It’s no secret that many women in Dallas want to know more about wine. Women want to feel more confident when they looked at a wine list. They want to know what wine to take to dinner at a friend’s house. Or what to serve with Thanksgiving dinner. But where should they even begin? It’s a big, wide wine world out there.
Last fall, I sent an email to a group of women with whom I had either drunk wine, talked about wine, or that I knew had a serious interest in wine. Would they, perhaps, be interested in gathering regularly to learn more about wine? I made it clear that I wasn’t just putting together a group for socializing. My plan was more much more educational. I was launching the Dallas Women’s Wine Club.
I am forming the Dallas Women’s Wine Club, a group of women who are interested in meeting every 4-6 weeks for wine tasting and education. It’s like a book club, but better. I’ll serve fine wine, and no advance preparation is required.
You don’t need to have any previous wine experience to participate, but you should have a sense of curiosity about wine and a willingness to learn. If you only drink Pinot Grigio and don’t want to veer away from it under any circumstances, this isn’t the group for you! It will be lively like happy hour, but with an educational focus.
The response was tremendous. I sent 41 emails and got 38 responses from women who immediately said, “Yes! Please include me!”
Dallas Women’s Wine Club: The First Meeting
We met for the first time in October at my house. I poured a few of my favorite wines and talked about what I hoped we would learn over time. Mostly I listened to what they wanted to get out of their participation in the club. Here’s what I heard:
- I never know what to order, so I always order sparkling wine.
- I have so many questions.
- I just buy the same thing over and over.
- I’ve been to Napa many times and have a cellar full of expensive wine, but I really don’t know much about wine outside of California.
- What do you open just on a normal Tuesday night with pasta/chicken/fish/salad/sushi?
- How do you buy/store/serve/decant/age wine?
- and more
There were soooo many questions! It seemed to me that people had been longing for a place to ask their wine questions. Now that we were sharing some delicious wine, the floodgates opened.
I shared a few of my personal goals for the group as well.
- Wine should be fun! Not stressful, and definitely not panic-inducing.
- You should feel good about your wine purchases. Not just neutral, but actually good. How can that be? By supporting wineries that you love and drinking wine that is well made.
- Wine gives us a lens with which to view geography, chemistry, geology, engineering, law, marketing, our senses, and more. Chemistry was boring to me until I got interested in winemaking! And I’ve never studied maps the way I’ve studied them for certification tests.
- Wine makes our food taste better. I’m all about drinking what you like with your food, but a good pairing really can elevate both the food and the wine.
- Wine tasting is a sensory meditation. I guess that’s how I know I’m a wine geek. Sometimes I’ll spend more time smelling a wine than actually drinking it. I’ve been hit or miss with the Headspace app, but I have a real muscle memory for the swirl and sniff.
- Wine makes us feel good when consumed in moderation. Moderation is key. Hydrate! And I take several days off each week when I don’t drink alcohol at all.
Doesn’t everyone have a wine philosophy? I took the time to draft mine on paper for the meeting.
• I like to support small family wineries. I like wine that comes from a specific place and reflects a specific growing season. Not all wine should taste the same!
• I like wine growers who utilize responsible, sustainable practices.
• I look for winemakers who are more “hands-off” and do not use unnecessary additives and additions. There are many wineries that utilize a more natural approach in wine production. This is often not on the label.
• A lot of the wine from the typical grocery store is uninspired and mass-produced.
• I don’t expect my bottle of wine to cost less than my morning latte.
• Wine appreciation is about more than describing certain aromas that are in the glass. That comes in time. The more you practice, and the more you know about where the grapes were grown and the production methods, the easier it will be to pick out flavors and aromas. Honestly sometimes that is the least interesting part of the wine’s story for me.
So while all of this philosophizing was going on, we were drinking some great wine! I picked up the first two bottles from our great local shop Bar and Garden and pulled the other two bottles from my cellar. I like pouring a sparking, a white, and a red wine option each month so that there is a lot of variation. There are some women who have strong preferences for one type or another.
Wine Selections and What we Learned
2017 Las Jaras Sparkling Carignan “Old Vines”
Mendicino County, California
$55, Bar & Garden
467 cases produced
It’s quite unusual to see Carignan on the label because it’s usually a blending grape. Even more unusual, this one is sparkling! This grape originated in Spain but is mostly grown in southern France now. This brand is a partnership between a noted winemaker and comedian Eric Wareheim. “Old Vines” doesn’t have a legal definition, but generally 40-50 years minimum. Older grapevines grow fewer, more concentrated grapes. Completely dry. Low alcohol (12% alcohol by volume). Organic. Pale salmon-closed bubbly! What’s not to love?
2017 Domaine de la Prébende Beaujolais Blanc
Beaujolais, France
$23, Bar & Garden
3500 cases produced
98% of what’s grown in Beaujolais is RED, but this wine is 100% Chardonnay! It’s a lean, yellow apple and white flower crowd pleaser. Imported by Kermit Lynch, a noted importer. Very different from a full-bodied Napa Chardonnay or a White Burgundy. This wine hasn’t been aged in new oak. Not meant for aging, enjoy now! Farmed organically, more or less.
2014 Arista UV Lucky Well Vineyard Pinot Noir
Russian River Valley, Sonoma Valley
~150 cases produced
$75 on release, wine club exclusive
Deeply concentrated and palate-filling. A big Pinot Noir from a fine producer. A Texas family owns the winery. This is my favorite region for US Pinot Noir, and this wine only gets better with time. This winery gets big love from critics – for good reason! A must visit if you’re in Sonoma. 14.5% alcohol by volume, so this will have a certain weight and mouth-coating character. Pinot Noir has a lot of acidity (mouth-watering quality), and that makes it food friendly for a wide variety of foods.
2015 Matthiasson Refosco, Matthiasson Vineyard
Napa Valley
$45 on release, wine club exclusive
106 cases produced
Refosco grape is native to the Friuli region in Northern Italy and is rarely grown outside that region. There’s a little bit in Napa, and it’s grown right outside the winery owner/winemaker’s home. Steve Matthiasson was the San Francisco Chronicle Winemaker of the Year in 2014 and is repeatedly nominated for James Beard awards. He also appears in the Somm 2: Into the Bottle and Somm 3 movies.
The wine has a super complex nose that changes in the glass. The most notable feature is substantial tannins. It’s the same textural feeling when you eat a walnut or suck on a tea bag. Matthiasson is one of my favorite wineries and wine clubs because they grow unusual grape varieties like Ribolla Gialla and Refoso! Farmed organically. Relatively low alcohol (12.6% abv) keeps it lively and clean on the palate.
Finally, we talked a bit about glassware, how to taste wine, how to toast, when to age, and when to decant. It will take some time to make it through all of the questions, but I know we will have fun in the process!
A few notes about logistics. I’ve expanded the group size just a bit. Because we’re all busy with jobs, kids, and other commitments, I find that having a rather large group works out fine. However, I cap attendance at events to 24 people. That way I can limit wine purchases to just two bottles of each wines that we taste. Each bottle can serve 12 people with 2 oz. pours.
With 24 attendees, we’ve outgrown meeting at most of our homes. I’ve been holding the tastings at my local wine club, Roots and Water. It has been a great location for meeting. Everyone has a seat at a table, and they provide the glassware. We also have an exciting meeting coming up at a local wine shop.
I’m so pleased with the response to the Dallas Women’s Wine Club. I’ll share more about our meetings and adventures over time. Membership is currently full. Contact me about setting up a group of your own! And be sure to like to my Facebook page and subscribe to this website to stay informed about other Dallas wine education classes I offer.
Cheers!
