23 minute read
SPARKLING WINE
SPARKLING WINE FOR SUMMER SIPPING
by JIM PETERSON, WINE ENTHUSIAST & INSTAGRAM WINE INFLUENCER
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In my not-so-secret wine life, you can almost always find me on Saturdays at “JS Fine Wines” store in San Antonio. I am one of the resident staff experts, involved in the Saturday wine tastings and working with customers to help them better understand and select wines. The “JS Fine Wines” customers love sparkling wines, so we very often lead the weekly tasting with bubbles. The store is always on the lookout for new and different sparkling wines to fit our customers’ tastes and budgets. Like our customers, you may wish you could enjoy bubbles more often too – but just not at the expense of fine Champagne. It is an easy problem to solve.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BEST ALTERNATIVES TO CHAMPAGNE?
What are some good options when a friend has invited you to hang out by the pool with them? Which bubbles are the most refreshing? Which ones might pair better with food? The great news for wine lovers is there are plenty of high-quality non-Champagne sparkling wines out there. Best of all, there are a multitude of values to be had. As you are perusing the bubbles section, I hope to give you enough information to help you make some reasonable choices that should be more than enjoyable for you and your palate.
UNDERSTANDING CRÉMANT
In France there is a subset of sparkling wines typically referred to as Crémant. These wines are made using the same technique as Champagne. Crémant wines are made in eight different regions within France – Bourgogne (i.e. Burgundy), Alsace, Loire, Jura, Bordeaux, Savoie, Limoux, and Die. The wine label will always state the region with “Crémant de (region).” The grapes used in each may vary. Whereas Champagne mainly uses Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meuniere, the grapes in the Crémant wines vary greatly.
In Bourgogne you can expect to find Chardonnay or Pinot Noir, while in Bordeaux they typically use Merlot but Cabernet Sauvignon and a few other Bordeaux red and white grapes may be found. The Loire Valley Crémant production is centered around the Anjou and Touraine appellations and generally use Cabernet Franc, Chenin Blanc, or Pinot Noir. The Crémant d’Alsace grapes include Pinot Blanc, Auxerrois, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir. Oddly, if the Crémant d’Alsace is a rosé it must be 100% Pinot Noir. There are a wide variety of grapes used in Jura including Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Poulsard, Savagnin, Pinot Gris, and Trousseau. Then Limoux includes Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Mauzac (locally called Blanquette), and Pinot Noir. Savoie may have Jacquère, Altesse, Chardonnay, Chasselas, and Aligoté. Finally, Die has mostly the Clairette grape. If you have never heard of many of these grapes, or even the regions themselves, you are not alone. The fact is many are just not imported to the US market in large volumes.
Isn’t it amazing how vast the world of wine is? Could you imagine this diversity in one designation of sparkling wine? There is so much to experience if you choose to do it. Aside from Crémant, there are many other sparkling French wines that are not Crémant. These can be found in the Loire Valley, the Languedoc region, and others. Most of the French non-Champagne bubbles will be crisp and dry, in a similar way to Brut Champagne, but will not carry the hefty price tag you often see with Champagne.
PRO TIP:
In my experience there is only one way to properly open Champagne or sparkling wine. Please forego the flying popped cork or the various forms of sabrage (using a sword, knife, or many other items to crack the top of the bottle off without pulling the cork). The real wine pro uses a towel to hold the bottle and the cork, slowly twisting the bottle to gently extract the cork. A technique I use is a slight downward tilt on the cork as it is almost extracted fully to quietly release the pressure. There should only be a mild hiss when properly opening bubbles. That is the proper way to do it.
PROSECCO
It is not possible to talk about sparkling wines without mentioning Prosecco. Who has never tried a Prosecco? It is the most widely produced sparkling wine on the planet with over 480 million bottles made annually. That is astounding. Even though it is ubiquitous, I suspect many cannot name the grape used in Prosecco. Do you know? It is called Glera. Let’s be honest. Prosecco, as a wine, is just fun. What is the most cost-effective sparkling wine to use for a Mimosa at Sunday brunch? Prosecco! But let me tell you a little secret. Prosecco has gotten much more interesting lately because in 2020 it was finally allowed to designate their sparkling rosé as Prosecco. Why did it take so long when they have been making rosé for quite some time (just not labeling it as Prosecco)?
There was a lot of effort put into designating what wine could be classified as a Prosecco rosé, and this makes it worth trying. The base wine must still be 85% Glera, but the only red wine allowed to impart the color is from the Pinot Noir grape. This was done to ensure a higher level of quality to the category. Trust me; it worked. And the best part? The Prosecco rosé is very reasonably priced. This is a bottle to buy for a hot summer day. Do yourself a favor and try some Prosecco rosé soon. It is so tasty!
Photo courtesy of Kristy Wenz, July/August 2022@kristys_winetravels 45
ALL AROUND THE WORLD
There are other countries in the world producing excellent sparkling wine. Look no further than our home country. There are some classic sparkling wines being made in the United States – most from California – but lately wineries in the Finger Lakes region in upstate New York and even Oregon are producing sparkling wines worth seeking out. Lately I have tasted some excellent bubbles from Argentina, where the well-known winery Tapiz has both a white Brut made from the Torrontés grape and a lovely sparkling Malbec rosé.
Spain has a variety of sparkling wines known as Cava. I have been hit or miss on Cava for several years, but lately I have tried some vintage Cava wines from Roger Goulart that really impressed me. I found the Goulart vintage Brut and rosé to be quite delicious. You may come across another sparkling wine from Northern Italy, Franciacorta, produced in the Lombardy region. It is often compared to Champagne because Chardonnay represents about 80% of the grapes used and the style very much mirrors wines from Champagne. Finally, do not forget about Lambrusco! There are some outstanding examples of this Italian sparkling red wine from dry to sweet. While Lambrusco may have a poor reputation, it is an excellent summer food wine.
Photo courtesy of Jim Peterson, @tx_wine_pilot
As you can see there is a wide variety of sparkling wines beyond Champagne out there to be enjoyed. Whether Champagnes are typically beyond your budget, or you just need something easy on the wallet as a crowd pleaser for a party or larger event, there are many options out there to please both the palate and the pocketbook. My advice, as always, is to keep experimenting until you taste some favorites. I also recommend finding a good wine store with an expert staff to help you discover new bubbles to try. In this great big world of wine, you will never run out of options.
A FEW RECOMMENDATIONS
• California Producers – Schramsberg, J Vineyards, and the Champagne House ventures like Mumm
Napa, Domaine Chandon US, Domaine Carneros (by Taittinger), and Roederer Estate • Prosecco – Belussi (both blanc and rosé), Tenuta Santome, La Marca, and Zonin • Argentina – Tapiz (as mentioned above), and Almacita (fantastic Blanc de Blancs and rosé) • Fun Finds – Domaine Sérol Turbullent (a Gamay sparkling rosé from the Loire Valley), and Mas de
Daumas Gassac Rosé Frizant (from Languedoc) • Just remember that “Brut” means dry. Any “Sec” or “Demi-Sec” will be sweeter. Happy hunting!
Follow Jim on Instagram, @tx_wine_pilot, for more wine tips and reviews.
Jim Peterson is a retired U.S. Air Force officer who mainly flew the A-10 fighter jet. He has ties to the wine business going back over 20 years and is an avid wine collector. His extensive wine knowledge includes travel to many wine regions while living in Europe, many tastings led by Master Sommeliers, and ongoing personal wine exploration and self-study. He has cultivated a large following on his Instagram account, @tx_wine_pilot, tasting and reporting on wines from vintage to value. He now works in marketing and resides in San Antonio, Texas.
CONNECTING THE DOTS
by LISA DANTE
The classics never go out of style. Polka dots are a timeless fashion staple that are always on trend. Fashion guru, Tim Gunn, who I worked with when I modeled for Liz Claiborne said, “ Choose your favorites and never be a slave to trends. Wear what you like and what works for you.” Always consider your lifestyle and your needs. Polka dots are a fun classic. Their unique appearance makes you think of something sophisticated and modern at the same time. They’re classy, elegant, retro, preppy and feminine. Polka dots are flexible enough to blend with formal, casual, or street style as well. I love a black and white polka dot pattern with a pop of red or any bright solid color.
The key to pulling off the print is to channel your inner French girl with cat-eyed sunglasses and dainty jewelry. Can you mix stripes and dots? Of course! There are a variety of ways of mixing two patterns from tame to extreme. The key to successful mixing is to vary the scale of the patterns, from small to large. Keep in mind, the smaller the dots the more sophisticated and less whimsical you will be. You can even wear polka dots with stripes, plaids or florals. Not brave enough? Just rock them on your shoes, bags or accessories.
Speaking of accessories….you probably pulled out your straw hat early this year. Summer in Texas started way before it was supposed to. The 100 degree temperatures that we saw in May are normally reserved for August. But no, not this year. Sun protection is serious business in the southwest.
Do you have a straw hat that you truly love? Hats are a great way to shield your face from the sun in style. Straw material is very lightweight and the fact that the hats are woven means there are small openings, which allows for ventilation and cooling during even the hottest of summers. Depending on the tightness of the weave and the size of the holes, a straw hat can be excellent at providing sun protection.
When someone refers to a straw hat, they are often referring to a wide variety of materials. I’ve found that “natural” material versus a “synthetic,” breathes better and is much more comfortable in the heat of summer. Did you know that straw hats are usually rated with a UPF factor, (Ultraviolet Protection Factor.) A 50 UPF factor offers a lot of protection.
When traveling and trying to pack light, if you took only one straw hat, take along different colored scarves or hat bands to wrap around the brim. That way you can interchange them and get many different looks from the same hat.
When it comes to summer style, less is more!
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ONE OF A KIND HATS DESIGNED BY MICHAEL MALONE
THE HEAT IS ON!
Plants That Will Withstand Scorching Summer Temps And Attract Hummingbirds
by MARC HESS GARDENING EXPERT AND PUBLISHED AUTHOR
Those summer days in Texas that never reached triple digit temperatures are a fading memory. It’s too hot to work outside in the garden so it’s time to pour yourself a tall glass of iced tea and spend your afternoon in the air conditioned indoors, watching the hummingbirds that are attracted to the selection of heat tolerant plants in your hot Texas garden. There are so many plants that love this heat and hummingbirds love those plants. Texas gardeners are lucky to have a good selection of heat tolerant plants that attract hummingbirds. There’s a great selection of plants that produce beautiful and colorful flowers and thrive in full sun. Many of these flowers have the short tubular flowers that will draw hummingbirds to your garden like magnets. And even though it’s the middle of summer, it’s not too late to enjoy a backyard full of jewel-like hummingbirds because all of the hummingbird attracting plants listed below do well in containers.
SALVIA
(BLACK AND BLUE SAGE)
Almost any Salvia will attract hummingbirds to your garden. Salvia guaranitica, also known as Black and Blue Sage, does well in heat and full sun. It’s one of the few non-red flowers that reliably attract hummingbirds to any yard. Black and Blue Sage is famously drought-tolerant as well as heat-tolerant, and hummingbirds are attracted to its beautiful cobalt tubular flowers. Salvia garanitica blooms all summer long and well into the fall, which makes it a valuable flower to plant if you want to attract the hummingbirds that migrate through Texas in the late summer and fall. It does well in containers. Deer avoid sages which is an important consideration because this summer so many deer have been driven into neighborhoods to hunt for food because the conditions in their natural habitat are so sparse.
RED SAGE
Red sage is another heat tolerant plant that reliably attracts hummingbirds. There are two types of heat tolerant red sage to consider: Mountain Sage (salvia greggii) and Scarlett O’Hara (salvia coccinea). Both species feature tubular red blooms that hummingbirds love, and like a true Texas native, it does not wilt in the full Texas sun.
MOUNTAIN SAGE
Salvia greggii is a hummingbird attracting plant also known as Mountain Sage. It does well with only morning sun, and is very heat tolerant. Mountains Sage does not bloom until later in the summer, which makes it a good choice for attracting hummingbirds as they migrate through Texas to their winter homes in Mexico and Central America.
PENTAS
Plant some Pentas. Of all the flowers in a hummingbird garden, hummers seem to love Penta lanceolata most of all. Gardeners love them, too, because Pentas are heat-tolerant, drought- tolerant and almost impossible to kill. Any plant that can thrive in the stifling heat of July and August, and still be around to attract hummingbirds as they migrate through Texas in the fall is a good choice for your landscape. Pentas are available in colors ranging from white to dark magenta. Also known as Egyptian Star Flower, the darker pink and reddish shade of Pentas attract the most hummingbirds. Butterflies are attracted to Pentas, too.
LANTANA
Hummingbirds love Lantana. Aside from being heat tolerant, Lantanas are ridiculously easy to grow and bounce back from periods of drought with no apparent problems. Lantanas also look lovely in containers, where the hummingbirds love to work over their beautifully trailing vines. Like sages, deer do not like lantana. However, they will try anything when they are really desperate.
Even without you being out there working in the heat there is still a lot going on in your garden. Summer is the time to sit back and enjoy it.
The spring hummingbird migration that comes through Texas may start as early as January and run through mid-May. The birds migrate north to their breeding grounds. The fall migration south often runs from July through late August and sometimes into September. Blackchinned hummingbirds are usually the only species of hummingbird that actually breeds in Texas.
- Jennifer Greenwell, HighlandLakes.com
Hummingbirds are as amazing as they are delightful. Here are some very cool and interesting hummingbird facts you might find simply incredible:
• Hummingbird wings beat up to 55 times per second. • They are the only bird species that can hover and fly backward or upside down. • Hummingbirds cannot walk or hop but shuffle — their legs are not very strong. • They have no sense of smell but very sharp eyesight. • When hovering, their energy output is 10 times that of a man running 9 mph. • They have the highest energy output per unit of body weight of any animal in the world. • They go into a deep rest period at night called “torpor” during which the heart rate slows. • Hummingbirds have a variety of calls, chips, chatters, and squeals to communicate with each other. • Different species have their own “language.” • The average life span of the ruby-throated hummingbird is estimated to be 3-5 years. • An average ruby-throated hummingbird weighs 3 grams. (For comparison, a nickel weighs 4.5 grams.) • Their maximum forward flight speed is about 30 mph, but they can reach up to 60 mph in a dive. • A hummingbird egg is smaller than a jelly bean at less than one-half inch long. • Hummingbirds do not suck nectar, they lick it with fringed or forked tongues. • The hummingbird is one of most aggressive bird species and will attack jays, crows, and hawks that invade their territory.
MARC HESS is an author whose latest novel, “The Gillespie County Fair,” is available on Amazon. It’s a riveting story about the gentrification of rural Texas. He is also the editor of Milberger’s Gardening South Texas newsletter, a monthly (except January) publication covering the challenges and solutions of gardening in South Central Texas’s unique growing zone. It’s available on-line at no charge at https://www.milbergernursery.com/newsletter-archive/
TEXAS RANGERS HERITAGE CENTER AT FORT MARTIN SCOTT
AUGUST 6, 2022 • 9:00AM - 3:00PM
For tickets to the Symposium, call 830-990-1192
TEXAS RANGERS DAY
• Texas Ranger Memorabilia Displays • Book Sales HISTORY SYMPOSIUM
$25 in advance; $30 at the door. Includes lunch and parking
Join us for another great opportunity to meet and hear from Texas authors, historians and professors. Featuring: Mike Cox, Donna Marie Miller and Dr. Richard B. McCaslin
Special thanks to our sponsor
www.EwaldKubota.com
For tickets to the Symposium, call 830-990-1192
PATRIOTIC TEXAN MARGARITA
Serves 3-4
Ingredients:
Silver or Blanco tequila Grenadine Blue Curaçao Frozen Lime margarita mix Fresh limes Course salt Crushed ice Large spoon or scoop
Instructions:
Separate all three stages into individual bowls. Then, place each in freezer for 40 minutes before assembling.
1. Blend 2 cups crushed ice with 2 ounces of Grenadine, 2 ounces of lime margarita mix, then 2 ounces of tequila
2. Blend 2 cups of crushed ice with 2 ounces of Blue Curaçao, 2 ounces of lime margarita mix, then 2 ounces of tequila
3. Blend 2 cups of crushed ice with 4 ounces of lime margarita mix, then 2 ounces tequila
Place coarse salt on rim of each glass, if desired.
After 40 minutes and ready to serve, remove from freezer. Assemble drink in layers as shown. Place scoop of red in bottom of glass, followed by scoop of blue and third, by scoop of white. Then garnish glass with a slice of fresh lime or fresh strawberry. Use a third of each mixture in all glasses.
FROM THE KITCHEN OF INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE CHEF EDUARD PEYER
CHARRED ANDALUSIAN SALMON SALAD WITH ROMESCO SAUCE
SERVES 2
INGREDIENTS :
• 8 ounces of fresh salmon fillets • 1 cup of fresh cubed mozzarella • 2 ripe Roma tomatoes, cubed • 3 cups Arugula • 10-12 fresh basil leaves • 1 large or 2 medium ripe avocados, cubed • 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts • Juice of one lemon • 1 teaspoon of orange zest • Seasoning: • 1/4 cup Sea Salt or Kosher Salt • 1 teaspoon course cracked black pepper • Some mild paprika • Some sumac
(Romesco dressing ingredients are listed later)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Mix all the seasoning and spices and rub into the salmon fillet. Set aside for about 10 minutes at room temperature.
Place fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, avocados and arugula into a bowl Add toasted pine nuts and Orange Zest and the juice of one lemon.
In a HOT cast iron skillet or a HOT grill, char the seasoned salmon fillet on both sides. Make sure it’s kind of charred on the outside, but soft and juicy inside, it can even be a bit raw in the middle.
Dice the salmon fillet into large chunks and add to the salad mix in the bowl.
FOR THE ROMESCO DRESSING
INGREDIENTS :
• 1 1/2 cups red pimentos from a can, well drained • 1/3 cup pine nuts • 2 to 3 cloves of garlic • 2 Tablespoons of Dijon Mustard • Juice of 1/2 lemon • Juice of 1/2 orange • 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil • 1/3 cup of Spanish Sherry vinegar • Salt & pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS :
Place pimentos, pine nuts, garlic and Dijon mustard into a blender. Add the Extra Virgin Olive oil Blend to a smooth paste. Add Sherry vinegar, lemon juice and orange juice. Blend once more and season to taste. Mix some of the Romesco vinaigrette with the salad mixture and toss well. Taste and season to your taste. Serve with a glass of crisp Albariño
Bon Appetit!
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