Wine Life - Houston

Media Sample My husband made pulled pork sandwiches for a weekend family gathering. I decided to open a bottle of the 2011 Belnero Toscana IGT by Castello Banfi which had been recommended as a barbecue wine.  This Tuscan blend is mostly Sangiovese with a small amount of Cabernet and Merlot which has been aged for about 14 months in French Oak, of which only 30% new. In the glass, the wine was a deep ruby color with aromas of plum, licorice and milk chocolate. On the palate, a full body with smooth tannins and fresh acidity with flavors to match the nose with a medium+ length finish.   It worked well with our sandwiches and everyone enjoyed their taste of the Belnero, recommended.  Approximately $27.   

As originally seen in the August 2014 issue of Galveston Monthly Follow Galveston Monthly on Facebook

My husband and I had dinner last weekend at Ciao Bello . Jeremy Parzen turned us on to this restaurant back in 2012 and it quickly became a favorite of ours. We had started to get into a rut over the past year always ordering the same things. We did this last month during restaurant week when our favorites like the pastiera di mare, a creamy marscapone souffle with shrimp and crabmeat made the lineup. On this evening, we did things a bit different than usual. Instead of bubbles and the crisp green tomatoes with crabmeat and/or the above mentioned souffle, we ordered a bottle of the 2012 La Magia Rosso di Montalcino and decided to start with the polpette, a baseball-sized meatball that arrived to the table looking better than as pictured, my husband was swiping bread through it as it hit the table before I could retrieve my camera. He was genuinely that excited to see it arrive. For our next course, we split the primavera salad. This baby arugula salad has roasted grapes, Tomino

I stayed at  Lakeway Resort and Spa  during my last trip to the Austin area. The hotel is located on Lake Travis just 20-30 minutes from downtown Austin. The resort has beautiful grounds with panoramic views of the lake. Amenities include both a multi-level adult pool with a swim up bar and a family pool with a water slide. While boating and other lake activities were the main attraction for many guests, my husband and I were there to enjoy the proximity to one of the Hill Country's award winning wineries, Spicewood Vineyards , and enjoy some relaxation time. We arrived shortly after the 4:00 check-in time; we left our car with the valet and we walked into a quiet lobby for a quick and easy check-in. We were shown to our 5th floor lake view room with a king size bed. We found a cheese tray and water bottles waiting for us upon entry. We  ate our snack,  freshened up and headed down to the complimentary happy hour. We each got a drink and took a seat out on the patio. It was