Tasting 2002

Wes Marshall's Top 10 Things to Happen to Austin's Adult Beverage Admirers

1. Great restaurants with lots of wines by the glass: An emerging trend during 2002 was huge lists of wine by the glass at great restaurants. Let's hope everybody in town decides to play catch-up with Wink, Mezzaluna, Mirabelle, and Demi Epicurious, all of which have 30-plus wines by the glass, allowing you to try a different wine with each course.

2. Les Amis du Vin: Nearly any night of the week, some restaurant in Austin is having a wine dinner. Special menus of food and wine pairings, usually based on a theme. The old pros on this circuit are the Les Amis du Vin folks, and they had some stellar dinners this year. I attended two, one at Wink and one at Mirabelle, and both were superb. Somehow the kitchen at both places did even better than usual, living up to the challenge of wine and food pairing. Add the hilarious comments of LAdV honcho Sam Kindred to the wonderful wine selections that he and his partner John Baggett make, and you have a great evening.

3. An organization steps up to the plate: Building on a solid 17-year foundation, the Hill Country Wine and Food Festival made the leap from a great party to assuming a leadership role in Texas wine and food. During October, they joined with the Texas Agriculture Department and Central Market to push the agenda of Texas wine and food at four mini festivals and at 32 dinners in every corner of the state.

4. Invent a new mousetrap ...: I love good engineering, and whoever invented the Pulltaps Waiter's Corkscrew ($8) is operating near the Einstein level. Start with the serrated foil cutter that won't dull. Add a Teflon-coated spiral, and you'd have a reliable corkscrew. What separates the Pulltaps is the nifty, hinged lever that allows you to pull the cork out straight instead of crooked. Less strain and fewer broken corks. Pure genius.

5. Budget wines that taste great: I was so stunned at the quality of Pepperwood Grove's wines that I had to talk to someone in charge. How do they do it? Their viognier, syrah, and pinot noir are absolutely unbeatable at the price ($5.99 to $7.99 per bottle). The answer was simple. No fancy tasting room, no fancy vineyards, no corporate jets. Owned by Don Sebastiani and his two sons, they buy wine from other makers and give it to a winemaker who knows how to blend different wines to accentuate their strengths and overcome their weaknesses.

6. New life at a fair price for a great white grape: For years, viognier lovers were stuck with the $50-plus prices of the French version, condrieu. Then a few California winemakers tried it, though without a lot of success. This grape has the potential to define Texas wine, and three local wineries are making some of the best viognier you can buy in the U.S.: Alamosa, Becker, and Driftwood.

7. 'Everything Old Is New Again' Cocktail: Has your favorite bartender turned you on to the best cocktail of the American 1930s, the Boulevard? If not, they should. Four parts American whiskey, 1 part Grand Marnier, and 1 part dry white vermouth, stirred on ice and strained into a cold martini glass with a twist of orange rind. Miss it at your own peril.

8. 'Everything Old Is New Again' Part Two: I don't know why rye whiskey fell out of favor, but as soon as you taste a classic cocktail with rye instead of sour mash or bourbon, you'll never go back. Thankfully, Jim Beam never gave up on rye, and now several small whiskey makers have started making it again. Try it with the Boulevard (see No. 7 above) or a Manhattan for a glimpse of why the old-timers had it right.

9. A chance to meet the winemaker: If you have any interest in wine, nothing will boost your enjoyment more than meeting the winemaker. Winemakers from Texas wineries are generally available and ready to talk to you about everything they do. But perhaps the best way is to attend winemaker dinners. Mirabelle brings more winemakers to town than anyone and always adds great food perfectly matched to the wine.

10. A chance to taste expensive wines for free: The two champs in this arena are Grape Vine Market and the Austin Wine Merchant. Wouldn't you like to know what that 1989 Krug Vintage Champagne tastes like before you spend $189? Grape Vine Market poured it for free this year. Ever wondered what the legendary Château d'Yquem tastes like but don't have the $255 per bottle floating around in your pocket? The Austin Wine Merchant poured it for free. Take my advice: Get on their mailing list so you'll know when these tastings are coming up.