Happenings at TWC
Brennan Vineyards Mistelle 2018
A wine newly released at Texas Wine Collective is the latest Mistelle Dessert Wine, 2018 vintage, from Brennan Vineyards in Comanche, Texas. Different from the previous edition of Mistelle made from the Bordeaux variety Semillon, this delicious wine is comprised of white Rhône varieties. The wine is relatively high in alcohol, 16%, and carries a balancing 7% level of residual sugar. Armed with this information, you may have already developed a notion of what this wine tastes like and whether you would enjoy it. Before making a final decision, please read on to get the rest of the story behind how Todd Webster, Brennan’s talented wine maker, produced this wine. Continue »
Apr 29, 2021 at 1:41 PM
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Which Wine Pairs Best With a Mint Oreo???
While I’m asked about wine and food pairings all the time at work, I’m finding myself thinking about these more and more outside of work. Just the other day, I made my husband linger with me in front of the Little Debbie snack section at HEB so that I could consider which wines would pair best with which snacks. Continue »
Apr 21, 2021 at 11:38 AM
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Wine Club Selections for Apr-2021
All of us at Texas Wine Collective hope you are safe, in good health, and enjoying a more relaxed and open springtime than we experienced a year ago. We are excited about the upcoming April 2021 Wine Club allocations and Member Pickup events scheduled for Sundays, 18-April and 25-April. As a Wine Club Member, you should have received an email with details on these events, information on wines in the allocation, and how to reserve a spot. Check the website for further details (www.fourpointwine.com). We sincerely appreciate our wine club members, and wish to do everything we can to keep you safe, and amply supplied with wine from our owner-partners: Brennan Vineyards, Lost Oak Winery, and McPherson Cellars. We hope you will make reservations to join us for one of the wine club event sessions and enjoy the wines and beautiful facilities at Texas Wine Collective. Continue »
Apr 12, 2021 at 8:30 PM
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Nero d’Avola – A Sicilian Connection (Update 2021)
Brennan Vineyards produces a bottling called Super Nero, a blend based on the Sicilian grape variety called Nero d’Avola. Nero d’Avola (also known as Calabrese) is an important and widely planted red wine grape variety on the island of Sicily. The name literally means “Black of Avola”, highlighting the grape’s extremely dark color. Although the grape may have originated in the Calabria region of mainland Italy, its strongest presence today is in Sicily. The primary growing areas are located in the countryside near the town of Avola on Sicily’s southeast coast – a key trade region in the Middle Ages. Since that time, and up to the present day, Nero d’Avola has most often been used in blends to add color and body to lesser wines, especially those from mainland Italy. Continue »
Apr 1, 2021 at 5:29 PM
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Spring Has Sprung!
The other day I was serving wine from our patio bar, enjoying chatting with customers and coworkers, and regretting that I’d worn a sweater. As I watched people saunter by, glasses in hand, wearing shorts and sleeveless dresses, I realized that it was the actual first day of spring…and that I had once again underestimated the ability of temperatures in Texas to swing from 45 degrees to 75 degrees in a matter of, well, minutes. Continue »
Mar 24, 2021 at 11:00 AM
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Mac & Cheese - Comfort Food Extraordinaire
Texas Cheese and Wine Experience is a special pairing offered at Texas Wine Collective, and includes 5 different cheeses with 5 wines (usually 2 white and 3 red) from the TWC winery partners: Brennan Vineyards, Lost Oak Winery and McPherson Cellars. The pairings are guided by a knowledgeable TWC staff member, and normally last about 45-50 minutes. Advanced reservations are required for the pairings that are regularly scheduled at 11:30 am, 1:00 pm, 2:30 pm, and 4:00 pm, daily. Having the opportunity to host these pairings on Saturdays allows me to enjoy a wide range of delicious cheeses from a number of wonderful Texas creameries. This always gets me excited to discuss my favorite comfort food, Macaroni and Cheese. When guests also get excited about Mac and Cheese, we often talk about my special recipe. Yes, the recipe is special, but it is not a secret, so I am sharing it, including a range of optional upgrades and additions, with all of you in this edition of Carl’s Corner. Continue »
Mar 3, 2021 at 4:35 AM
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New Year, New Wine Club Sundays!
As I’ve written about previously in these “Scoops,” 2020 asked us all to be flexible, think creatively, and accept change. Some of these lessons were definitely harder to learn than others, but I’d like to think that we’re all better for having learned them (or for at least trying to learn them). And if you’re like me, you came into 2021 hoping for a little calm and perhaps even predictability. So far, neither of these has panned out. In fact, perhaps 2020 was just prepping us for early 2021. Continue »
Feb 23, 2021 at 9:08 AM
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Wine Club Selections for Feb-2021
Special Note: Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association, is hosting their 2021 Annual Conference as a Virtual Event on-line, Feb-23,24, and Mar-2,3. There will be presentations and discussions on Vineyards, Winemaking, Tasting Room, and Marketing. There will also be a virtual tasting of Texas Gold Medal wines in which you can choose to participate (with wine purchase). You do not need to be a member of TWGGA – just have an interest in Texas wine. To learn more and see the full program, connect to the registration site – https://www.txwines.org/2021-texaswineandgrapevirtualforum/ Carl will be involved in several of the sessions, including the virtual tasting. Continue »
Feb 18, 2021 at 5:35 AM
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Vine Pruning, January 2021
As spring approaches, it becomes time to prune vines in the Texas Wine Collective vineyard. Along US 290, one can see that pruning has started in many vineyards. Although there are numerous posts and videos on FaceBook and Utube addressing the subject of vine pruning, each season I like to offer this brief tutorial on the subject from my own perspective of doing this task now for 18 years. During your next visit to Texas Wine Collective, you are invited to wander out to the “Pet Vineyard” to take a look at the mix of mostly Black Spanish vines, interspersed with some recent additions of Tannat (added in 2019) and Tempranillo (added in 2020). Continue »
Feb 1, 2021 at 3:57 PM
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Wine and Football: An Unlikely, but Must-Try, Match
The Super Bowl is coming up on February 7, and sadly, as usual, my team won’t be in it. Raised an Oilers fan (Luv Ya’, Blue!) and relegated to being a Texans fan when my team moved to Tennessee, I’m used to losing. Well actually, I’m used to watching my team look good for about five games and then losing. Continue »
Jan 27, 2021 at 9:37 AM
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