Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/11486
A Most Delightful Discourse in arlier this year I was in Denton, a college town just north of Fort Worth, to check out North By 35, a music showcase patterned after Austin’s world-renowned South By Southwest and named for the interstate connecting the two locations. In addition to hearing some incredible music, I discovered Denton’s other charms, including an absolute gem of a wine bar called Wine Squared (wi- netimeswine.com). E When I was there I enjoyed a couple flûtes of Avinyó Cava Brut Rosé. Finding this boutique Spanish bubbly in lil’ ol’ Denton was surprising enough, but the laid-back ambiance of the place, combined with exceptional conversation with the owner, Brook Ray, made for a great afternoon. Brook is a tattoo-sporting, skateboard-riding, redheaded pistol of a woman—and a great example of why 2010 is THE TASTING PANEL’s Year of the Woman in Wine. Brook’s passion for music parallels her devotion to wine. After she moved to Denton for college, she began building a career in music production, eventually working with local groups and national acts like Brooks & Dunn, Guns N’ Roses and Clay Walker. Life on the road was a grind, and some of the artists lived up to rock-n-roll stereotypes. A few examples: Erykah Badu (“She’s a micro-managing diva,” says Brook), Pat Benatar (“Why does her drummer need a table set up to jump rope on before the show? Why can’t he just jump rope on the ground like everyone else?”) and Weezer (“They insisted that no one in production could look them in the eye.”) In 2005, after some especially tiresome gigs, she got to know the owner of a dreary little wine shop on Denton’s town square. He kept grousing about bad business and talking about wanting to sell the place until eventually Brook offered to buy it. Wine Squared turned five in June, revamped with regu- larly rotating stock and reignited by Brook’s credentials, including certifications from the Wine Academy of Spain and the Bordeaux Wine School. She’s a member of the Society of Wine Educators and is working her way through the Wine and Spirits Education Trust of England. But I believe Wine Squared is a hit because Dentonites like Brook’s Texas-sized opinions as much as they like her wine. “There’s this place in the Dallas–Fort Worth area that claims Denton by Anthony Head / photo by Kirk Weddle to be able to teach you everything you need to know about wine in 90 minutes” she says. “Bullshit. That’s like telling me I can know everything I need to know about jazz in an hour and a half.” Go ahead, Brook, speak your mind, I tell her. What about the Texas wine industry? “There are, I believe, 400-plus wineries in Texas. That’s about 350 too many. Too many amateurs. They won’t listen to reason about growing the right grapes.” Now, before you get the wrong idea, Brook’s actually a very positive person, and she admires several Texas winer- ies, like Becker Vineyards (especially its Viognier, Syrah and Grenache), and Crossroads Winery (especially the Sangiovese). But like me, she just wants to see more folks planting to the land. “Texas Tempranillo is so wonderful,” Brook says as I nod in total agreement. “So why are all these Texas wineries plant- ing Pinot Noir? We make beautiful Syrah, beautiful Viognier. We actually do good Chardonnay, but . . . Pinot Noir?” I’m almost afraid to ask about the national wine scene, but . . . “The problem with American wine culture is that you have blowhards who don’t know a whole lot but still blow loudly. We really need more knowledgeable consumers wanting to learn about wine for themselves.” And that’s Brook’s real passion: teaching and exposing people to new wines. “You have to be honest with yourself about what you like,” she says, “but the wine world is so huge, why not go to the different places? I just did a Loire Valley class here and everyone was shocked at how good Muscadet is.” As my time in Denton and Wine Squared was coming to an end, I paid my tab and promised to return for next year’s showcase. Brook assured me she’d be around, still teaching, still loving wine and music equally. “I’ll always be around music because of its commonalities with wine. Everyone can learn to play music or make wine. The process is always basic and simple. Grapes, however, are never going to become great wine on their own. Neither will a song write itself. It’s the magic in the maker that makes them unique. You have to have the art in you.” Did I mention that Brook holds a degree in philosophy? june 2010 / the tasting panel / 81