I recently attended a wine luncheon launching a new wine brand in Texas. The luncheon was sponsored by Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines, was held at Forty Five Ten in Dallas and featured  Truvée Wines. Before I share the wines with you I must tell you the fascinating story of Andréa and Robin McBride. Their story is a lifetime in the making so I will try to be brief. When Andréa was 11 years old and living with a foster family in New Zealand she received a call from her father stating three things: 1) I just got out of the penitentiary; 2) I have cancer and am going to die; 3) you have a sister in the US and my dying wish is for the two of you to connect. Up to that point both Andréa and Robin thought they were only children. Though they had different moms they shared the same father. Robin was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Monterey, California with her mom. When Andréa was 16 years old fate finally brought the two sisters together and they met for the first time at La Guardia Airport in New York City.

The two sisters have over 10 years of experience in the wine industry. They have been involved in many different facets of the wine industry including wine importing, distributing, sales, marketing and began eco.love Wines, “a sustainable wine company from New Zealand. Thus becoming the first African American sisters to found a wine company.” The McBride sisters have teamed Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines to create Truvée (French word meaning “to find”) because for the sisters “each bottle of Truvée is a reflection of one shared vision that grew out of two individual stories and honorably exemplifies to ‘find what matters most.’”

Robin McBride stated, “Truvée embodies the spirit of our story, while naturally reflection our signature winemaking style. We’ve created a high-quality wine that is approachable and sophisticated. Truvee stylistically combines old world and new world winemaking philosophies to bring affordable luxury to contemporary wine drinkers, and creates the foundation for our wine company.”

The McBride sisters selected their grapes from the highest quality producing vineyard regions within the Central Coast of California: San Benito, Monterey, Edna Valley and Paso Robles. Truvee Wines has just launched with a lightly oaked Chardonnay and a Grenache base Red Blend.

Truvée Wines 2013 Chardonnay: This wine poured a dazzling soft gold into the glass and opened with a crisp aroma of orchard fruit, citrus, tropical fruit and floral notes. On the palate this wine delivered a slightly creamy but not buttery texture with flavors of crisp Bartlett pears, Granny Smith apples, a touch of lemon/lime zest with hints of pineapple and honeysuckle. It was a crisp Chardonnay with a light body instead of dense and heavy Chardonnay with a nice round acidity. This wine was crafted of 93.3% Chardonnay, 4.7% Muscat Canelli and 2% Chenin Blanc. This wine went through partial barrel and malolactic fermentation, was barrel aged for 6 months in 30% neutral and 20% Chenin Blanc French Oak. The alcohol was 13.5%. This wine was clean and refreshing and paired beautifully with Asiago Parmesan Spread appetizer and Asian Pear Salad featuring mixed greens, spiced pecan baked goat cheese, Asian pear, tomato, cucumber sesame ginger vinaigrette and the French vanilla macaroon. we were served at the luncheon. This wine would also pair beautifully with chicken, seafood, light pasta and egg dishes. SRP $15.99. This wine is available nation-wide at Safeway, Kroger, Albertsons, Ralphs, Harris Teeter, Jewel Osco, Roundy’s and more. Pick up a bottle and let me know what you think!

Truvée Wines 2013 Red Blend: This wine was crafted of 33% Syrah, 27% Grenache, 17% Merlot, 13% Zinfandel, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Tempranillo, and 1% Petite Sirah. It poured a vibrant violet into the glass and opened with a light and bright aroma of black and red fruits with spice. On the palate this smooth wine delivered rich flavors of blackberries, blueberries, black raspberries, cherries and raspberries with smoke, espresso, spice notes, a touch of earthiness and violets. This wine had a velvet touch with lots of integrated flavors, nice round acidity and balanced tannins. It was very easy drinking. This wine was aged for six months in neutral French oak. This wine paired well with the Roasted Chicken Quiche with mixed greens  and raspberry macaroon served at the luncheon. It would also pair well with pork, light beef dishes and pasta. This wine is available nation-wide at Safeway, Kroger, Albertsons, Ralphs, Harris Teeter, Jewel Osco, Roundy’s and more. Pick up a bottle and let me know what you think!

As we arrived at the luncheon we were greeted with a delicious glass of Sangria made with the Truvée Chardonnay. Elisabeth with Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines was kind enough to share the yummy recipe and I want to pass it on to you for your upcoming Memorial Day and summer outdoor cookouts. It was delicious!

Truvée White Sangria

Serves 12

1 750 ml bottle of Truvée Chardonnay

6 oz. bottle Ketel One Citroen

6 oz. elderflower liqueur

6 oz. Stellina di Notte Prosecco

Garnish:

Raspberries

Peaches

Andréa McBride shared her wine making philosophy with me saying, “We want to create wines balanced and disappear.” I thought this was a great philosophy. By disappear she meant the wines blend into the meal, fellowship and conversation. They don’t interrupt or detract; rather, they pair beautifully with any occasion, or a simple weeknight meal. To learn more about Andrea and Robin McBride and their wines visit the McBride Sisters web site.

My Song Selection: I have chosen to pair these two wines and this lovely luncheon with Rihanna’s Diamond. These wines are young, vibrant and progressive yet classy and elegant from two powerful sisters who are blazing their own trail in the wine industry; pairing perfectly with a young and vibrant, yet elegant song by a woman who is certainly a trailblazer in the music industry.

Get your own bottles of Truvée Chardonnay and Red Blend and let me know what song you would pair with them. Cheers!