Taste 5 wines for $25 at Luce in San Antonio on Friday

Above: Mosaic Wine Group’s Jeremy Parzen (left) with winemaker Paolo Cantele during Paolo’s recent visit to Texas. Participants in Friday’s guided tasting and seminar will taste Paolo’s Primitivo (Zinfandel) from Puglia, made from grapes grown on the heel of Italy’s boot. (Photo by Italian Wine Guy.)

Taste 5 Italian Wines

STAY FOR DINNER AND RECEIVE A 25% DISCOUNT ON YOUR BILL!

Italian Wine Seminar and Guided Tasting featuring the wines of Vias Imports

Luce Ristorante e Enoteca
11255 Huebner Rd # 200
San Antonio, TX 78230-1685
210-561-9700
Friday, July 17
5:30 p.m.
$25 per person
(tax and tip included)

To reserve, please send an email by clicking here or by calling (210) 561-9700.

Mosaic Wine Group’s Jeremy Parzen, Ph.D will lead participants in a guided tasting of five Italian wines.

Participants will taste and discuss the following wines:

Tenuta Luisa Pinot Grigio (Friuli)
Cantele Primitivo (Puglia)
Cataldi Madonna Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (Abruzzo)
Castello di Melete Chianti Classico (Tuscany)
Camigliano Rosso di Montalcino (Tuscany)

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!

Paolo Cantele takes Austin by storm

Above: Our friend Paolo Cantele bears a striking resemblance to actor Gary Oldman. Coincidence? Or NOT?

Our good friend and one of our favorite Italian wine dudes, Paolo Cantele of the Cantele Winery (Puglia, Italy), has been visiting Texas over the last few days, showing his wines and visiting accounts. That’s him above, in a pensive moment, at Vino Vino in Austin, where the Cantele Rosato, made from 100% Negroamaro grapes, will be featured at the upcoming Pink Fest (Saturday, May 30).

Paolo’s wines are characterized by their freshness and bright acidity, which he attributes to the fact that Salento where his family makes its wines is located at the very tip of the heel of the boot, at the top of the Mediterranean Basin, where cool evenings and ideal ventilation make for excellent growing and ripening conditions.

Above: Paolo’s wines are not currently supported by Ginny’s Little Longhorn honky tonk in Austin, TX, but he did enjoy a lively round of Chicken Sh*t Bingo there the other night when he arrived from Lecce, Italy.

Ginny’s Little Longhorn
5434 Burnet Rd
Austin TX 78756
512-458-1813

Not wanting him to miss out on the local character and color of our beloved hometown and home base, Austin, TX (Music Capital USA), we took him to play Chicken Sh*t Bingo at our favorite honky tonk, Ginny’s Little Longhorn, on Burnet Road. Yes, chicken sh*t bingo: you bet on a number and the everyone waits for the chicken to… well… YOU KNOW!

Above: That’s Ginny, the venue’s namesake, owner, and beloved Austin personage.

Ginny’s is one of our favorite spots for music and Sunday afternoons, one of Austin’s top country acts, Dale Watson, usually appears and announces the winning numbers.

Above: The money shot — literally! John Waters would be proud, don’t you think?

Mosaic Wine Group at Vinitaly

Above: Paolo Cantele of the Cantele winery (Puglia) and Dan Redman founder of Mosaic Wine Group.

Mosaic Wine Group has been making the rounds at Italy’s annual wine trade fairs, Vinitaly, Vini Veri, Triple A, and Renassiance du Terroir. Today, we head out to Valpolicella today and Alto Adige tomorrow, and we have been visiting with our producers, tasting their wines, and sourcing some of the best juice Italy has to offer.

Yesterday, we checked in with Paolo Cantele (above with Dan) of the Cantele winery in Puglia. Paolo will be visiting Texas later this month (April 19, 20, 21) and we will hitting the market with him and pouring his wines at a happy hour at Vino Vino in Austin (details to be posted shortly). His Primitivo was showing great and we also really liked his Rosato and his new Amativo, a blend of Primitivo and Negroamaro.

Stay tuned for details on his visit.