Rhone wine isn’t well known in this part of the country, where the most popular French wines are from Bordeaux and Burgundy. That’s too bad, because Rhone wines offer value and and quality.
The Kreydenweiss ($14), a red blend, is such a wine. It tastes like it’s more expensive, featuring nice balance between dark fruit, acidity and tannins. The fruit isn’t candied, which too often happens with wines at this price, and it’s not as heavy as some Rhone wines. This is a fine example of what can be done and should be done with this style of wine at this price.
It also has the classic French barnyard aroma, which makes many people think there is something wrong with the wine. In fact, the smell will blow off after the wine has been open for a bit. Appreciate it while it’s there.
A couple of other wine notes: Cafe Madrid, near Knox/Henderson, is opening a cava bar, which is Spanish for sparkling wine. There’s a kickoff party at 6 tonight — $25 gets you tapas and a flight of six bubblies. … East Dallas’ favorite sommelier, James Tidwell, has put together a six-course wine and tasting menu at 7 p.m. on Friday at Cafe on the Green at the Four Seasons in Irving. Price is $40.
