Monthly Archives: June 2010

How do you track your wine notes?

Posted on June 30, 2010 by Merrill

Over the last 33 years, we have tasted many wines.  At first I used a tasting journal. Then I tried audio taping remarks so that I could capture my thoughts as well as the thoughts of those around me. Later I tried … Continue reading →

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Venetian Sauce

Posted on June 28, 2010 by Merrill

At Messina Hof we grow our own herbs.  Texas Tarragon loves the gardens and is prolific. There is a sauce called Venetian sauce which is tarragon, shallots, chervil in a veloute’ base with white wine.  Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc … Continue reading →

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How Do You Determine a Blush Wine?

Posted on June 23, 2010 by Merrill

Determining the color of the blush wines depends strongly on the grapes and techniques used during the wine making process. Blush wines contain the typical color of a red wine but only enough to turn it pink.  Red-skinned grapes are collected, … Continue reading →

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Honey Mustard

Posted on June 21, 2010 by Merrill

Honey Mustard is popular today. We make three mustards in our wine based food line. We produce the Sauvignon Blanc Jalapeno Mustard, Riesling German Spicy Country Mustard, and Chardonnay Habanero Mustard. The Sauvignon Blanc Jalapeno mustard is a nice substitute for a Honey … Continue reading →

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Welcome to the Eighth Bonarrigo Wine Generation

Posted on June 16, 2010 by admin

Paul and Merrill Bonarrigo of Messina Hof Winery in Bryan are proud new grandparents, welcoming their first grandchild, Sophia Marie Bonarrigo. Paul VII has just left the Army after two stints in Iraq and is interning under his father’s watchful … Continue reading →

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Allemande sauce

Posted on June 14, 2010 by Merrill

Allemande sauce, also known as blond or Parisienne sauce, is a sauce based on velouté.   It is thickened with egg yolks, heavy cream, and seasoned with lemon juice and wine.  It is great over breaded chicken cutlets, egg dishes, and … Continue reading →

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The Structure and Composition of Grapes

Posted on June 7, 2010 by Merrill

Grapes are part of the berry family, being round to oblong in shape and containing up to four seeds. They do not need pollinators do to the fact they are self-fruitful. You may be more familiar with the concord grape … Continue reading →

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Demi-glace Sauce

Posted on June 5, 2010 by Merrill

Demi-glace is a rich brown sauce traditionally made by combining equal parts of veal stock and Espagnole sauce.  The mixture is then simmered and reduced by half. You can also do variations of this sauce to complement other types of … Continue reading →

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Harvesting and Processing of Grapes

Posted on June 3, 2010 by Merrill

Harvesting of wine grapes is a very important step of winemaking. Harvesting the grapes is determined by the ripeness of the grapes which is measured by acid, sugar and tannin levels. There are many types when harvesting and processing of … Continue reading →

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Africaine Sauce

Posted on June 1, 2010 by Merrill

Recently a friend shared with me a sauce called Africaine.  We recreated it by blending Espagnole sauce, diced tomato, chopped onions, chopped bell pepper, salt, garlic, Pinot Girgio, basil, parsley, bay leaf, and thyme.  Our version reminded me of a … Continue reading →

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