It's time to show up RANGERS, and time for a little Texas wine!

GAME 3: Dang, this TexaCali of a World Series has been 100% Cali  - come-on Rangers, I know your heart is in it, time to buck-up and PLAY BALL!   So now I must suggest a new wine that's on the scene, in fact one of the hottest wineries in Texas these days.   The Duchman Family Winery Vermentino is making plenty of fans - all over America too.   Here's a recent write-up in the Dallas Morning News: 

“Wine of the Week,” October 6, 2010, by Rebecca Murphy, Dallas Morning News.

 

Vermentino is a wine grape variety successfully grown in southern Italy. Now we can say with assurance that vermentino is successfully grown in Texas. This vermentino is a pale lemon color; it’s enchantingly light and refreshing, with floral and mineral aromas and delicate pear and citrus flavors cheered by zesty acidity. It is delightful as an apéritif and equally at home with an elegant sautéed scallop or a comfy chicken nugget…

Note that the appellation is Texas, meaning the grapes were grown in Texas, in this case at the Bingham Family Vineyards in West Texas. You should know, if you don’t already, that if a Texas winery’s label says “For sale in Texas only,” the grapes for that wine were not grown in Texas. That doesn’t mean the wine is not good; it just means it’s not from Texas grapes. If you buy it, you will still be helping support a Texas winery – a good thing – but not a Texas grower.

The state doesn’t grow enough grapes to fill all the bottles being produced by Texas wineries. It’s hard to grow grapes in Texas, what with early or late frosts, hailstorms, wind storms, various pests and diseases. Texas grape growers are gutsy, persistent and optimistic, perhaps irrationally so, but aren’t we lucky to have them?

Available at Central Market and Whole Foods Market. 

Great to run into my old friend Julio at VINOVINO in Austin last week, he's one of the biggest ambassadors of very well-made wine I know, so the fact he's behind this Texas winery goes a long way with TexaCali Ali - Cheers and GO GIANTS - LET'S GO RANGERS!! - Ali