Austin

Austin Austin

Virtual Summer Party By Forrest Preece, Master Scribe

When it comes to high tech pivots, the Austin Chapter of the Knights of the Vine sets a high standard. On the night of August 12, Master Commander Jerry Gatlin presided over a virtual version of a wine tasting and concert for 44 Knights and Gentle Ladies on Zoom. An additional 19 members from the Houston Chapter joined the party, including Grand Commander Buddy Hagner and his wife Trish.

The night began with fifteen minutes of music from the Liz Morphis Trio singing from a South Austin music studio, while the guests settled in and poured their wines. A short round of noshing and imbibing followed. Then we were treated with a 45-minute presentation about the wines for the evening by Mark Rashap, a Certified Wine Educator (CWE) and Regional Sales Manager for Broadbent Selections and importer of fine wine from around the world.

Just a few words about Mark – he oversees sales and strategic brand development in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Previously, he served as Director of Wine Education for the Wine and Food Foundation of Texas in Austin and consulted privately for various distributors, brokers, and restaurant chains. With over fifteen years of experience in the wine industry, Mark has worked in practically every sector of the trade, from studying the wine business in Argentina to winemaking and brokering wine in Washington State. He entered the wine education field as a corporate educator for a large Texas retailer and gained national experience with the certifying body, The Society of Wine Educators. He is also the producer, engineer, and host of the podcast, Another Bottle Down, which has been aired on KOOP 91.7 in Austin, bringing his philosophy and open-minded views to the Austin radio waves.

In the weeks leading up to the event, Master Knight David Jabour was offering special buys on the wines for the evening at two of his Twin Liquor stores and one in the Houston area for our friends there. Many of the participants drove by to make pickups of these outstanding bottles and enjoyed drinking them during Mark’s presentation.

The wines for the evening included:

Chateau Fontcreuse Rosé Established in the 1700s in the small appellation of Cassis within the Provence region of France, Chateau Fontcreuse is a relatively small house committed to organic practices. This rosé is a blend of Cincault and Grenache and showcases the beauty of the region. White floral and lovely red and orchard fruit on the nose give way to an elegant mouth feel. Melon, peach and a touch of citrus combined with long and balanced acid which led to a dry finish.

Chateau Musar Jeune Blanc This iconic winery from Lebanon is truly in the spotlight this year with the publication of a book about their history as well as the movie Wine and War. This wine is roughly thirds of Chardonnay, which lends body and a creamy texture, Viognier which adds aromatics and floral notes, and Vermentino which adds freshness and lovely nectarine and stone fruit notes.

J Winery PN Russian River This is one of the more prominent California brands, and this Russian River Pinot displays the classic flavors of the region and grape. Subtle flavors of leather, violets, and cherry are complimented by a silky mouth feel.

Wilson Foreigner Zinfandel This is the classic America grape (though truly coming from Italy and Croatia). Historically, it was made in a lighter style that was more reminiscent of Pinot Noir or Gamay, quite different from the dark, brooding Zins that would prefer to be sipped by a fireplace instead of the pool. This wine strikes the perfect balance of lighter body, but great intensity on the palate. It comes from 100-130 year-old Napa Valley vines, so truly history in a glass.