Carl’s Corner – Annual Summary for 2023
Carl’s Corner for 2023 comprised 19 separate posts and most were accompanied by short videos for Facebook and Instagram. Hopefully they were informative, enjoyable, and you learned something along the way. Here is a summary of the 2023 Carl’s Corner posts along with their posting dates.
There were posts describing the seven Texas Tasting Series Events held on Sundays in the TWC Event Center. For each of these pairings 6 wines were served, one or two each from the 3 TWC winery partners (Brennan Vineyards, Lost Oak Winery, and McPherson Cellars) and, when appropriate, versus three wines from various wine regions that best matched composition and style with the Texas wines. For each of these pairings, selected food bites were prepared to match the wines and enhance the experience.
Nov 21, 2023 Texas Tasting Series - World of Blends
This pairing featured Lost Oak Winery Texas Duet dry white blend vs. a French Rhône Valley white blend, McPherson Cellars light-bodied Tre Colore red blend vs. an easy drinking red blend from the Rhône Valley, and two Syrah-Cabernet Sauvignon-based blends, Brennan Vineyards Buffalo Roam Reserve vs. Penfolds Max’s Shiraz Cabernet blend from South Australia.
(Aug 11, 2023 Texas Tasting Series – World of Blends An earlier posting was made
but the event was postponed to Dec 03, 2023)
Jul 05, 2023 Texas Tasting Series - Texas vs Spain
Attendees tasted wines from traditional Spanish grape varieties – Albarino, Mourvèdre/Monastrell, and Graciano, produced by the TWC winery partners – McPherson Cellars, Lost Oak Winery, and Brennan Vineyards – paired with three Spanish wines from the regions of Rias Baixas, Alicante, and Rioja.
Jun 16, 2023 Texas Tasting Series - Tempranillo Showdown
Attendees tasted wines from the traditional Spanish grape variety, Tempranillo, produced by TWC winery partners – Brennan Vineyards, Lost Oak Winery, and McPherson Cellars – vs. three Spanish Temps from the regions of Rioja, Ribera del Duero, and Toro.
May 31, 2023 Texas Tasting Series - BBQ and Wine, Getting Ready for Summer
This pairing featured 3 different meats barbecued with 3 different sauces paired with 6 wines from our TWC partners – Brennan Vineyards, Lost Oak Winery, and McPherson Cellars. While tasting the BBQ and wines there was a lively discussion of the concept and history of grilling and smoking meats, along with an exploration of what wines and what wine flavors match with certain meats and BBQ sauce ingredients.
Apr 14, 2023 Texas Tasting Series – Pizza Paired with Wine
Three different types of pizza were paired with 6 wines from our TWC partners – Brennan Vineyards, Lost Oak Winery, and McPherson Cellars. While tasting the pizzas prepared with a range of toppings and sauces, attendees were able to explore the origins and evolution of pizza.
Feb 01, 2023 Texas Tasting Series - Texas vs France
Attendees tasted Viognier from Brennan Vineyards vs. southern France, Grenache from McPherson Cellars vs. southern France, and Merlot from Lost Oak Winery vs. the Bordeaux region of France.
Jan 05, 2023 Texas Tasting Series - Texas vs South Africa
Attendees compared Texas wines vs. three from the famed Stellenbosch region of South Africa. Chenin Blanc from McPherson Cellars, Cabernet Sauvignon from Brennan Vineyards, and a Meritage style red blend from Lost Oak Winery were paired with similar South African wines.
It is always important to provide some educational notes about important grape varieties that are important to Texas and the winery partners at Texas Wine Collective. The following three were posted in 2023.
Jul 15, 2023 Mourvèdre or Monastrell
Jun 08, 2023 Spanish Grapes other than Tempranillo
May 03, 2023 Alicante Bouschet - A Really Red Grape
Several general information topics are typically covered by Carl’s Corner. The following three presented a range of topics.
Oct 11, 2023 Délestage, An Important Winemaking Technique
Nov 20, 2023 Holiday Recommendations Nov-2023
Mar 02, 2023 Texas Wine and Grape Growers Conference, Feb-2023
Posts covering the Texas Wine Collective Wine Club releases for the years are, of course, an important part of Carl’s Corner. These posts described the nine wines in each of the five Wine Club Releases for 2023.
Oct 31, 2023 Wine Club Release – Nov-2023
Aug 30, 2023 Wine Club Release – Sep-2023
May 10, 2023 Wine Club Release – Jun-2023
Mar 27, 2023 Wine Club Release – Apr-2023
Feb 07, 2023 Wine Club Release – Feb-2023
We look forward to sharing with all of you once again in 2024. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. And, as always, enjoy good Texas wine, my friends.