Lisa’s blog

My dream of having the wine bar covered with ribbons and corks is really coming to fruition!  For those of you who don’t know, when you come to Clifford’s, you are invited to write a message or memory on a ribbon attached to a cork and hang it in the bar.  We have ribbons hanging from every hangable spot inside, and the ribbons are starting to be hung outside now, which I love.  I think Leila and Brian were the first to start that trend, and now there are a good dozen hidden in the trees like Easter eggs.  I won’t rest til there are ribbons and corks hanging from every branch! Sometimes if I’m feeling discouraged, I like to wander around the bar and read the messages on the ribbons.  They are all so loving, so positive, so, well, I guess, wine-buzzed, that I get pepped up instantly. When you visit, please ask us for a ribbon to write your message on and become a part of this cool tradition! 

Ever wonder why wine comes in so many different shaped bottles?  Why the neck of a Riesling bottle is long and slender, while Bordeaux is kept in a squat, fat necked bottle?

After the advent of glass blowing, wine was stored in round glass bottles because of the ease of blowing round, hollow spheres.  As glassblowing techniques evolved, the bottle shape was eventually elongated for easier transport and storage.

Fast forward to the present day, and you can see that winemakers have taken the fairly simple concept of wine preservation and created several nuances when it comes to bottle shape.  Just as one can identify the grape varietals of old world wines just by knowing the region from which the wine comes, it is also sometimes possible to identify wines by the shape of the bottle.

We’ll elaborate using the aforementioned Riesling bottle, because that the deviation that is most frequently mentioned by people when they ask us about bottle shape.  Most of us have purchased a wine in a long, slender bottle, sometimes just because we liked the shape!  The most familiar wines (to the American palate) that are stored in this shaped bottle are Rieslings and Pinot Gris, so when you see one, you can often assume the wine is from Germany or its neighbor, Alsace.  Even more specifically, you can narrow your assessment by taking into consideration of the color of the glass, in the case of our example, green glass suggesting the region of Mosel and brown the Rhine region. 

As you may have noticed while perusing those rebellious Australian labels, a lot of the old world wine traditions are being broken by New World winemakers.  Personally, as a studious little nerd, I really love learning geography and science in order to identify wine.  I also find it poetic to conjure images of the rolling hills or dry slopes of different lands and the colors and shapes of glass to identify my wines rather than a silly name or pun, but change is inevitable.  Just check out some of the bottle shapes for yourself and have some fun before the tradition ends!

This time of year, around the 4^th of July, we in this country are reminded to give thanks for our freedom.  This year’s holiday falls amidst the 2008 presidential elections, and finds many people is the country worried that their issues and concerns will be addressed by their representatives.  Lately, I have been thinking about what a blessing it is that my family and I continually respect each others’ opinions on the “right” way to make our ideas reality and commune over laughter, love, and of course, wine.

When we opened Clifford’s two years ago, my mother, stepfather, and I all agreed that we wanted our place to be a special meeting grounds where everyone would feel welcome.  We felt that since we have been able to develop strong and loving relationships with one another despite our political differences, we would set the tone for a business as one of open-minded acceptance.

I’m pleased to say that over the years, we have made a lot of friends in Wimberley. some of them great friends with vastly different opinions.  (You know who you are!)  We’ve sipped Sangiovese in front of the fireplace in the winter and laughed over Pinot Gris on the porch in the summer.  We’ve even occasionally discussed politics, and it’s funny how often all of our opinions boil down to the same exact two: don’t tell me what to do, and keep your hands off my money!  

Through it all though, we’ve remembered what is our most commonly shared opinion: that lots of good humor and unconditional love among family and friends is the greatest blessing we can share.

This year, especially as the political debates heat up, I urge you to keep your eyes and ears on what is dear and true to all of us: a kind word from a friend, a warm embrace from a loved one, and maybe, if you’re lucky, a lot of laughs over a good bottle of wine.

Congratulations to Jack Roseman for choosing the winning name for this most winning of events.  We gathered on the First Thursday of the June to hold the first ever “First Class Flights”.  The premise is this: for $10, you receive a “flight” of fine wine that you would not ordinarily get to sample without buying the entire bottle.  I’m not sure of the origin of the term “flight”, but in the wine world it is used to refer to small pours of wines grouped by region, flavor, or theme.  We kicked off our inaugural flight with a trip to Italy, via the Austin Wine Merchant.  We first tasted the Inama Soave Classico ‘06, a rich and velvety white wine from Veneto, then moved on to the Allegrini La Grola, from Valpolicella, and finished with the Damilano Lecinquevigne Barolo, from the Piedmont.  It was agreed by all that the “First Class Flight” was a lot of fun, very educational, a great value.  Join us on the first Thursday of each month, just send an RSVP to lisa@cliffordsoriginalwinebar.comCheers! 

Well, I have now seen everything.  Someone has stolen our dear peaches, just ripe and full and luscious and ready to be eaten, right off the tree. I know that a lot of you are thinking that a squirrel or deer must be the culprit, but I have seen both of those creatures’ handywork, and I would be very suprised if our own five fingered species isn’t at fault. Which means that some ONE stole my darn peaches.  That I’ve been watering, tending to, and caressing for the last two months.  Anyone who knows me knows that I’m going to make a HUGE deal out of this.  Even if purely for entertainment value.   Even if squirrels and deer really are the culprits, I’m going to make sure that if there’s a tiny chance that someone took my peaches, that they feel childish for their action!  Or at the very least, they come tell me, “Gee, I’m sorry, but it didn’t look like you were going to want to eat those mouth-wateringly ripe peaches.  And so I stole them”.  I’m telling you people: This aggression will not STAND! (name the movie?) I’m offering a reward of a glass of Villager to the person who can post the best story about what happened to my peaches. And if you took ‘em, oh, man, you better have a REAL darn good reason.  And be prepared to be shamed all over town as I spin this and all of the resulting conjectures into one big rumor floating around town about the Peach Scandal of 2008!   

BBQ cookoff and wine??  Only in Texas.  At long last, the Original Wine Club held its much anticipated BBQ cookoff.  Miss Jane chose a bubbling rose, a rose, and four red wines that, frankly, beat the pants off Lone Star when matched up with the culinary delights that the clubbies brought with them.  We sampled three briskets, two sausages, and several delightful side dishes and at the end of the day, agreed that this was one of the best Club classes yet.Wanna join the Club?  Take the Original Wine Basics class, then you’ll be able to sign up for any Club class you’d like.  Visit our website for upcoming classes.  

Well, Harlan Gibson did it again.  On Friday, he filled our tummies with the most amazing Tuscan feast.  There were 14 guests, and we started on the porch in the glowing honey sunset and sipped Prosecco (I know, but I had some difficulty finding Tuscan whites) and munched on Bruschetta.  Then we moved indoors for the amazing second course, Ravioli Nudi.  Basically the ravioli was a little ball of ricotta, butter, and sage that was rolled lightly in flour and boiled.  The flour became the most delicate outer layer and the raviolis were perfect with the Zenato Lugana.  For the main course, Harlan created amazing mashed canneli beans, braised greens, and a lightly peppered beefsteak that made everyone at the table moan with their first bite.  The Villa Antinori Super Tuscan was the PERFECT match, and I don’t think I talked at all during the main course, due to bliss overload.  For dessert, we had poached pears in Vin Santo and balsamic reduction with steaming coffee.  After dinner, we moved back outdoors to finish the last of the red wine.  Kudos, Harlan, and thanks for bringing a bit of the big city to Wimberley.

News and Views article for May 2008

Last Friday night, after a delectable Tuscan feast (prepared by the incomparable Harlan Gibson), a friend of mine was helping me dry wine glasses and noticed that the large crystal glass he was holding was a bit different that our everyday wine glasses.  Specifically, he looked at me and said, “This glass seems different than the rest… what is it for?” To which I replied, “That, my friend, is a Riedel.”

(I next admitted that the following information has been quite beneficial to no more than eleven generations of Riedels, and like any overly nuanced product, should be appreciated with curiosity and good humor instead of religious fervor that will make you want to go out and spend your savings on stemware!)  But as a proud Bohemian, I do enjoy interesting glassware, especially when said glassware contains my favorite liquid.

Riedel wine glasses are unique because they have been created with the precise aromatic qualities and palates of specific grape varietals in mind.  More simply, if you like Chardonnay, there is a special glass shaped specifically to deliver the aroma molecules to the precise section of your tongue that will optimize the enjoyment of the wine.  Like Riesling? Montepulciano? Burgundy?  Riedel has got you covered, with a dizzying array of specially designed wine glasses for dozens of different wines.

According to the company’s website, the Riedel family began making glass in the 17^th century when the knowledge of the glassmaking process migrated from the Near East to Venice to Bohemia, following the timberlines for the wood that literally fueled the fires used in the process. 

Today the family run business operates from Kufstein, Austria, and their glassware is sold worldwide.  If you enjoy fine wines, I encourage you to experiment with a few Riedel glasses.  I have begun using them for our weekly wine tastings, so I welcome you to stop by and give them a try yourself. And if you’re interested in wine in general, I highly recommend a visit to the Riedel website (www.riedel.com) to learn more than you ever dreamed of about the world of tasting wine! Cheers and enjoy!

Last night I held a staff meeting for the folks that you see wielding wine here at Clifford’s.  I just want to leave a little note telling all of you how hard these guys work for all of us.  In addition to being reliable and honorable, they are all fun, artistic, intelligent and friendly.  So, kudos and big thanks to Amanda, Chantelle, Isaac, Jen, Jon, and Kim.  Love y’all!

Another great weekend is over… or should I say, I have recovered from another great weekend.   Last Thursday, the Rotary came and put the art that they will be auctioning at their Gala on every flat surface, and we all wandered around, appreciating the wealth of local talent while drinking lovely wine.  Carrie Campbell and Rotary volunteers did an amazing job of planning a fun event and raising some money for their organization.  We just love it when groups like the Rotary ‘use’ our place for good parties! On Saturday, Harlan Gibson’s Supper Club (Pacific Northwest cuisine) graced us with the experience of having oysters and clams in Wimberley!  Wow, what a concept!  We sat on the porch and had shellfish with Hedges Cellars’ CMS, then moved inside for a wild mushroom salad (that they had to pry away from me) with Foris Pinot Noir, glazed salmon with quinoa tabouleh that was ridiculously sumptuous, especially with the Bethel Heights’ Pinot Noir.  We finished with a dessert sampler of coffee themed goodies: espresso gelato, cappuccino shooter, and mocha biscotti.  To say it was amazing is an understatement. Sunday was another great day, started off with Miss Jane’s class “Riesling Rocks!” and learned that, indeed, it does.  We tasted six Rieslings, from dry (yes, Riesling can be dry!) to sweet and, as usual, laughed ourselves silly.It was also Rodney’s birthday, so we piled up on the porch nestled in the hills and the setting sun and just enjoyed the heck out of another gorgeous springtime in Wimberley.