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 th...