Raise a glass on Fathers’ Day with these special wines.
Father’s Day is almost here so I’m delighted to celebrate a few more Austin and Texas Wine Country wine dads and the wines they want to enjoy on Father’s Day in this week’s column. If you missed last week, take a look!
David Kuhlken, Pedernales Cellars
Co-owner and president of boutique winery Pedernales Cellars, David runs the production and vineyard side of the company that includes both winemaking and the Kuhlken Vineyard that is now entering its 27th year. His three sons, ages 12 to 20, all get pressed into service at the winery and vineyard, particularly during harvest.
While recently driving his son home from college, David hiked to waterfalls in Yosemite and through the desert landscape of the Canyonlands in Utah. Often found outdoors, David will spend Father’s Day with a swim with his three boys and enjoy a lazy day. Given this heat, David will turn to a nice cool Vermentino, an Italian white grape that fares well in Texas, with bright acidity and notes of green apple and citrus fruits.
Brian Phillips, Wilson Daniels
Brian, director of national accounts for this luxury wines importer, got his start in wine as a sommelier at Austin’s Driskill Hotel and Eddie V’s. He got the winemaking bug and made his first wine, the 2010 Ground Up Tempranillo, at Pedernales Cellars using grapes from Kuhlken Vineyards. (I love how small the Texas wine world is.)
Often on the road, Brian credits his wife Jennifer for handling most of the day-to-day heavy lifting when it comes to the kids (while she also manages a demanding tech industry job), so he will celebrate Father’s Day with a wine they both love: Champagne. Specifically, Brian will pour the Champagne Gosset 12 Ans de Cave a minima, meaning it is aged for a minimum of 12 years on the lees prior to disgorgement. Its intense freshness is only matched by its complexity from bottle aging. And 12 years is the combined age of his two children: his 10-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son. (How cool is that??)
Dave Reilly, Duchman Family Winery
Dave started in the wine industry in 2000 as a grape grower and then joined the Duchman Family Winery as a cellar hand, learning from the best and eventually taking over as winemaker in 2008. Always making wines from 100% Texas grapes, Dave has a running competition with fellow winemaker Ron Yates on what is the best red grape for Texas. Dave will tell you it’s Aglianico. (Read below for Ron’s two cents.)
When not at the winery, Dave is often found on a horse, riding with his wife and two daughters. For Father’s Day, he’ll choose a Schramsberg Brut Rosé with hints of raspberry and orange blossom to sip on while enjoying vast Hill Country views from his super cool container home’s rooftop deck.
Ron Yates, Ron Yates and Spicewood Vineyards
Without a doubt, Ron Yates loves Tempranillo (and he’ll tell you not to listen to Dave Reilly). If you’ve heard him speak, he will share his stories of going to Spain to finish his foreign language credit and falling in love with this grape. While not the first to plant Tempranillo in Texas, he is among the Texas pioneers for growing and advocating that this warm climate grape is the best red grape for Texas.
To celebrate Father’s Day with his wife and two beautiful girls, Ron would enjoy any vintage of Vega Sicilia Unico from Ribera del Duero, his favorite wine of all time and “a great reminder of why we grow and make Tempranillo in Texas.”
Bob Young, Bending Branch Winery
A medical doctor by education and profession and now winemaker / co-owner of Bending Branch Winery in Comfort, Dr. Bob loves the art and science of winemaking, particularly as it relates to red wine’s potential impact on health. He is drawn to grapes with high levels of antioxidants (tannins, polyphenols and procyanidins) including Tannat, Souzao and Sagrantino. So it’s no surprise Dr. Bob chose the iconic Chateau Montus Tannat for his Father’s Day wine, a wine that is rich, bold, fruit forward with a luscious taste profile. He would pair this with Chateaubriand because “one Chateau deserves another.”
Here’s to all the fathers and grandfathers out there – may you enjoy some fabulous wine on Father’s Day!
Denise Clarke is an avid wine enthusiast who loves sharing and teaching people about wine. She is a Certified Wine Educator, Certified Sommelier, WSET Advanced graduate and an expert on Texas wine. Owner of Denise Clarke PR, she currently represents Texas Fine Wine and the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Wine Marketing Program. She has lived in Austin for more than 30 years and when she is not swirling and sipping wine, she can be found on her bike, climbing every hill she can find.
Follow Denise on IG at @deniseclarkeTX for more wine recommendations.
