What a fantastic way to experience the city; the food, the wine, the people, the sights and sounds, the culture… all in an incredible tour chauffeured every step of the way via pedicab and orchestrated by the GUSTO Team.  Our goal is simply to showcase great food and wine pairings. This is one food and wine tour you won’t forget!

“Experience where you live
or where you visit
in a whole new way”

Tour Highlights

- Tours start at $140/couple
- A different tour is offered Tuesday-Sunday
- Less than 10 tours available for sale each day
- Tours repeat each week for a month
- Tours must be purchased 48 hours in advance
- Tours last 4 hours

Tour Schedule

6:30pm- 1st reservation
7:45pm- Check out your ride & meet your driver
8:00pm- 2nd reservation
9:15pm- Zoom Zoom Zoom
9:30pm- 3rd reservation
10:45pm- Hope on, where can I take you? 

 *Share pics and opinions while your touring to @gustotastings #pedicabtours

Ready To Tour – Pick A City

GUSTO Tasting Groups were created because we wanted to share our enthusiasm for wine with others with the same enthusiasm.  We host local tasting groups that vary in topic but are all intended to educate in a social and fun way. All our meetups are hosted with GUSTO Sommeliers and are open to anyone who wants to join a wine community consisting of both professionals and enthusiasts.

Our tasting group members receive discount pricing on ALL our tastings and events. It’s also FREE to join the tasting group. It’s one of those situations where there is nothing but an upside! 

A Wine Community – Jump In!

 Houston Tasting Group

Austin Tasting Group

Dallas/FT. Worth Tasting Group

Tasting Group Photos

When you ask the average Texan ‘what do you think of Texas wine?’ you almost always, without exception get one of two responses back. Either they haven’t had any Texas wine worth remembering or they don’t even see it as an option when there is so much “better” wine out there.

The Texas vs. The World Tasting is a head-to-head varietal comparison of wines made in Texas, by Texas grown fruit compared to the same varietal in a wine from another world-class growing area.

Each tasting has a featured winery to co-host each tasting along side of GUSTO and the Texas Wine and Food Consortium. The producer is there to shed light, lead discussions and answer questions about making wine in Texas.  GUSTO Sommeliers are there to lead discussion and answer questions on the other world-class wines in the tasting. This tasting is intended be relaxed, social and fun; as well as being great for networking with other wine enthusiasts and professionals.  

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This tasting series is produced in partnership with the Texas Wine and Food Consortium (TXWFC); who’s mission is to promote the Texas wine industry through trade collaboration, events, education and outreach. Join us and support the Texas wine industry. It’s going to open your eyes about the world-class wines being produced right here in our own background.

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Choose a city:

Last Tuesday of the Month
Malaga Tapas & Bar – Downtown
7:30pm- 9:30pm

2nd Monday of the Month
The Fort Worth Club
7:30pm- 9:30pm

Coming in 2013

Coming in 2013

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 Got Questions?  tastings@gustotastings.com

The Guild is dedicated to fostering wine education at the highest levels and helping both wine professionals and wine enthusiasts increase and expand their knowledge and understanding of wine.

All Guild programs are taught from a curriculum with a world view and can be approached by both the wine enthusiast and wine professional. We provide our own proprietary course materials for all diploma programs and administer course exams based on in-class teachings. All lead instructors in our professional programs have industry experience – often in a range of different areas of the industry and have been through a two-year training program to become Senior Wine Instructors.

Courses Offered In Texas

See Our Calendar For Upcoming Courses

Read Testimonials From Guild Graduates

The food during this period of English history is characterized as being simple in its approach, which relied highly on the quality of the natural ingredient. Traditional cuisines typically stayed away from strong flavors, such as garlic, spice and complex sauces. The courses of this dinner are based on the infamous Christmas feast and the Victorian era that A Christmas Carol was written in, and the wines for this five course meal where carefully selected by professional wine sommeliers.

 Guests were first greeted and welcomed with a glass of Leon Palais “Blanc de Blanc” Brut, a refreshing Cremant from the Jura region.

For the 1st Course, we opened a 1er Cru Chablis, 2006 Vintage

1st Course - Saffron Poached White Fish dressed in Olive Oil, served on a bed of Asparragus

The 2nd course saw the uncorking of a Chateau La Grange, Saint-Julien, 2005

2nd Course - Beef Wellington with a Mushroom Cream Sauce, served with Potatoes with Bleu Cheese au Gratin

3rd Course - Fresh Mixed Green Salad with Poached Pears, Ginger Vinaigrette

For the 4th Course a wonderful wine from Beaujolais; Villa Ponciago, Fleurie “La Reserve” 2009

4th Course - Duck breast with an Orange reduction and Brussels Sprouts

And a Bergmann, Rheinhessen, Eiswein, 2008 was paired with the wonderful pudding…and just when you think things are wrapping up, we surprised our guests with Port after dinner, opening up a bottle of Smith Woodhouse, LBV Porto, 1995.

 

5th Course - Sticky Fig Toffee Pudding

Exec. Chef of Wine Arts, Oscar A. Montes Iga - preparing to do Port service for the dinners

Those who attended were treated to delicious tasty bites from over 20 Austin chefs and wine samples galore. Master Sommelier Devon Broglie, with Glazer’s Master Somms Guy Stout and Craig Collins, Master candidate Daniel Kelada of Gusto Tastings along with Exec. Sommeliers Oscar A. Montes Iga & Shawn Croft and Sommelier Bill Elsey with Wines.com, and many other colleagues partook in this adventure.

The Dylan Jones trio provided an interesting set of background music that could have hypnotized those who had their hands in the sweet nectar of the vines –  and guests bid for unique items at the silent auction. One guest took home a bottle of 1955 port with their winning big!

As always, The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas, with the creative mind of Jennifer Grathwohl made this a fantastic sold out event!

Keep your head up for the 10th Anniversary of Big Reds & Bubbles, as it will surely be in every aficionado’s list to attend, so don’t miss out on your ticket!

Devon Broglie, 37 – is the Whole Foods Market Southwest Regional Specialty Coordinator, and is one of very few Master Sommeliers working for a national supermarket brand; he’s been part of the Whole Foods family for just over 10 years.

Craig Collins, 35 – is Sales Manager for the Prestige division of Glazer’s Distributors.

They both have put Austin in the map as a wine enjoyment destination.
If you’d like to learn more about these two wine hunters, news of their success have spread quite rapidly all over the webbosphere [yes, just made that up] – so, congratulate them if you see them! We wish an even more enlightened path ahead for both of them. Cheers!

Also, a recent post by DallasNews.com

Duchman winery sales guy named best Texas sommelier
By Kim Pierce/Reporter

File this under “who knew he had such a hidden talent?” Bill Elsey, director of sales at Duchman Family Winery in Driftwood (the winery that gave us the incredible vermentino) was named Texsom’s 2011 Texas Best Sommelier last night at the Grand Tasting and Awards Reception at the Four Seasons Resort & Club in Las Colinas.

First runner-up was Nathan Prater, wine specialist at Good2Go in Austin. Second runner-up was David Keck from Prestige Wine Cellars in Houston. All the winners get various scholarships to the Court of Master Sommeliers to continue their studies toward becoming master sommeliers.
I’ve never seen Bill so Happy! – Congrats again Bill!
CHEERS!

Left to right: Nathan Prater, Bill Elsey and David Keck

And so – the winery and vineyard growth along with the expantion of wine education of Central Texas and the Hill Country retake root to upbring a culture revolving around the the correlation of land and horticulture to the finest enjoyment of most ancient traditions. The wine sommelier is reponsible amongst many other calls, to not only oversee the correct serving temperature of wine during service, to the knowledge of the grape source and terroir, as to the vast magnitude of variables of wine making.

Daniel Kelada, EWS; Certified Wine Instructor; Owner of GUSTO Tastings is celebrating three years since the launch of the company in Septermber 2011. Daniel, a Master Candidate for the International Wine Guild has been successful with GUSTO, as well as being able to represent the Guild as Business Developer for the State of Texas, bringing Guild Certifications and Seminars to Central Texas, including Austin and Houston.

[http://gustotastings.com/]

At the forefront of the International Wine Guild’s growth, it may be possible to start seminars in San Antonio, the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropoli and the Texas Hill Country. GUSTO’s liaison includes Oscar A. Montes Iga; Certified Executive Chef of Wine Arts – who has entered the Guild’s Culinary Team as Chef de Cuisine for Texas – executing food pairings for the Certification Seminars. [http://www.internationalwineguild.com/]

Westcave Cellars Winery has been invited to host International Wine Guild Tastings for Guild Members, as well as opening the door for other wine enthusiasts to hosted functions of the Austin Hill Country Chapter of the American Wine Society.[http://www.westcavecellars.com/]

Owners of Westcave Cellars – Margaret & Allan Fetty, are Professional Members of the American Wine Society, and hosted the Chapter’s first Official Meeting.
[http://www.americanwinesociety.org/]

Margaret and Allan Fetty, owners of Westcave Cellars Winery were present during the component tasting, and it was a great opportunity to meet with them – they offered barrel samples for our guests and disclosed details on winemaking methodology, making this even a more extraordinary evening.

Chapter Founder, Oscar A. Montes, chose the line up of 5 wines made on site, and paired them with 8 simple foods to evaluate the pairing characteristics of wine and food.

Guests got to learn hands on, and experience what wine professionals have to think about and go through when selecting wine for food events. The list that follows is the wines selected for this specific pairing.

Westcave Cellars Winery, Texas High Plains, Blanc de Merlot Noir, 2010

A clear orange-red rosé made with Merlot from the Panhandle of Texas. It has a nose showcasing aromas of rose petals, strawberry, cranberry and a lemon zest. Flavors of raspberry, cherry, ripe strawberry, apricot and orange zest fill the mouth. It is finished medium-sweet balanced with a smooth yet lively acidity in this medium-full body wine with a pleasant long finish.

Westcave Cellars Winery, Texas High Plains, Muscat Blanc, 2010

Grown in the Texas High Plains, this white Muscat is clear straw to yellow canary hue. Simple aromas of ripe peach, honeysuckle and pineapple, and more developed aromas of lily, kiwi and wet stone. A pleasant quality of white peach, pear and apple flavors. Medium –dry and velvety to the tongue, medium-full body with a lively smooth acidity and a pleasant long finish.

Westcave Cellars Winery, Texas High Plains, Viognier, 2010 [light oak]

Medium-full body and medium-dry Viogner. Clear medium straw color. It has powerful and complex aromas of white peach, lychee fruit, citrus, pear and apple, floral notes, herbal tones, and grassy accents. It has supple and lively acidity, and it fills the mouth with flavors of green apple, grapefruit, lemon and lime. Pleasant long finish.

Westcave Cellars Winery, Texas Hill Country, Estate Cuvée, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2010

A proprietor’s select blend of Cabernet grown on the Estate. A clear, medium garnet to brick red hue. It has aromas of red berries, dark plum, and clove with a hint of toasted coffee. Fills the tongue with flavors of dark cherry, raspberry and spice. Supple full body with soft tannins and a pleasant long finish.

Westcave Cellars Winery, Texas Hill Country, Estate Tannat, 2010 [unbottled]

This estate grown Tannat is clear, with a dark opaque purple to red violet colors. Releases aromas of plum and black currant, and dark cherry. It brings flavors of black cherry, blueberry, dark plum and a nice anise or licorice finish. Smooth full body with balanced tannins and a pleasant very long finish.

Visit the Wine & Food Foundation of Texas Official Site to keep updated on events and membership benefits. Also visit www.gustotastings.com to learn more about GUSTO and your Ultimate Tasting Experience!

 
On April 29th I experienced another journey into the Caves of the Cellars. An impromptu day of randomness inspired a trip to the winery in the Texas Hill Country to be able to taste wine from the region. Invited by propriétaires Margaret and Allan Fetty, a good colleague, Copper Anderson, and myself went to see the operations, and got a good oportunity to sample a wide viriety of Texan wine. More than half of the wines we sampled were unbottled, still young. But we sampled some bottled wine and overall it is a great effort and it shows and induces you to enjoy! We couldn’t be more anxious to be back yet again.

Below is what we had to sample:

Westcave Cellars Winery, Texas Hill Country, Viognier, 2010
This medium-full body viognier is vinified off-dry. It is bright straw green color, and it has adequate aroma characteristics of citrus and tropical fruit and more complex aromas of candied peach and crystallized ginger that finishes with a hint of vanilla. It has smooth crisp acidity with a pleasant very long finish.

Westcave Cellars Winery, Texas High Plains, Viognier, 2010
Medium-full body and medium-dry Viogner. Clear medium straw color. It has powerful and complex aromas of white peach, lychee fruit, citrus, pear and apple, floral notes, herbal tones, and grassy accents. It has supple and lively acidity, and it fills the mouth with flavors of green apple, grapefruit, lemon and lime. Pleasant long finish.

Westcave Cellars Winery, Texas High Plains, Muscat Blanc, 2010
Grown in the Texas High Plains, this white Muscat is clear straw to yellow canary hue. Simple aromas of ripe peach, honeysuckle and pineapple, and more developed aromas of lily, kiwi and wetstone. A pleasant quality of white peach, pear and apple flavors. Medium –dry and velvety to the tongue, medium-full body with a lively smooth acidity and a pleasant long finish.

Westcave Cellars Winery, Texas High Plains, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2010
The Cabernet grown in the Panhandle is clear and it has a dark cherry to garnet color. Aromas of red chili pepper, red apple, blackberry dominated and it showcased graceful accents of cedar and wet stone. Flavors of dark cherry, mature red apple, and tamarind with a lingering spicy finish. Rounded full body with rich tannins and a pleasant long finish.

Westcave Cellars Winery, Texas Hill Country, Estate Cuvée, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2010

A proprietor’s select blend of Cabernet grown on the Estate. A clear, medium garnet to brick red hue. It has aromas of red berries, dark plum, and clove with a hint of toasted coffee. Fills the tongue with flavors of dark cherry, raspberry and spice. Supple full body with soft tannins and a pleasant long finish.

Westcave Cellars Winery, Texas High Plains, Merlot Noir, 2010
This High Plains Merlot has a dark ruby to cherry color. Aromas of black berries, dark cherry and spice. Flavors of dark cherry, plum, and earthy accents of cedar. Rounded and supple full body, with rich soft tannins and a pleasant very long finish.

Westcave Cellars Winery, Texas Hill Country, Estate Tannat, 2010
This estate grown Tannat is clear, with a dark opaque purple to red violet colors. Releases aromas of plum and black currant, and dark cherry. It brings flavors of black cherry, blueberry, dark plum and a nice anise or licorice finish. Smooth full body with balanced tannins and a pleasant very long finish.

Westcave Cellars Winery, Texas High Plains, Blanc de Merlot Noir, 2010
A clear orange-red rosé made with Merlot from the Panhandle of Texas. It has a nose showcasing aromas of rose petals, strawberry, cranberry and a lemon zest. Flavors of raspberry, cherry, ripe strawberry, apricot and orange zest fill the mouth. It is finished medium-sweet balanced with a smooth yet lively acidity in this medium-full body wine with a pleasant long finish.

Westcave Cellars Winery, Texas, Blanc de Zinfandel, 2010
This Zinfandel grown in Eastern Texas has a bright light-medium salmon color. Cranberry on the nose, and noticeable aromas of white rose blossom with hints of mountain rain and alpine springs. Showcasing flavors of cranberry, cherry, raspberry and a clove finish. This medium-full body Zin is balanced with velvety sweetness and a very pleasant soft long finish.
 

Westcave Cellars Winery, Texas, Cabernet Sauvignon, “Sweet Red Wine” 2010
This proprietary blend of Cabernet and Muscat has a medium cherry color. Pleasant aromas of watermelon and tamarind on the nose. Brings flavors of cherry and watermelon. A smoothly balanced sweet wine with a medium body and a straightforward medium finish.