Terredora Falanghina named Dallas Morning News “Wine of the Week”

Dallas Morning News Wine of the Week: Terredora di Paolo

April 29, 2009

Terredora di Paolo, Irpinia IGT, Falanghina 2007, $16.99-$18.99

When you get tired of the “same old, same old,” Italy is the place to go for wines with distinctive personalities. OK, so maybe it’s not so easy to pronounce the names of the wines, but it’s sure easy to drink ones like this made from the falanghina grape by the winery owned by Walter Mastroberardino and his children Lucio, Daniela and Paolo. They may be the largest vineyard owners and winery in the area, but they handle their wines with the attention and care of artisans.

This one is made to emphasize the delectable peach, pineapple, pear and apple fruit buoyed by tangy acidity. Serve it with a creamy pasta. Available at Centennial Fine Wine and Spirits, Farpointe Cellar, Jimmy’s Food Store and Monticello Liquor.

—Rebecca Murphy

Robert Craig Affinity garners top honors

Above: Robert Craig paired well with the excellent New York Strip last month at top Dallas steakhouse III Forks.

III Forks Steakhouse
17776 Dallas Pkwy
Dallas TX 75287
972-267-1776

In San Francisco they KNOW their Napa Valley Cabernet! Jon Bonné of the San Francisco Chronicle recently called Robert Craig Affinity one of the “Top 10 Napa Valley Cabernets.”

With fruit from the Mount George area east of the city of Napa, the winery’s Left Bank-style blend, with a bit of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot in the mix, outperforms for the price. A clean, pure Cabernet nose: graphite, cassis, hints of dried citrus peel to brighten things. Polished and sleek, with a lingering sweetness to the finish.

—Jon Bonné, Wine Editor, April 12, 2009

Ask any Texan and they’ll tell you that the best town for steak and steakhouses is DALLAS. Does anything go better with steak than Napa Valley Cabernet? The Dallas Morning News recently gave Robert Craig Affinity a GOLD MEDAL.

Opaque black ruby color, cassis, vanilla and cedar aromas with dense and intense black currant flavors and grainy tannins. Bold, balanced elegance.

—2009 Dallas Morning News Wine Competition, April 2009

If it’s good enough for top wine writer, world-class wine competition judge, and founder of Wine Reviews Online Michael Franz, then it’s good enough for us!

91/100 Points. This producer consistently turns out delicious renditions of Cabernet that are at once impressive and user-friendly. The impressive side of this equation is expressed in the form of concentrated fruit and flavors that show admirable depth and persistence. The user-friendly side stems from restrained oak and ripe, fine-grained tannin. The fruit is sweet and ripe but not chunky or obvious, and accent notes of cocoa powder and spices accent the core of black cherry and blackberry fruit.

—Michael Franz, April 21, 2009

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ROBERT CRAIG WINES
PLEASE EMAIL US BY CLICKING HERE.

Paolo Cantele at the legendary Jimmy’s in Dallas

Above, from left to right clockwise: Paolo Cantele of the Cantele winery (Puglia, Italy), Dallas fashion icon Gianna Madrini, Gregg Fussell, Malcolm Fowler, and Luigi Mungioli.

Jimmy’s Food Store
4901 Bryan St
Dallas, TX 75206
214-823-6180

Our good friend Paolo Cantele of the Cantele winery (Puglia, Italy) presided over a sold-out dinner last night at the legendary Jimmy’s Food Store in Dallas last night. Paolo poured and talked about six of his families wines: its crisp, bright, fresh Chardonnay; “east coast” Fiano, grown in Salento as opposed to Campania where it is more commonly found; a stunning Rosato made from 100% Negroamaro grapes; a food-friendly Primitivo, with balanced alcohol and gorgeous natural fruit flavors; a classic Salice Salentino, one of the most elegant expressions of Negroamaro we’ve ever tasted; and the winery’s sexy Amativo, a blend of Negroamaro and Primitivo, aged judiciously in barrique.

Paolo was joined by Dallas fashion icon and taste-maker Gianni Madrini (seated to Paolo’s left, above), style editor and executive producer of Global Fashion News.

Above: Also in attendance, from left to right, the lovely Pamela St. John and delightful Beda Casstevens, who dined together with epicure extraordinaire Harold Partain, founder and executive director of Epicopia: A Collection of Food and Wine Travel Experiences.

Above: Owner Paul DiCarlo prepares orecchiette with his famous meatballs for the 60+ sold-out crowd. Paul’s wine selection is considered one of the best Italian collections in Texas and his Italian foods section and fresh produce rival New York’s best. That’s Joe Piccola, a Glazer’s distributor veteran and Italian wine expert in the background, center.

Above: Bruised but not broken, Rocky Balboa presides over the lunch room at Jimmy’s. A little Philly in da house!

Cantele wines are currently available at Jimmy’s: to order, to learn more about Jimmy’s events, or to join the Jimmy’s mailing list, please give Paul and brother Mike a call at 214-823-6180. Please tell them Mosaic sent you!

The best of the best: Stars Across Texas Food and Wine

Here’s some scenes from the red carpet at Friday night’s Stars Across Texas gala at the Long Center for the Preforming Arts in Austin. The walk-around tasting was part of the 24th Annual Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival.

Randy Morgan, executive chef Dallas Fish Market, and his wife Kristy.

Paul Bonarrigo, winemaker Messina Hof (Bryan, TX), and his wife Merril.

Mandi Nelson (Republic Distributing) and Danielle Smith, director of Food and Beverage, Four Seasons, Austin

Winemaker and “wine guy” John Bratcher was pouring his excellent Tre Coloré blend by the Mcpherson Winery, Lubbock, Texas.

Mosaic Wine Group’s very own Jeremy Parzen and Tracie Branch (Glazer’s Distributors).

Stay tuned: we’ll be posting shortly on the Sunday Fair event at the Vineyards at the Salt Lick in Driftwood!

Brisket and coleslaw sliders pair well with 2005 Robert Craig Affinity at the Porch in Dallas

From the “life is good” department…

The Porch
2916 N Henderson Ave
Dallas TX 75206
214-828-2916

Mosaic Wine Group washed down the excellent Chopped Brisket and Tangy Cole Slaw Sliders with a glass of 2005 Robert Craig Affinity at the Porch in Dallas. The Porch specializes in good ol’, down-home, delicious comfort food (perfect after a day of hawking wine!) and the wine service there cannot be beat.

Above: Barman Josh Dorfman serves all of his wines at ideal cellar temperature (between 55° and 58° F.).

Check out Elton’s new blog, The Craig.

Fattoria del Cerro Vino Nobile Advocate’s Wine of the Day!

On Friday, the Wine Advocate selected Fattoria del Cerro 2004 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano as its “Wine of the Day.” Here’s what they had to say.

The 2004 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano takes things to another level with its densely packed, richer personality. It offers superb weight on the palate in a riper style than the Rosso, with excellent length and finessed tannins. This blend of 90% Prugnolo Gentile and 10% Canaiolo Nero and Mammolo was aged for two years in a combination of Slavonian oak casks and French oak barrels. It will offer highly pleasurable drinking to at least age 12. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2016.

Antonio Galloni gave the wine 91 points in June 2007.

This wine is available at Goody Goody in Dallas.

Rocking Dallas with legendary winemaker Daryl Groom

Above: Legendary winemaker Daryl Groom (left) tastes with Bar Manager Alex Echaniz at the Gleneagles Country Club in Dallas.

Mosaic Wine Group rocked Dallas last week with legendary winemaker and Grange-veteran Daryl Groom, who was in town to judge the Dallas Morning News Wine Competition. If you’ve never heard of Daryl, you must have been living under a rock for the last twenty years. In the 1980s he was the winemaker at Penfolds in Australia and he made what is considered one of the greatest vintages of Grange: the 1986 Grange, awarded 100 points by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.

Above: While in Dallas, Daryl also tasted with top chef Frank Rumoré, owner of Four Winds Steakhouse in Wills Point, Texas, where Daryl’s Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel, and Shiraz are featured on the wine list.

Today, Daryl makes one of Australia’s top expressions of Shiraz, ranked number 2 in the country by Australian wine writer James Halliday. Daryl’s vineyards lie literally across the road from the historic Grange growing sites and were planted more than a decade ago with cuttings taken from Grange rootstock.

Click here to learn more about Daryl’s wines.

You can find Daryl’s wines at Gleneagles Country Club, Truluck’s, Fedora, Aurora, Four Winds Steakhouse, Tre Amici, and Sigel’s.