though the final list NOT official, some of the candidates include:

2009 Sandstone Cellars VII - A rich, fruity and medium-bodied Portuguese-inspired red wine made from Touriga Naciaonal grown exclusively in Mason, TX.

2010 McPherson Cellars Roussane Reserve – A previous Texas wine of the Month that has citrus, ripe peach and tropical fruit on the nose with a balanced, dry finish on the palate.

2011 Duchman Family Vineyards Vermentino – An Italian varietal and perhaps the best version this winery has released to date—though previous vintages have been stellar as well—with notes of pear and lemon and crisp, dry finish.

2010 Texas Hills Vineyard Cabernet Franc – A smooth red with blackberries and a hint of spice made from a classic French Bordeaux and Loire varietal.

2009 Pedernales Cellars Kuhlken Family Reserve (red wine blend) – A full-bodied red made primarily from Tempranillo and Merlot.

And while Hendricks is excited to see how well received this single-vineyard Texas wines are received, he’s also excited to see the panels on Cabernet Franc as well as the special vertical tasting of Leonetti Cellars.

While the much anticipated TEXSOM is sold out, and sure to be a wine-filled fiesta of oenophiles and wine amateurs alike, it’s growth in the national sphere of wine professionals is evidence to the entire country of just how serious Texans are about their wine.

- Jessica Dupuy

Tagged: Chambourcin 2010, Drew Hendricks, Duchman Family Vineyards, Fairhaven Vineyards, Jessica Dupuy, McPherson Cellars, Pedernales Cellars, sandstone cellars, Texas Hills Vineyard, TexSom

(Editor’s Note: This guest post about last week’s Texas Sommelier Conference comes from San Francisco food, wine and spirits writer Jordan Mackay, a James Beard Award-winning author for his 2010 book with Rajat Parr, “Secrets of the Sommeliers.” But we knew him when!)

At TEXSOM, if you were not in a suit and tie, you’d have been likely to feel underdressed. But that’s part of the culture at the Texas Sommelier Conference: everyone’s suited up most all the time. Yet, thanks to the fact that they’re tasting wine all day, they’re likely still having more fun than you.

And when they’re not drinking wine, they’re drinking coffee. And when they’re not drinking coffee, they’re drinking Campari, which the bartender of the lobby bar in the Four Seasons at Las Colinas, where the convention took place, told me the hotel stocks up on before the conference. The thirsty, wined-out sommeliers likely drink as much of the red Italian aperitif (with soda or in Negronis), he said, as the hotel goes through the rest of the year. (Other preferred non-wine alcoholic beverages included Aperol and Fernet Branca, as well as mezcal.)

The bulk of the conference is taken up with education. In-depth wine seminars ran constantly for two days as heavily credentialed experts discoursed from the dais on subjects like “Grenache around the World” and “Red Wines of Burgundy’s Cote d’Or” to hundreds sitting quietly in the audience, taking notes and trying not to spill any of the eight glasses of wine they had lined up before them.

And all the while this was going on, a crew of masters from the Court of Master Sommeliers, the premier sommelier training and certification organization in the world, was putting 23 young sommeliers through a grueling multi-day examination to determine the winner of the Texas Best Sommelier 2011. The ultimate champion, Bill Elsey, was crowned at TEXSOM’s concluding event, the Grand Tasting, at which dozens of invited wineries and importers poured their wares for all the convention’s attendees.

TEXSOM is of particular relevance to me as, when I left Austin and Texas Monthly in 2001 to pursue my own interest in wine outside Texas, there were, to my knowledge, no dedicated sommeliers in Austin. I hardly knew what a sommelier was when I arrived in San Francisco later that year. Yet destiny led me to fall in love with and, in 2006, marry, a sommelier. Last year, I published Secrets of the Sommeliers. These days, as I learned at TEXSOM, Austin has several sommeliers, like the spirited June Rodil (who won Texas Best Sommelier in 2009) of Congress and the affable Mark Sayre of the Four Seasons (2007’s winner).

Texas has long been an important place for wine, even if it wasn’t noted for its sommelier community. Rebecca Murphy, who was one of the first members of the modern sommelier profession in Texas, starting in Dallas in 1972, remembers there being no culture of the professional wine steward. “I was working by myself, figuring out how to be a sommelier on the job,” she said. Today Murphy writes periodically on wine for the Dallas Morning News and runs its wine competition (more…)

Tagged: Bill Elsey, Court of Master Sommeliers, Drew Hendricks, Jordan Mackay, Rajat Parr, Rebecca Murphy, sommeliers, texas, Texas Sommelier Conference, wine

TEXSOM. Say it like it sounds. Tech-Somm. No, it’s not a new form of Texas cuisine, as in Tex-Mex. And no, it’s not a new style of Texas line dancing blended with the Samba. It stands for the Texas Sommelier Conference and if you’re in the wine industry, you’ve at least heard of it, if not become a regular attender.

TEXSOM 2011 was held just last week at the Four Seasons Hotel Resort and Club in Colinas following the Court of Master Sommeliers Level 1 Course and exam. It’s actually the only one of its kind in the country. Formed by Texas-based Master Sommeliers James Tidwell of the Four Seasons Las Colinas and Drew Hendricks of Pappas Bros., the conference is a central meeting place where sommeliers from across the nation (and globe) congregate to network, brush up on characteristics of specific grape varietals, regions, and basically taste a whole lot of wine. (In one day alone, I counted a total of 42 wines tasted. And just to be clear, no one with any common sense actually drinks the wine completely; you taste and spit, otherwise you’d be a stumbling fool.)

James Tidwell and Drew Hendricks

In its 8th year, the event, hosted by the not-for-profit organizations Texas Sommelier Association and the Wine and Food Foundation of Texas, has attracted more than 2,200 wine professionals from across the United States.

“Every year, the conference reflects greater diversity,” says Tidwell. “This year we featured an amazing vertical tasting with celebrated winemaker Serge Hochar, who traveled all the way from Lebanon and shared wines dating back to 1969. No other conference integrates all levels of the business and welcomes the public like this one does.”

In addition to the unparralleled experience of having Serge Hochar from Chateau de Musar–a rare occassion that brought a hush over a room full of sommeliers–TEXSOM hosted it’s annual competition to determine the Best Texas Sommelier of the Year, a key component that occurs in the background of the conference for a hand-picked 20 candidates from across the state. To participate, candidates must be a current resident of Texas and must not have passed the Court of Master Sommeliers’ Advanced Exam.

This year the distinction went to Bill Elsey, Director of Sales for D’Amore Wine Selections a wine distribution company owned by Duchman Family Winery.  Elsey outperformed his fellow Texas compatriots in an intense three-part examination involving service, blind tasting, and theory and proctored by a panel of Master Sommelier judges. (more…)

Tagged: Bill Elsey, Drew Hendricks, Duchman Family Winery, James Tidwell, TexSom

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

Courtesy of the alcoholian.com

Mason, Texas. It’s not just known for topaz digging, deer hunting, or its claim be the home of authentic Cooper’s Barbecue—as opposed to the famed smoke pit in Llano. But we’re not discussing barbecue today. Instead, we’d like to note that Mason has fast gained recognition for its small little wine tasting room off the town square—the home of Sandstone Cellars Winery.

Though much of the Hill Country is made up of limestone and granite outcroppings, the Mason area is known for its sandstone deposits, which makes for a sandy soil rich in iron and minerals that according to Sandstone Cellars winemaker, Don Pullum, make for aromatic wines. Something celebrated Texas sommelier Drew Hendricks of Pappas Bros. restaurant in Houston noted when introduced to Sandstone Cellars wines earlier this year. Hendricks is not only the Corporate Wine Director and Director of Education for Pappas, but sits on the board of the Guild of Sommeliers and is the co-founder of the annual TexSom Beverage Conference in Dallas. Both he and Master Sommelier, James Tidwell of the Four Seasons Las Colinas began the conference as a forum for Texas sommeliers to continue their education and challenge their palates in annual blind tasting competitions.

“This conference has been a great way for Texas sommeliers to get to know each other and sharpen their knowledge of wine,” says Hendricks. “There’s always something new to be learned in wine.”

Learning about Sandstone Cellars’ portfolio of wines, was certainly an example to Hendricks about the many notable selections of Texas wine, which is why this month’s Texas Wine of the Month comes from this lonely little winery out in Mason: The Sandstone Cellars VII, Touriga Nacional, 2009.

This relatively low profile Portuguese red grape is a varietal worth watching as Texas grape growers continue to explore the best grapes for the state, and thereby better defining the Texas terroir. Known for its high tannins and concentrated black fruit flavors, touriga is what Pullum would consider an excellent blending grape for its ability to add spice, complexity, and structure to a wine.

“Touriga grows so well here and I’m a big believer in using it as a blending grape,” says Pullum, who supplies Sandstone with grapes from his own Akashic Vineyards. “The 2009 touriga turned out to be so well balanced that we thought it could stand on its own as a straight wine.”

In Hendricks’ opinion, Pullum was spot on. “The structure is just perfect,” says Hendricks. “I love that the Sandstone wines are a perfect balance between laboratory wines and super earthy Burgundy-style wines. Their touriga is a great example of a good artisanal wine. Sandstone is just doing a fantastic job.” And he’s not the only one to think so, at a dinner pairing on Tuesday evening, Hendricks poured this wine for Ray Isle, Executive Wine Editor of Food and Wine Magazine who later tweeted: @islewine: Mighty excellent ’96 J Prieur Montrachet tonight in the company of equally excellent @drewhendricksms. Sandstone Touriga from TX cool, too.

Hendricks notes flavors of deep dark cherry, mint, plumb, and a mushroom, earthy quality to the wine. “For me, this wine would be braised meat heaven,” says Hendricks. “Pair it with short ribs or a lamb shank, and you’re in for a great meal.”

At $30 a bottle, the Sandstone Cellars VII is a great value for what you’re getting. While it’s not readily available at retail outlets throughout the state it is easy to order directly from the winery. It’s also on the wine list at Fearing’s and The Pyramid in Dallas, and as you may have guessed, Pappas Bros. Steakhouses in Dallas and Houston.

- Jessica Dupuy

Tagged: Don Pullum, Drew Hendricks, Jessica Dupuy, Pappas Bros. Steakhouse, Sandstone Cellars Winery, texas wine, Texas Wine of the Month, TexSom