The Wine:
Duchman Family Winery Trebbiano, 2012
Who Likes It:
June Rodil, Wine and Beverage Director at McGuire Moorman Hospitality, which owns Perla’s, Lamberts, Clark’s, Elizabeth Street, Josephine House and Jeffrey’s in Austin. Rodil is an Advanced Sommelier who has managed and launched the wine lists at Austin’s top restaurants including Uchi, Congress and Qui and whose career highlights include Texas Best Sommelier in 2009 from TEXSOM, Best New Sommelier of the Year from Wine & Spirits magazine in 2011, and Food & Wine magazine’s Best Sommelier of the Year in 2014.
Her latest project has been the launch of Jeffrey’s Sunday Chicken Dinners, a classic family style meal Peeler Farms roasted chicken with seasonal vegetables with the added bonus of the entire Jeffrey’s wine list at half price. “It’s a great way for people to have fun and try bottles of wine that maybe they weren’t ready to take a risk on at full price.”
The Grape:
This wine is made from 100% Trebbiano grown at Bingham Family Vineyards in the High Plains. Notably one of the most planted white grape varieties in both Italy and France, Trebbiano is widely used in the production of Cognac as well as to make crisp, dry single-varietiy wines.
Why She Likes It:
“We just put this on the by the glass menu at Perla’s. I just love that it’s super clean and fresh and that it really tastes like other Trebbianos I’ve tasted from Italy, which is one of my favorite styles,” says Rodil. “They’re super versatile because they have really great weight but also a clean freshness about them and this one is similar to that. In a blind tasting I think it would be really difficult to differentiate the two.”
Suggested Pairings:
“This wine has a lovely brininess to it that makes it a great option for seafood like oysters, but it also has weight to it that makes it good for lighter cooked dishes as well like our scallop pozole because there’s also good fruit on the mid-palate, which is good for a dish with spicy qualities,” says Rodil.
On Down the Road:
“I think were continuing to see a benchmark of certain grape varieties in the state as well as producers who are making the right decisions with the grapes they have. In the past I have said that Texas is more inclined for Mediterranean varieties only, but in actuality, I’m seeing more of a sense of place with a number of different varieties beyond just Mediterranean like Cabernet Franc in the High Plains. So we’re seeing more evidence of microclimates in the quality of wine. There’s not a sweep of international varieties that are great for the whole state, but instead, better examples of varieties from a specific part of the state, which makes more sense considering how large Texas is.
Notes from the Winemaker:
Dave Reilly, Duchman Family Winery
“I love this grape. It’s another Italian grape that is very happy and at home in Texas. It breaks bud later than a lot of other white varieties making it pretty dependable on the High Plains against late spring freezes,” says Reilly. “It also hangs on the vine for a long time developing great flavor. It’s one of the last grapes we harvest each year. I like to pick this grape while the sugar is around 21 brix, which is really not high for sugars, but the acid is still high. This balance makes it a wonderful wine with seafood or just by itself on the front porch.”
Price:
~$14
Availability:
In addition to the winery, you can find the 2013 Trebbiano at retail locations including HEB, Central Market and Whole Foods Market.
