This just in: check out this awesome write-up today of a recent New York Wine Writers Guild tasting of white wines from Campania by Italian wine maven Charles Scicolone.

Above: I really loved the Finca Sierras Azules 2013 Tannat. It was fresh and bright in the glass, with great acidity and balanced alcohol. It would cost roughly or under $10 in the U.S. (although it’s not currently imported).

Fellow Houston wine blogger and good friend Sandra Crittenden, author of Wine Thoughts, had extended an invitation to a walk-around tasting of Argentine wines on Friday afternoon.

And so I went, inspired more by collegial respect than by the anticipation that I would taste wines that I’d like.

To my surprise, I found that many wineries in Argentina produce two separate and distinct lines of wines: the “important” label, more concentrated in flavor and aged in barrique; and an “everyday” label, vinified in a fresh, food-friendly style and aged generally (at least based on my experience on Friday) in stainless steel.

The 2013 Tannat Expresión by Finca Sierras Azules (above) was a revelation for me. It danced in the glass with bright, lip-smacking red fruit flavors. It had that zinging acidity that I crave at the dinner table and it had a wonderfully clean and refreshing finish. The rep at the table told me that none of Sierras Azules wines are aged in oak. I estimate that the wine would cost roughly or under $10 based on the ex cantina price that the rep quoted me.

Above: the Tracia 2013 Malbec was another standout for me. Malbec from Argentina can be so delicious, I discovered, when it’s not doctored with cultured yeast and dominated by woody flavors.

“We’re not focused on the wood,” said Alejandro Isaias Brant, who showed his family’s Garbin wines at the tasting. “We are more focused on the typicity of the grape variety.”

The tasting reminded me of tasting in Barbera country, Italy, a few years ago. The producers had their “important” barriqued wines and then they had their fresh, stainless-steel or cement-aged wines that they drank themselves.

Aaaaaaa… the misguided power of the American palate and wine market!

The sparsely attended tasting seemed strangely geared more toward consumers than to trade (no proper spittoons, no stemware station, and overly chilled white and rosé wines were annoyances) and the winemakers were oddly startled by my many questions about aging regimens and winemaking styles.

But as I headed back to my desk, I couldn’t help but think about how Argentina could really break through in the American market if the producers would get hip to current wine trends in the U.S. today (acidity over alcohol, food-friendliness, lighter styles inspired by traditional European winemaking, etc.).

“We’re just behind Chile,” said Alejandro. “But we will reach them soon.”

Here’s the link for the Facebook event page for my Bele Casel Prosecco and Prosecco Colfòndo tasting in Los Angeles week after next. Angelinos, please come out and taste with me…

Man, it’s been an insane week. It’s only October 3 and OND (October-November-December, the busiest time of year for restaurants and people who sell wine) is already in full swing.

One of the highlights of my wine week (although I actually tasted it last week) was the 2011 Zidarich Vitovska, which I shared with my friend Bubba Stark at Bufalina in Austin (yes, his name is really Bubba but I call him Moses for obvious reasons).

I’ve loved and followed Beniamino Zidarich’s wines for many years now and they consistently deliver vibrancy and wholesome, nuanced fruit flavors with just the right amount of oxidative character so as not to trump their balance. And these wines make you feel great the next day (if you know what I mean).

I was very stoked to taste the 2011 Timorasso by Walter Massa at my good buddy Nathan Smith at Dolce Vita in Houston where he runs a fantastic Italian wine program.

If you follow along here, you probably already know and love this profound expression of Timorasso, the white Piedmontese grape variety that Massa singlehandedly and brilliantly revived. The wine showed great this week but it has many years ahead of it imho.

But the most exciting thing is that it’s yet another benchmark wine that’s finally found its way to Texas, where Italian wine lovers continue to thirst for thoughtful and meaningful expressions of Italian viticulture.

Houston’s own celebrity sommelier Vanessa Treviño-Boyd turned me on to the Lieu Dit 2013 Melon from Santa Maria, California when I tasted with her and Jasmine Hirsch at 60 Degrees Mastercrafted, also here in Houston.

I would have never expected to taste such minerality from Santa Maria let alone see a bottling of Melon. A truly original wine that knocked me out with its freshness and varietal expression. Vanessa’s serving it by the glass at the swank restaurant where she manages a great list.

Another highlight of the week was taking part in my first Google hangout tasting with young French winemaker Matthieu Taunay who works with Michel Rolland to make the newest arrival in the crowded scene of French-grape wines in Tuscany, Monteverro.

I can’t say that the wines are “my speed.” But it’s always fascinating to interact with a top-flight winemaker like Matthieu and it was compelling to hear him speak about sophisticated temperature-control technology that allows him to provoke spontaneous fermentation during vinification.

About 40 minutes south of Bolgheri, Suvereto, where these wines are raised, is as-of-yet uncharted territory in the expansion of this category. It will be interesting to see where these high-priced wines land among the Super Tuscan set.

And the Google hangout was a great way to taste with Matthieu. The PR firm sent out the wines and then set up the hangout. I was one of six wine writers on the call and it proved to be a fantastic medium for tasting and interacting in realtime. I really enjoyed it.

Tracie P made us wholewheat pepperoni pizza this week. It was delicious.

And dulcis in fundo, it seems that Lila Jane could start walking any day now.

L’shanah tovah, yall! Erev Yom Kippur is tonight. I’ll see you on Monday. Thanks for being here…

Have you ever wondered where the gallo nero or black rooster, the symbol of Chianti Classico, came from?

Today I posted a brief history of its origins for one of my new clients and a winery that I adore, La Porta di Vertine in Chianti Classico.

The post was inspired by recent changes in labeling requirements in the appellation.

But as soon as I started digging into the origins of the iconic rooster, I just couldn’t help myself (and I realized that the origin story is not readily available in English).

Please here for the post.

And check out the wines: they are super.

Thanks for reading…

Image via Jens Gyldenkærne Clausen’s Flickr.

It was really fun to sit down with Sonoma Coast producer Jasmine Hirsch yesterday at 60 Degrees Mastercrafted in Houston where she led a guided tasting of her wines for collectors.

In my view, hers is one of the most dynamic voices in American wine today.

She revealed to me that she and Raj Parr are bringing the controversial In Pursuit of Balance festival to Houston next year. It’s another sign that Houston is becoming one of the leading wine destinations in the U.S.

The festival and the new stop on its tour are the topics for my post today for the Houston Press.