Wine Life - Houston

My trip this week to Napa Valley began with a media dinner at Robert Mondavi Winery with four other journalists and winemaker, Megan Schofield, on hand to discuss the wines of the evening. I might not typically write about this meal if it was something of which I felt my readers would not be able to ever partake. The reasons that I decided to do so are that, on this evening, we enjoyed the most affordable and available wines in the Robert Mondavi portfolio and I also learned how easy it would be for others to enjoy wine and food pairings in this venue. Robert Mondavi Winery sits on the famed To Kalon Vineyard with a view of the mountains in the background, to call it scenic would be selling it short. The grounds are complete with stunning gardens blooming with flowers and beautiful art all around; a combination of the best that nature and man can offer.  Our dinner that evening and our lunch on the following day were prepared by the in-house chef, Jeff Mosher. His ph...

Notes from The Master Class Taught by Marco Sabellico, the top taster and editor of the Vini d'Italia , Gambero Rosso 's annual guide to the wines of Italy. This is not the order that we tasted the wines, I reorganized them by region. Veneto De Stefani Valdobbiadene Brut Mill. 2014 - Smooth, round, fresh; green and yellow apples Villa Sandi Valdobbiadene Superior Extra Dry - Smoother & sweeter than above, floral wisteria aromas, lighter structure, peach and apple Bortolomiol Valdobbiadene Extra Dry Banda Rossa 2014 - Fresh, pleasant, apples Ruggeri Valdobbiadene Extra Dry Giustino B 2013 - from 70+ year old vines, one of Italy's top labels; fresh, floral, mineral finish Tenute di Genagricola Pinot Grigio I Classici 2013 Tenuta Sant' Anna  - floral, pear and peach, fresh acidity, food friendly; pair with pasta with shellfish Otella Lugana Superior Molceo Riserva 2012 - Trebbiano/Ugni Blanc mutation from clay-based terroir facing lake; rich, smooth, cre...

After the Gambero Rosso Road Show, I was pleased to be included, along with my husband and daughter, for dinner with Jeremy Parzen and Silvano Brescianini at Dolce Vita , one of Houston's best casual Italian restaurants. After a day of spitting wine, it was so nice to sit down and enjoy some of Silvano's fantastic sparkling Italian wine alongside the delicious and authentic Italian dinner offerings while hearing more about his home and his organically grown wines. We drank his Animonte Francicorta Brut which is a Chardonnay based blend of the three allowed grapes.This fresh sparkling wine has aromas of lemon zest with light hints of toast and jasmine with long lasting bubbles, fresh acidity and a lingering citrus finish. It was perfect with everything from the fish to the octopus to the salad to the pizza. The pairing potential of this wine is endless. I do love sparkling wine and it is so wonderful to see more of this type of wine in Houston on wine lists and in r...

The McBride Sisters of Truvée Wines  were in town this week introducing their wines to the Houston market. At a press luncheon at Coppa Osteria, members of the media had the opportunity to hear their story and taste this new line of wines now conveniently available at Kroger's grocery stores. The name Truvée is derived from the French verb that means to find, a fitting name as I learned, after hearing their history.  Robin and Andréa McBride grew up without each other. They had the same father but they had different mothers and they did not know that the other existed. Interestingly, they were both being raised in up and coming wine regions on opposite sides of the globe. Robin, the elder sister, grew up in Monterey, California, surrounded by vineyards leading to her early career in technical sales and the international importing and exporting of wine. Younger sister, Andréa, was growing up in Marlborough, New Zealand, where she was introduced to the wine industry via the ...

I had the opportunity to meet and taste with Edouard Parinet of  Chateau du Moulin-à-Vent   when he visited Houston a few weeks ago. We tasted some fantastic Beaujolais Cru wines that are perfect Spring reds. At the time, none were available in our market for retail purchase which is a big disappointment as I really enjoyed them all. The wines are on the wine list at Brennan's Steakhouse and Hugo's restaurant, check them out there. The red wines of Beaujolais are made from Gamay, a grape that gives a raspberry or cherry character and has lighter tannins with fresh acidity. Beaujolais is often thought of as a luncheon or picnic wine but the wines of  Chateau du Moulin-à-Vent can do that and more.  Moulin-à-Vent is one of the Beaujolais Crus and the wines produced in this area are known to be some of the most full bodied in the region that can also improve with bottle ageing.  Across the board, the wines of  Chateau du Moulin-à-Vent  were more...

As originally seen in the April 2015 Edition  of Galveston Monthly magazine