Wine Life - Houston

As seen in the December 2019 issue of Galveston Monthly magazine December is gift giving season! This month we take a look at some great gifts for the wine lover in your life. You'll find some that are easy to order on-line and some that are available right here on the island.

As originally seen in the November 2019 issue of Galveston Monthly magazine   Between holiday meals and parties, November seems to start the sparkling wine season. While Champagne will always be the king of the bubbly, there is a whole world of sparkling wine to enjoy at every price point.

As seen in the October edition of Galveston Monthly magazine   It wasn't so long ago that Willamette was known for other agricultural products other than wine grapes. In the 1960s and 1970s, a few families shared the same dream of making world class wines and the valley was changed forever by their pioneering spirit. This month, we take a lot at the first families of Willamette Valley wine and learn some of their stories along with a recommended wine they are producing today.

As seen in the September issue of Galveston Monthly magazine   When people hear Bordeaux, they often picture grand chateaux and exorbitantly expensive red wines. This month we take a look at some of the more affordably priced high quality wines sourced from the hillsides with this guide giving you recommended producers and information about each of the growing areas of the Côtes de Bordeaux region.

After a fair amount of traveling this summer with more still to come, I was looking forward to spending time at home with my family this week. Both of my millennial children have recently moved back to Houston but the home-cooked meals have been few and far between. I had recently received a sample of the Spy Valley E Block Sauvignon Blanc 2017 along with an invitation to participate in an on-line tasting with the Wine Pairing Weekend group (find them online under the hashtag #Winepw), this became the inspiration for this family gathering. I gleefully sent out a group text, "I'm grilling poolside tonight, be home by 7:30 p.m. to eat, come earlier if you want to swim." I am surrounded by funny people as the responses reflect, "Who is this?", "What have you done with my mom?", "Not a good night, Bachelor in Paradise is on." I was undeterred, I knew that they would come. I pulled the bottle out of the wine fridge to investigate what I was ...

As seen in the August issue of Galveston Monthly magazine Mourvèdre is becoming more well-known in Texas as more and more grape growers and wineries focus on this grape. This month, we take a look at where else it is grown in the world and give recommendations for top picks.

On one of Bordeaux's hottest days this summer, I rode with Chateau Peyruche's owner, Bertrand Weisgerber up into the vineyard to meet winemaker and vineyard manager, David Sarry, to learn more about their conversion to organic farming. Along the way, Weisgerber shared that locals refer to this area as "little Tuscany" because of the rolling hills and bucolic landscape. Château Peyruche sits on the small hillsides of Langoiran which overlooks the Garonne River in the Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux region. The name comes from old French words meaning "rough stone." The estate is built on these calcareous rocks. The house was built in at least the 15th century, if not earlier, and was renovated in the 17th century. Weisgerber is now in the midst of renovating it again. Weisgerber purchased the estate in early 2017. He had always wanted his own winery and upon seeing the historic property, he immediately fell in love with it. He quickly hired David Sarry to be...

Located on the hillside overlooking the Valée de Dordogne in the Sainte-Foy sub-region of the Côtes de Bordeaux lies Château Pré La Lande . On a recent trip to Bordeaux, I had the opportunity to meet winemaker and owner,  Michel Beaucé and his family. Beaucé led our group into the vineyard and gave us a brief overview of the small region which, of the five Côtes, is the farthest from the city of Bordeaux. There are twenty-three winegrowers and two cooperatives working 1,640 acres of land on primarily limestone and clay soils. Most are located along the northern part of the river where it is very hilly with wooded areas between the vineyards. The region produces mostly dry red wines but also some dry white and sweet wines. Beaucé was born in the Champagne region of France. He began his journey into wine as a merchant selling French wines across the globe. After getting married and starting his family, he decided to make a change to a simpler, more authentic life and purchased...

As seen in the July 2019 issue of Galveston Monthly magazine

  The next stop on the Lodi wine trail was at Mohr-Fry Ranches to get a view of the gnarled old vines that made Lodi famous. We parked on the road next to certified historical vineyard , Marian’s Vineyard. which holds 8.3 acres of old vine Zinfandel planted on its own roots. The vineyard sits on Lodi’s west side and is located in the highly esteemed Mokelumne River AVA. This historic vineyard was started in 1901. It sits on sandy soils on the Mohr-Fry Ranches property. Owner, Jerry Fry named the vineyard after his mother. It is currently farmed by father/son team Jerry and Bruce Fry.   The Mohr-Fry property consists of vineyards and orchards, along with diversified row crops. They grow twelve varieties of wine grapes, two varieties of cherries and over twenty-five varieties of dry heirloom beans. The agricultural history of the Mohrs and Frys extends back to the 1850s when Bruce Fry's great-great-grandfather on Jerry's mother's side, Cornelius Mohr left his j...

     Lodi’s famous Bechthold Vineyard sits on 25 acres  in what is now the southwestern Lodi sub AVA, Mokelumne River. This parcel of land is home to 133 year old vine Cinsault which was planted in 1886. The vines are head trained, un-grafted, dry-farmed, and organically grown on sandy loam soil. Bechthold has the distinction of being the oldest continuously farmed vineyard in Lodi and the region’s only known large planting of Cinsault.   Cinsault is a red grape originally from southern France primarily used in both red and rosé blends. Cinsault is valued for creating wines that have fruity aromas with a pleasant texture. The Cinsault vines at Bechthold Vineyards are believed to be the oldest Cinsault vines in the world due to the vines of Southern France being replanted in the early 20th century after the phylloxera epidemic.   Kevin Phillips of Michael David Winery, has farmed the vineyard with his team since 2008 under a long te...

As seen in the June 2019 issue of Galveston Monthly magazine

As originally seen in the May 2019 issue of  Galveston Monthly magazine.

Getting a barrel sample at Wedding Oak Winery.  This was originally published in the April 2019 issue of Galveston Monthly magazine.  As the cold days of winter recede into the renewed warmth of spring, signs of new growth are everywhere. This is also true in vineyards across Texas. The dry sticks have woken up from their winter nap, the buds are breaking, and the 2019 growing season has begun. While its too soon to know what this year will hold, it is a great time to look back to see what to expect from the upcoming wines of the Lone Star State.   After an exceptionally cold spring followed by an excessively hot summer with drought conditions, there was initially concern for the quality of the 2018 vintage. Winemakers across the state were delighted to have these worries lifted as harvest began. Fall Creek Vineyards Director of Winemaking, Sergio Cuadro, shared his thoughts on the 2018 vintage. “We have amazing quality, albeit smaller yields, with the exception of Mou...

As seen in the March 2018 issue of Galveston Monthly magazine