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Photo by Robb Walsh

​Touriga Nacional is an ancient Portuguese varietal that was probably introduced to the Iberian peninsula by the Phoenicians. It's a black grape that typically has high tannins and very concentrated fruit flavors. The grapes are most famously used in the highest quality ports. Touriga is also used to produce red wines in the Douro region of Portugal.

Touriga was introduced to the Texas Hill Country some years ago. The grape is currently being used in some iconoclastic blends put out by winemaker Dan Pullum at Sandstone Cellars in Mason.

Sandstone's motto is "Terroir for Texas." The winery has released a series of intriguing blends using grapes from the Rhone and warm regions of the Mediterranean. Each is identified by a Roman numeral.

Photo by aynsavoy

Rice Krispie Treats with chocolate, toasted marshmallow and passion fruit caramel at Block 7.

​Michael Housewright, the Director of Operations for the new Block 7 Wine Company (720 Shepherd, 713-572-2565), has spent 15 years of his life dedicated to wine. His resume includes Pogo's in Dallas, the Dallas Central Market, the Austin Wine Merchant, Vinfolio in San Francisco, and the Tasting Room and Max's Wine Bar here in Houston, to name but a few. He has also lived in Italy.

Housewright is very excited about Block 7. "The concept is simple," he says. "Find a high-traffic, growing area where the rent is reasonable, and sell all the wines we sell at our retail store by the glass with no restaurant mark-up and no corkage fee." Block 7 is in an 8,000-sauare-foot building that used to be a Western Appliance Store. There's a sommelier, a beer guy and, running the kitchen, chef Loren Root. "His menu is very casual, and we always use the best ingredients," says Housewright. "The flat breads have really taken off, especially the seared rabbit loin, which is topped with yellow tomatoes and caramelized onions." He adds, "Loren is shooting for 'best burger' with our Block 7 Burger, which is made with dry-aged beef and a slice of Gruyere."

The menu, which is still evolving, is fairly simple, yet chosen with care, with first-class ingredients. The sautéed mushroom flatbread with taleggio cheese, spicy arugula and fresh thyme was outstanding, and the fries so good, they could easily make a meal by themselves - especially washed down with a bottle of the Austrian Ecker Zwiegelt, which can be purchased in the retail store for $13.99.

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Photo by Robb Walsh

​The Greco grape, sometimes known as Trebianno, is thought to have been planted in Southern Italy by the Greeks at the beginning of recorded history. It's now called Greco di Tufo after the town of Tufo in Southern Italy. Some historians believe that the other white wine varietals of Southern Italy, including Fiano, may have descended from wild crosses of the Greco grape. The Fiano grape was popular with the ancient Romans, who called it vitis apiana because its sweet juices attracted apis, or bees.

Fiano wines have a floral aroma and honey flavor, while Greco di Tufo wines are drier and nuttier with more tannins. Wines from the two grapes are traditionally blended together in Puglia, the region in the heel of the Italian boot. The Greco di Tufo gives the resulting wine a fine structure that keeps the sweet flavors and aromas of the Fiano from getting insipid. The balanced, easy-drinking wine is a perfect summer aperitif or an accompaniment to light meals like salads and cold seafood. I got this bottle at H-E-B for ten dollars and change.

Photo by Sarah Rufka

​To some, a bartender is just a server with something to lean on. But Mike Sammons is an example of how, with passion and creativity, the job can be so much more. "I started doing this to make money, but I was really good at it because I liked it," he says. "I don't think people have any idea how fun it actually is. It's a miniature event or party every night that's my job to arrange."

As co-owner and proprietor of 13 Celsius (3000 Caroline St., 713-529-8466), he's created a place where people can share in their passion for wine. "There's a certain type of person that comes in here that wants to try something unique and different and is already interested in wine," says Sammons.

"People that have a nice collection at home, but don't really drink it unless it's a special occasion, generally they just collect it. And here they have the opportunity to say, 'Oh, an Italian Gewurztraminer,' and be able to try it for $15 a glass rather than at $80 for a bottle. Everybody that works here is excited to show off wines that people haven't tried; to pour them a taste and explain to them what it is and where it's from and why it's unique. And I think that really engages people. It's the same with anything--art, or food--if you've never experienced it, and you try it and it's good, you've got your money's worth. If I can please somebody by offering them something they've never considered before, that is really rewarding. Screw the tip, I want the 'Oh, this is awesome, thank you.'"

Photo by Robb Walsh

​You know about Rhone and Rioja reds, but you may not have heard of the grapes that many of these wines are made with, Carignan, Mourvedre and Grenache. These grapes are seldom seen on wine labels, but they are all pretty common in the Rhone region of France as well as the rest of Europe. Mourvedre is also grown in Italy under the name Mataro, and Grenache is widely used in Spain, where its called Granacha. Carignan originated in Spain and was part of the Rioja blend.

Carignan is one of the world's most successful warm-weather grapes. It was transplanted to Algeria by the French. When Algeria won its independence, French wine growers began to plant Carignan in the South of France. Carignan is actually very common in California's Central Valley, where it is also known as Carignane. It's mainly used in box and jug wines, because the grape doesn't have any name recognition.

Photo by Robb Walsh

 According to the "Italian Flavor" website, Forgiarin is one of four native grapevines that have survived in the Northern Italian wine region of Friuli, thanks to the efforts of Emilio Bulfon. (Piculit Neri is one of the others.) I picked this one up along with several other Emilio Bulfon rare varietals for $6.99 a bottle at Phoenicia.

Photo by Robb Walsh

Rose de Ksara is a dry Lebanese rose made with grapes grown in the Bekaa Valley. It tasted pretty good with tabouli and olives. The wine is made with about one-third Cinsault grapes. Okay, so Cinsault isn't really all that obscure--it's the fourth most widely planted grape in France and a major varietal in Languedoc. But it is of particular interest to Texas. Cinsault thrives in hot weather, which is why the French introduced it to Lebanon, Algeria and its French colonies in Africa.

Photo by Robb Walsh

If I said the flavor and aroma of this sweet white wine reminded me of an overripe pear, would that be a bad thing? Friuli winemaker Emilio Bulfon found these ancient wine grapes accidently dotted among other varietals in one of his vineyards. It isn't clear whether the grape originated in Northeast Italy or across the border in Slovenia. This is another one of those sweet white wines that was once highly prized in Europe and has since fallen out of fashion.

The label describes Cividin as "an elegantly perfumed white wine which was a delicacy in the 17th and 18th centuries." It is recommended as an aperitif or with charcuterie, ham or fish. I drank some outside on the patio on a hot summer evening with a Nicoise salad. It was pleasant, but if I had a do-over, I think I'd drink this wine for dessert with a stinky French semi-soft cheese and fruit.

Photo by Katharine Shilcutt

While in Chinatown browsing the aisles at Hong Kong City Mall's grocery store, Hong Kong Market, last weekend, I ran across something interesting among the hundreds of bottles of sake: Japanese Chardonnay and Merlot, made by Chateau Mercian. It's highly possible that I'm the last person on earth to know that Japan produces wines other than the traditional rice wine, but everyone I've talked to has seemed equally clueless.

Wanting to try a bottle of Japanese wine for myself, I found that I was torn between buying the Chardonnay and the Merlot. I hate both equally -- Chardonnay for the oaky taste and Merlot for the excessive tannins -- and at $21 per bottle, I certainly wasn't buying both. I ended up choosing the Chateau Mercian 2002 J-fine Chardonnay based solely upon the fact that I could chill it and (hopefully) enjoy it in this scorching hot weather.

A few days later, I took the chilled bottle over to the home of two of my favorite oenophiles for a taste test. We were all pleasantly surprised.

Photos by J.C. Reid

Vieiras al Albariño: Seared sea scallops

The debate about which Houston restaurant serves the most authentic Spanish tapas rages on. Among Houston food lovers, the general consensus is that Rioja is at the top of the list for authentic tapas and great paella. But to a large population of Houston diners, Rioja has one major flaw -- it's located outside the loop.

Inner-loopers have made do with the perfectly serviceable tapas at El Meson, Mi Luna and Oporto Cafe. But starting this week, a new inner loop contender joins the fray -- Tintos Spanish Restaurant & Wine Bar.

Tintos is the creation of Texas-born Chef Alberto Alfonzo. The son of a Spanish immigrant father and Texan mother, Alfonzo spent much of his childhood in Venezuela with members of the Spanish immigrant population there, eating and cooking with family and friends. After returning to Texas to attend high school, he would eventually graduate from Texas A&M.; A foodservice career followed, leading to a position as Executive Corporate Chef for Joe's Crab Shack and then to the position of Director of Operations at Houston's Tasting Room Wine Bars/Max's Wine Dive.

In November 2008, Alfonzo decided to open his own restaurant. He spent a year in Spain researching the traditional Spanish recipes he inherited from his family, as well as the newest trends that make Spain a world culinary leader. Alfonzo made the decision to include ingredients and menu items found not only in Spain, but also in other Spanish-influenced cultures in the Caribbean and Central and South America.

Recently, Tintos sponsored a complimentary media tasting event to show off the restaurant's elegant dining room, extensive wine list and, most importantly, menu. Wine pairings were chosen by Tintos' wine director, Lisa Hudson.