Uh, oh! My Texas wine craves barbecue (#WinePW)

We spent Thanksgiving in Austin, Texas, a few years back.

As lifelong northerners, we found the city and surrounding hill country lovely and inviting this time of year – comfortable temps in the 70s, plenty of outdoor activities to enjoy along with food trucks and night life, and, of course, the growing number of wineries gaining recognition and visitors.

I can only imagine what it’s like in Texas during the scorching heat of July and August. Or, if you’re a winemaker, what it’s like to suffer through hailstorms that threaten to wipe out vineyards and destroy months of labor and income.

Yet, this is where Ron Yates and his family have put down roots and where his Spicewood Vineyards is producing distinctive wines with a Spanish flair.

How brave! More power to him.

I was grateful to receive five Spicewood wines as samples for this month’s Wine Pairing Weekend (#WinePW) on Nov. 9. Many thanks to Michelle Williams at Rockin Red Blog and to Texas Fine Wine for coordinating these samples.

Please note that while the wines for this post were provided, opinions are my own.

What’s up with Texas wine?
Michelle shared these facts about Texas wines in her invitation post:

• Texas was into wine 100 years before California or Virginia. The first vineyards were established in Texas by Franciscan priests in 1662. The Prohibition wiped out this head-start for Texas. It wasn’t until the 1970s that wineries sprung back into action again.

• Today, Texas has the seventh largest acreage of wine grapes of any state, approximately 5,000 acres, with 400 bonded wineries contributing $1.88 billion in revenue to the state economy. The state of Texas ranks 5th in U.S. wine production.

• Texas has eight American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) with the majority of its grapes grown in the Texas High Plains AVA and the Texas Hill Country AVA.

• The Texas High Plains AVA is located in the Panhandle, west of Lubbock. It has a dry climate with long days of sunshine and cool nights. This region is often compared to Coonawara, Australia, and is responsible for growing over 80% of all Texas wine grapes.

• Texas Hill Country, located west of Austin and San Antonio, is more humid and lush. The Texas Hill Country AVA is the second largest AVA in the country. The majority of Texas wineries are located in the Texas Hill Country.

How Spicewood got its start
Spicewood Vineyards is set among the rolling hills 37 miles northwest of Austin. 

Owner and President Ron Yates fell in love with wine in general – and Tempranillo in particular – when he spent a semester abroad in Spain during his student days at the University of Texas. He lived with a host family whose son was a grape grower in the Ribera del Duero wine region. The experience of being immersed in a culture where meals revolve around wine resonated with Yates and left a lasting impression.

Upon returning to his native Texas, Yates realized the Texas Hill Country is very similar to Spain’s Ribera del Duero region with its limestone bedrock and hot days. In 2007, he and his family bought Spicewood from the original winery owners, Edward and Madeleine Manigold.

The Manigolds had done extensive soil analysis to determine which grape varieties were most likely to thrive on their estate. Nine of the original 17 acres of grape vines are still producing fruit on vines that are more than 24 years old. Over the years, the Yates family has expanded its vineyards to 32 acres onsite and a variety of grapes, including Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Touriga, Grenache, Albariño, Merlot, Syrah, Pinot Noir and Tempranillo. Yates strives to continue the Manigolds’ tradition of using estate-grown grapes. But growth and fluctuating vintages require the current owners to source high-quality grapes from other growers from time to time.

Yates’ philosophy, which he shares in this excellent Wine for Normal People podcast, is to let the fruit speak for itself. His goal is seamless integration of the American and French oak in his barrel-aged wines.

This year, Spicewood Vineyards received the Bank of the West “Tall in Texas” award, an honor bestowed upon a Texas winery in recognition of the winery’s leadership role in the dedication to, support of and promotion of the Texas wine industry.

Spicewood – true to its name
If I had to choose just a few words to describe Spicewood wines, I’d say “toasted wood spice box” – as the name implies. Here are tasting notes for the five wines in my box of spicy Texan treats:

• 2018 Tempranillo Rosé – Salmon in color. Peach and rosebuds on the nose; kiwi and Granny Smith apple on the palate. Medium body. Medium acidity. Medium+ finish. Alcohol: 14.6%.

• 2018 Sauvignon Blanc – Straw in color. Pear and apricot on the nose; lemon-lime and a little grassy and toasty on the palate. Heavier than most Sauvignon Blanc I’ve tasted. Drinks more like a chardonnay. Medium body. Medium acidity. Medium finish. Alcohol: 14.4%.
  
  
• 2016 Syrah – Deep ruby in color. Aged 16 months in 40% new French and 60% neutral oak.
  A mildly aromatic, light-bodied, estate-grown Syrah with a spicy, peppery palate. Smooth tannins. Medium acidity. Medium+ finish. Alcohol: 13.2%.
  
  
• 2016 Tenny Wren – 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Merlot estate-grown grapes. Aged 16 months in 50% new French and 50% neutral oak. Named for the owner’s daughter, Tennyson Wren Yates.
  Ruby in color. Loads of ripe cherry on the nose; on the palate, plum and a pleasant, herbaceous mix of black pepper and ripe bell pepper. I’d put this one away for a couple of years to let the tannins smooth out. Medium body. Medium acidity. Medium+ finish. Alcohol: 14.4%.

• 2015 The Good Guy – 42% Tempranillo, 17% Graciano, 17% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Syrah. Named in honor of the owner’s grandfather, Tommy Joe Yates.
  Deep ruby in color. Aged 18 months in 40% new French and 60% neutral oak. Whoa! Complex, estate-grown red blend that opens slowly to reveal depth of flavor. Dark cherry, blackberry, raspberry and wood-fire smokiness on the nose; on the palate, Earl Grey tea, plum, sour cherry, cinnamon, a pinch of cloves and hint of vanilla. Silky tannins. Medium acidity. Medium+ finish.

What I learned pairing these wines
The spouse and I worked our way through these five wines over the course of four to five weeks – trying this and that to nail the perfect pairing. We opened bottles as if tasting the wines at one sitting: from lightest to heaviest, rosé and white followed by reds.

First up was the Tempranillo Rosé, paired with baked salmon and light mustard sauce, broccoli and a crisp spinach salad. Not bad. But honestly, the most compatible ingredient was the feta cheese in the salad. The salty, pungent feta chatted up the peachy rosé like an old friend.

Two of the spouse’s colleagues, Amy and Kelly, joined us for traditional arroz con pollo paired with the Sauvignon Blanc, Tenny Wren and Syrah.

We started the evening by tasting the three wines with appetizers of Genoa salami and Asiago cheese. All three wines performed admirably alongside the meat and cheese. But the entrée, though spiced with cumin and smoked paprika, lacked enough oomph for the two reds. On the other hand, the hot-climate, high-alcohol Sauvignon Blanc shouted an emphatic “yes!” to the chicken and rice.

OK, now for the pièce de résistance. By now, I’d learned my lesson. I knew what this big ol’ Good Guy wanted: Texas-style barbecue. Problem is, we don’t currently own a grill or slow cooker. Aha! A reason to go to Harvey’s Barbecue, our favorite local haunt for wood-smoked BBQ.

At Harvey’s, I ordered the hickory and cherry-smoked beef brisket sandwich and a side of cole slaw. The Good Guy sat down beside us and regaled us with stories of the old days while we drank up. Heavenly. The wood-smoked barbecue sauce played a soulful harmonica to the old man’s campfire tall tales. We got it right this time.

The next day, we did take-out, Harvey’s spice-rubbed St. Louis-style spareribs, to finish off the Tenny Wren and Syrah. Lo and behold! The two wines perked up and sang.

Please join us on Saturday, Nov. 9, to tweet and chat about Texas wines, beginning at 11 am ET. Simply use the hashtags #WinePW and #Texasfinewine. In the meantime, check out these thoughts and pairing by these Wine Pairing Weekend bloggers:

• A Taste of Texas Wines by ENOFYLZ Wine Blog
• A TexMex Fiesta featuring Texas Tannat by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Cooking to the Wine: Duchman Family Winery Texas Aglianico with Instant Pot Brisket by Somm’s Table
• Don’t Mess with Texas: Two Reds from Bending Branch Winery Paired with Sliders by Wine Predator
• Duchman Family Winery – Exploring Texas Wines With Italian Grape Varieties by Syrah Queen
• Low and Slow Grilling with Texas Wines by FoodWineClick!
• Oven Roasted Sirloin Steak with Onion Sauce and Texas Wine by Cooking Chat
• Pedernales Cellars: Pairing Texas Fine Wine with Spice 3 Ways by Asian Test Kitchen
• Rooting for Emerging Wine Regions: Celebrating Texas Wine With Our Everyday Meals by the Traveling Wine Profs
• Slow Cooker Short Rib Ragù with Texas Montepulciano by Always Ravenous
• Spicewood Vineyards: A Taste of Texas for #WinePW by The Swirling Dervish
• Texas Connections, Beef Flautas, and Bending Branch’s Tannat by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• #Texasfinewine Pedernales GSM, Rose, Viognier with Dim Sum by Chinese Food and Wine Pairings
• Texas Wine Pairing with Pedernales Wines and Parmesan Crusted Chicken by Vino Travels
• The Texas Wine Party Continues with Fall Creek Vineyards by The Corkscrew Concierge
• Tuscan Farro With Texan Vermentino by Avvinare