Summer is the perfect season for pairing your favorite dish with a great glass of vino. We are lucky to have a moderate start to the heated part of the year and to me that means evenings spent sipping wine over great food.
Siobhan Parone, Victor Tangos GM and level II Sommelier at Victor Tangos has set out to create a value-driven, boutique style wine list highlighting both variety and unique vineyards. She has also taken the task to compliment the array of dishes offered by Executive Chef Kirstyn Brewer at the restaurant.
I was treated to a one on one with Parone as she guided me through the offerings at the Henderson staple. We began with a Grüner Veltliner, indigenous to Austria. This sparky, bright white paired well with Brewers Fried Green Tomatoes w/ peach mostarda, house-made ricotta, & speck ham. Parone picked this one because of its delicate fresh green apple fruity aromas. It displays flavors of lemon, lime and peaches, with a solid fruit core. It’s rich in finesse, with beautiful length and mineral tones. The ideal wine for seafood, white meat and light dishes like salads; also very pleasant as a refreshing summer wine on a hot day, or just to be enjoyed by itself.
Next we sampled a Riesling, yes you read that right. You see, Riesling gets a bad wrap for being overly sweet and cheap. I assure you this Pierre Sparr bottle had a balance that delighted and made me a believer in the varietal. Again, we tasted green apple and citrus fruits flavors in this well-balanced, dry, clean and medium-bodied wine. It reveals a fresh acidity, with good intensity to wrap up perfectly well the palate. Parone added that the flavor of this particular bottle can be that of ‘petrol’, which is a good thing! Brewer paired this glass with Green Bean Panzanella (avocado green goddess, smoked trout roe).
Our third glass was a Senda 66 Tempranillo. Siobhan chose this wine because of it’s lush flavor profile. “This is an exotic wine with aromas of graham cracker, blueberry, violet petal, and pastry. It feels lush, grabby, chewy, and slightly tannic with heavy flavors of clove, black licorice, savory berry, and baked plum. The finish is dominated by oak, with clove and resiny barrel notes that compete with the wine’s fresher dark fruit component.” It was certainly the perfect match for Sweet Tea Marinated Short Ribs w/ spring garlic & radish salad. A darker red ran well up against the meat rib and left me wanting more.
A final pour was a sparkling varietal, rosé specifically. Another highly underestimated wine, rosé is a fantastic sip for the warmer months. This particular vineyard Cote Mas produces a rosé that lets off sweet scents of honeysuckle, peach and apricot that lead way to a soft mouthfeel of grapefruit and a hint of blood orange. I’d recommend the Warm Sticky Toffee Cake with Mascarpone Cream to pair.
Siobhan Parone has a humble sense about her that lends itself to the normal Joe or Jane like you and I becoming more knowledgeable about wine. Next time you stop in to Victor Tangos, let her guide you and your guests along with recommendations and more. It will be an enhancement and hidden gem to elevate your meal and sense.
3001 N. HENDERSON
DALLAS, TX 75206
214.252.8595
