Wine Life - Houston

When I started blogging in 2010, I quickly became aware of an event called the Wine Blogger's Conference . Every year via social media, I watched my on-line cohorts discuss the benefits and fun of attending this yearly gathering. I toyed with registering and making the trip but other things kept taking precedence. As I met more people who had actually attended, I became a bit more determined to go and see what it was all about for myself.  This month, I finally did just that, I arrived in the Finger Lakes region of New York on August 13 and it was game on. Upon getting off the plane, I was greeted by a representative of the region at a table loaded with wine just waiting to be tasted. This was just the beginning of my immersion into #FLXWine.  Later that evening, we enjoyed a sip and stroll style tasting with light bites from local restaurants served alongside the  many diverse wine offerings from the area under a tent in a park in the Gaffer District. This casual eve...

As originally seen in the July 2015 edition of Galveston Monthly magazine The Oakville American Viticultural Area in Napa Valley is home to some of the region’s most iconic wines. Within this AVA lies a particularly special vineyard area known as To Kalon. To Kalon is 550 acres of some of Napa Valley’s most prized land supplying wineries such as Robert Mondavi, Opus One, Far Niente and numerous others through wine grape grower, Beckstoffer. The vineyard is also home to some of UC Davis’ field stations. The vineyard has also received the Fish Friendly Farming Certification from the California Land Stewardship Institute for the use of vineyard management techniques that are designed to improve water quality and protect fish and wildlife habitats. To Kalon translates to “the beautiful or “highest beauty” in Greek. The area was originally planted by Hamilton Crabb in the 1860’s. He was known as the “wine king of the Pacific slope” at that time for his pioneering efforts in c...

As originally seen in the August edition of   Galveston Monthly  magazine

Master Sommelier George Miliotes was in Houston last night presenting his wine selections for this summer's "Generous Pour" event at The Capital Grille in City Center for local wine and food writers. From now until August 30, guests can opt to indulge in eight wines that are new to the menu for $28 per person. This year's fun twist is that all of the selected wines were produced by women in California. The list features three whites and five reds in a range of varieties and styles. We started with the 2013 Barrymore Pinot Grigio from Monterey. This fresh and fruity easy-drinking white paired perfectly with the pan fried calamari with hot cherry peppers. This was followed by the Galerie "Naissance" Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc which was aged on its lees in neutral oak barrels giving an added richness to the wine and it was served with prosciutto wrapped mozzarella and vine ripened tomatoes. The final white wine was the very limited production Stonestre...