Front: Al Wright; second row: Nancy Toppan, Vivian Wright, Terry Gilberti, Catherine Bass and Mary Bryant; third row: Roy Bryant, Ken Bass, Mike Gilberti and Pete Toppan
Nancy Toppan
There’s never a bad time in Texas to celebrate Tex-Mex, wine pairings and birthdays.
On a hot summer evening in August at the home of Al and Vivian Wright, it just got hotter when members of “Heard It Through The Grapevine” spiced up Al Wright’s 77th birthday with their spicy hot dishes.
To cool things off a bit, Viv kicked off the occasion with frosty frozen Margaritas. A few sips later the heat was back on as we dipped our chips into Nancy’s homemade salsa and Al’s handcrafted guacamole dip.
The wine tasting and judging began with the pouring of wine and passing of cheese. Viv served a zesty North Park Tortilla Soup as we explored spicy food pairings with distinct wine tastes. The entree was presented in a large tortilla shell with an enticing mixture of Viv’s chicken fiesta salad with sour cream and guacamole and Catherine Bass’ colorful confetti salad.
Both the first and second place wines were hand-picked for our Heard It Through The Grapevine event from a tasting at Stone Hill Winery in Branson, MO. The favorite was Mary and Roy Bryant’s Jacquesse Kick’n Kolada, with an attitude. This semi-sweet grape wine won Silver in the 2014 Missouri Wine Competition. It is a tropical sweet white wine with natural flavors of coconut and pineapple. In second place was Terry and Mike Gilberti’s Jacquesse Kick’n Sangria, with an attitude, a sweet red wine with crisp citrus notes of orange and a kick of lemon lime, a delicious balance of wine and fruit. This grape wine won Bronze at the 2014 Missouri Wine Competition. Coming in third was Nancy and Pete Toppan’s Beviamo Moscato D’Asti, a product of Italy. This sparkling Moscato has flavors and aromas of ripe stone fruit, tangerines and honey. It is sweet, yet balanced.
Al’s birthday was celebrated with a tempting traditional birthday cake, while Mary Bryant presented us with the popular Mexican dessert, sopapillas.
When pairing spicy dishes of Mexico with wine, ‘keep your cool.’ The flavors that survive heat are sweet and sour. That’s why both crisp and slightly sweet wines can cool the palate after a fiery onslaught. Examples include wines made from Riesling and Muscat. Look for those from cool climate regions, such as Germany, Canada and Alsace where the wine preserves its refreshing acidity, invigorating and soothing. Long after you’ve swallowed, their silver thread of acidity lasts as long as the hotwire of spice in your mouth. They also have complementary aromas and flavors of spices, limes, lemons, green apples and flowers.
There’s an old saying, “Men are like wine; some turn to vinegar, but the best improve with age.” Keep up the progress, Al.