As most of you know I recently returned home to Texas for a week. While I was there I picked up a few Texas wines. Texas may not be known as the wine capital of the US, but really what goes better with a hearty Texas steak than a great bottle of wine. And, a Texas wine is even better. Let's face it, wine is not just grown on the west coast. Great wines can come from just about anywhere. Texas has the advantage of the climate. Very similar to Spain, arid but with wet Springs. The settlers of Texas came from all over Europe and brought with them their tastes in wine. Some hearty dry reds and sweet whites. Germans, Italians, Spaniards, Irish and French. All influenced the culture and make up of Texas and part of that is of course the great food and wines that they cultivated. Many people think of Texas as the home of BBQ and TEX-MEX, true but not all. The coast shows off with seafood. The Texas longhorn fed beef to the country. German food dominates in the hill country area, along with some great beer (Shiner). You can get fantastic Italian food and cajun/creole in east Texas. Recent immigrants have shared the pleasures of Asian food. All of this great food melds together in Texas. It is not uncommon to see a burrito stand that also serves schnitzel. A true culture melting pot. All of this food requires something to follow it off. Tonight of course I am talking about wine. More specifically Messina Hof Cabernet Barrel Reserve 2012.
Messina Hof winery is located in my home town of Bryan Texas.
I have a special fondness for this winery. The first wine I ever drank (not counting Boone's Farm , which I promptly threw up after drinking the bottle), was Papa Paulo's port. And my desire for good wine was planted. This cabernet is one of the finest domestic cabs around under 15. The nose is bountiful with lots of fresh fruit hitting the senses right off the bat. None of that cooked fruit smell you get from some cabs. The cherry, and strawberry fans your nose and reminds you of a Spring morning in the garden. Wow and the mouth just is robust and bountiful. Full of fruit. This wine is packin baby. The rich dark fruits are splendid. My mouth is still watering and begging for more. My tongue is tingling with the sensation of tasting something special. What can I say, this is damn good stuff. The tannins are there but do not take over the wine, leaving you with a pleasing long finish.
Tonight I paired this full bodied wine with .... what else, a spicy bean soup. Cooked all day in a crock pot with salt, pepper,garlic, onion, bacon (again what are beans without bacon). My addition is adobe powder and rotel tomatoes. Spicy but really good. Great with this cabernet.
Enjoy
A little bit of spice on your life.
The 2012 Messina Hof Barrel reserve
No comments:
Post a Comment