Sweet Jesus…..This is Definitely NOT California Wine Country

Sweet Jesus…..This is Definitely NOT California Wine Country

Guest Blog: Steven Krueger, Resort Sommelier, The Westin La Cantera Resort

http://www.westinlacantera.com/dining

I have found myself adding more and more Texas wines to our wine list to the point where we now have over 25 wines from Texas available at our resort. At La Cantera, we are increasing our commitment and promotion of Texas wines.  Two opportunities I would like to share with you and VintageTexas readers:

The first is available in Francesca’s at Sunset, our fine dinning restaurant. It is the “Viva Viognier!” wine flight.  Four Texas Viogniers are served side by side…

1 – Viognier, Alamosa Wine Cellars, “High Valley Vineyard”, Texas Hill Country, Texas, 2008

2 – Viognier, Becker Vineyards,Texas, 2008,

3 – Viognier, Brennan Vineyards, Texas, 2008,and

4 – Viognier, Mc Pherson Cellars, Texas, 2009

a two ounce pour each of the best from Texas all for only eleven dollars.

The other Texas wine opportunity we offer is the afternoon Texas wine tasting; from 4:00pm to 5:00pm on Wednesday through Saturday everyone is welcome to come to our bar, Steinheimer’s, where I am pouring two ounces of three different Texas wines for a nominal charge of five dollars.  We offer three different wines each day, so if a guest came all four days they would taste twelve different Texas wines from seven different wineries!  I am really enjoying pouring the Texas wines and I am encouraged by all the very positive compliments the wine receive.  If you are in the area, please come by and say “hello.”

One of my favorite blog posts on VintageTexas is your response to the beautiful bit of poetry by Mr. Chesley Sanders, “Texas wine is the chill of a blue norther tempered by the fire of the summer sun. It’s the fierceness of a spring thunderstorm calmed by an endless sky full of countless stars, and the stick of a prickly pear cactus soothed by a bluebonnet’s kiss.”

Your response was, “This description gives you the feeling like you are on the trail with your trusty horse and bedroll. You are camped down for the night and are savoring a full-bodied Texas Cabernet around the campfire with a few of your closest compadres.  Sweet Jesus…..this is definitely NOT California wine country. It’s a different brand of wine experience right here in Texas!”

This is such a great expression of what we have here, expressed experientially.  I quote you on one of our placemats in the tasting with the web address to Vintage Texas.

The twelve wines in the Texas Wine Tasting are (in no particular order):

1. Super Texan, Sangiovese Blend, Flat Creek Estate, Texas Hill Country, 2008

2. El Guapo, Tempranillo, Alamosa Wine Cellars, Texas Hill Country, 2004

3. Viognier, McPherson Cellars, Texas, 2009

4. Viviano, Sangiovese Blend, Llano Estacado, Newsome Vineyards, Yoakum County, Texas, 2005

5. Provencal, Dry Rose, Grenache, Becker Vineyards, Texas, 2008

6. Viognier, Alamosa Wine Cellars, Texas High Valley Block, Cherokee Creek Vineyard, 2008

7. Cornelious, Tempranillo, Inwood Estates Vineyards, Newsom Vineyards, Yokum County, 2007

8. Sangiovese, McPherson Cellars, 2008

9. Viognier, Becker Vineyards, 2009

10. Raven, 80% Malbec 20% Petite Verdot, Becker Vineyards, Tallent Vineyard, Mason County, 2007

11. Syrah, Alamosa Wine Cellars, Tio Pancho Ranch, Texas Hill Country

12. Viognier, Brennan Vineyards, Texas, 2008

Texas wine tastings from 4:00pm to 5:00pm on Wednesday through Saturday and everyone is welcome (pouring two ounces of three different Texas wines for a nominal charge of five dollars). We are doing this to help educate wine consumers about the high quality available right now!

To see the latest at The Westin La Cantera go to Tanji Patton’s web site at…

Cheers!

Steven Krueger

Resort Sommelier

The Westin La Cantera Resort

http://www.westinlacantera.com/dining