Wine Life - Houston

I was pleased to attend the Ferrari-Trento sparkling wine lunch at Tony’s for wine trade and media with Ferrari President, Matteo Lunelli; it was undoubtedly the wine highlight of my month. In addition to the fabulous food that one can always expect from Houston’s favorite upscale Italian eatery, each course was also being paired with some of Italy’s most award-winning sparkling wine.  I learned many interesting things during the course of our meal. The history of the company began with the dream of one man, Giulio Ferrari.  He began his study of wine in the late 1800’s in Italy. He later moved to France to continue his studies and ended up traveling to Champagne to learn to make bottle- fermented sparkling wine. He would also study in Germany before bringing his knowledge and ideas back to Trentino at the end of the 19 th century. Well-traveled and well educated, he believed his home was ideal for making a bottle-fermented sparkling wine like he had seen in other part...

As originally seen in the  October 2014 edition of  Galveston Monthly   magazine. Follow the magazine on  facebook

The Wines of San Juan, Argentina Tasting in Houston earlier this month surprised local wine trade and media with their fresh and approachable array of wines. Fifteen wineries were represented with numerous wines being poured.  The high elevation of the vineyard area in San Juan helps to create wines that maintain natural acidity while still achieving full ripeness. This was the first opportunity for most in attendance to taste wines from the San Juan region; tasters were also treated to wines from some of the area's specific named valleys as well. I was particularly looking forward to trying some crisp Torrontes and some of the award winning Syrah. I walked in from the heat and was greeted with a cool glass of   El Guardado Chic Rosé  made from 100% Malbec grapes sourced from the Zonda and Pedernal Valleys. This wine was refreshing and fruity, an easy drinking patio sipper. I then circled the room and tasted several Torrontes and a few other whites. My next...

After a slight decline in sales in 2012, the wines of Argentina have been experiencing the glow of renewed interest in the U.S. market starting last year with bottled shipments rising up to 6.1 million cases; that's an increase of 5%, according to Impact Databank. While continuing to focus on the country’s signature grape varietal, Malbec, larger companies like Alamos and Trapiche continue to grow while a number of smaller Argentine wineries are also being introduced into the U.S. The Wines of San Juan, Argentina, a group of 35 boutique wineries, with assistance from the Argentine Federal Investment Council, have decided it is time to present their wines to some of our key markets. They will introduce their wine to the trade in four cities- Dallas, Houston, New Orleans and San Francisco via a delegation of 14 highly regarded wineries with their Taste and Experience the Wines of San Juan, Argentina tour. The San Juan area has been producing wine for over 150 years and ...