Mark: Still in Houston? Where is a good place to sit down and enjoy some wine?
June 10, 2011
houstonwino → Austin Wine Group: I plan to drink some wine in Austin soon, so I figured I should join this group. Don't everyone talk at once, though. ;)
Sorry I took so long to reply. I hope that you enjoy your visit to Houston. As for wineries, I think most are fun to visit. However, if you are looking for high quality Texas wine, I have yet to find any. I have tried, but most are pre... moreHi Marianna,
Sorry I took so long to reply. I hope that you enjoy your visit to Houston. As for wineries, I think most are fun to visit. However, if you are looking for high quality Texas wine, I have yet to find any. I have tried, but most are pretty lame. I can't speak for all of them, because I have not tried everything, but the ones I have tasted leave a lot to be desired.
Joe
July 5, 2009
DianaBeisch45: Wanted to share this opportunity with you about a local event! Diana Reeves
From: Adam Lee [Add to Address Book] To: Subject: Siduri & Novy Winemaker Dinner in Houston - April 19! Date: Apr 6, 2009 7:50 AM Hey Siduri & Novy Supporter... moreWanted to share this opportunity with you about a local event! Diana Reeves
From: Adam Lee [Add to Address Book] To: Subject: Siduri & Novy Winemaker Dinner in Houston - April 19! Date: Apr 6, 2009 7:50 AM Hey Siduri & Novy Supporters,
I’ve just finalized the details of what is becoming my Annual Siduri & Novy Winemaker Dinner in Houston coming up soon, on April 19, and I hope you can join me there! Here are all of the details!
Siduri & Novy Wine Dinner
Backstreet Café
1103 South Shepherd Drive
Date: Sunday, April 19th
Start Time: 6:00
Cost of Event: $119, not including tax and gratuity
Reservation Number: 713-302-9087.
Details:
The event will feature a 5 course tasting menu by Chef Hugo Ortega. The wines featured include:
Noticed you live in Houston. My husband has a business trip scheduled there in Sept/October. I will be travelling with him as I have never been to TX. BTW, are there any wineries in Texas worth visiting. I don't know too much about Texas... moreHi Joe!
Noticed you live in Houston. My husband has a business trip scheduled there in Sept/October. I will be travelling with him as I have never been to TX. BTW, are there any wineries in Texas worth visiting. I don't know too much about Texas, but who would have imagined that there are vineyards only 1.5 hours outside of New York City.
vinpourmoi3: Thank you for making the connection...
Continue to indulge into your passion of food and wine!
Happy Chinese New Year!
Take care
January 25, 2009
houstonwino → PalatePleasure: Hi David. I am not a big fan of suburbia, but if you are going to live outside of the loop in Houston then Clear Lake is probably one of your few decent options. Cheers!
PalatePleasure: Hey HoustonWino thanks for shout out ... interestingly nearly closed on a penthouse real estate investment purchase in Clear Lake area of Houston when Ike blew through so things kinda blew apart ... no pun intended ... more literally than physically. Anti... moreHey HoustonWino thanks for shout out ... interestingly nearly closed on a penthouse real estate investment purchase in Clear Lake area of Houston when Ike blew through so things kinda blew apart ... no pun intended ... more literally than physically. Anticipate still picking something up and keeping watch on Houston/Texas market. Any thoughts re Katy and Sugarland desirability as seems some superb deals there. As a Canadian and particularily being in Vancouver where BIG prices a la San Fran, real estate is such GREAT value in Texas and the state has alot going for it. Cheers! less
January 14, 2009
Faerydaisy: Me too: "I love to cook, drink, eat and talk about it...preferably all at once." Thanks for the add.
About Me
I am a web developer for NASA and I blog about wine at http://www.anotherwineblog.com. I am a culinary school dropout who is currently studying with the International Sommelier Guild.
I love to cook, drink, eat and talk about it...preferably all at once.
I am married to WineWonkette, who drinks a bit, and am the father of two teenage boys who, hopefully, do not.
Originally from Toledo, OH, now happily residing in Houston, TX. As much as I love the two aforementioned cities, my heart is split between Austin and San Francisco.
Gender
Male
Marital Status
Married
Occupation
Web Developer - Wine and Food Writer
Favorite Wines
Twisted Oak Syrah Enkidu Petite Sirah Drummer Cabernet Hahn Estates Cabernet Franc Bedrock (any of them)
You are invited to the opening celebration of Courtesan Wine's new Wine Tasting Room in San Francisco!<br /><br />$10 in advance / $15 at the door<br />Purchase Tickets: http://courtesanwines.eventbrite.com<br /><br />Co...
St. Louis's first high end champagne tasting!<br /><br />Enjoy the educational tasting on five high end champagnes included in the lineup is Roederer Cristal, Perrier-Jouet Fleur De Champagne, J Wine “Late Disgorged” Brut, Clicquot La Gra...
The award winning DesBarres Manor Inn restaurant is celebrating the Nova Scotia Winter Icewine Festival with a five course tasting menu inspired by Nova Scotia Icewine and paired with Nova Scotia wines.Guests can attend the dinner on its own or turn this ...
Greetings!I know it's kinda-last-minute, but we're gonna throw a complimentary tasting of a few bubblies here at the shop on Monday, December 22nd. Our goal is to provide you with a few affordable-yet-solid alternatives to the pricey Veuve/Tai...
This is our very first Holiday party and we feel like celebrating. The new tasting room is shaping up, the patio is nearly complete, the salmon are running down at the creek, and our award winning wines are flat out gorgeous.
Zinfandel can be light and fruity, much like French Beaujolais, or lively, complex and age worthy, like cabernet sauvignon or claret. It can also be made into big, ripe, high alcohol style wines that almost resemble port.
Zinfandel has a very hardy nature. Adaptable to a wide range of soils and climates, its vines tend to be vigorous and productive.
Because of its vigor, generosity and resistance to vine disease, many zinfandel vineyards exist that are seventy-five to more than one hundred years old.
Zinfandel aficionados believe these "old vines" produce the best wines because the older vineyards set smaller crops and the grapes tend to ripen more evenly.
Zinfandel is one red varietal that is best enjoyed in its youth. With more bottle age the luscious fruit that distinguishes Zinfandel drops markedly and the wine can show a pronounced taste of higher alcohol levels.
When paired with grilled steaks, chops or meat that has been stewed Zinfandel becomes a prime motivation for people to become wine lovers.
Champagne would probably be one of the most famous wines today. Admit it, you probably have used champagne and wine almost interchangeably at some point in your life. It's fame is quite understandable because champagne, unlike some wines, is always on the table during festivities. Come to think of it. When you celebrate your birthday, what do you usually drink aside of course from colas? On New Year's Eve? On your best friend's wedding? Champagne, right?
A Quick Glance at the History
Champagne, aside from being a "celebration wine" is world-famous for being a sparkling wine. But Champagne, as we know it today, was originally just a "wine" until of course it adapted the name of the region where it originated.
Dom Perignon, a Benedictine monk, was widely regarded as the Champagne inventor, but history would tell that he was only instrumental to the development that occurred in the Champagne-making process. His contributions include cork usage, blending of different grapes from different vineyards, and clarification strategies.
Sonoma Valley, Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Bennett Valley and Russian River Valley are all in Sonoma County, California. Wine grapes are also grown at higher elevations, such as Atlas Peak and Mount Veeder AVAs.
Sonoma Valley is in the southern part of Sonoma county and is bordered by the Mayacamas Mountains to the east and the Sonoma Mountains to the west. Sonoma Mountain protects the area from the wet and cool influence of the nearby Pacific Ocean. The Sonoma Mountains to the west help protect the valley from excessive rainfall. The cool air that does affect the region comes northward from San Pablo Bay through the Carneros region and southward from the Santa Rosa Plain. One of California's first successful commercial vineyards, Buena Vista Winery, was established here in 1857.
Alexander Valley is located north of Healdsburg and extends to Mendocino County north of Cloverdale. The are is home to more than 40 vineyards with such familiar names as Cols du Bois, Jordan Vineyard & Winery and Gallo Family Vineyards.
Dry Creek Valley centers around Dry Creek a tributary of the Russian River. This area is known particularly for its sauvignon blanc and zinfandel. It is also home to most of the Sonoma vineyards of E & J Gallo Winery.
Bennett Valley is surrounded to the south, east and west by the Sonoma Mountains and lies south of Santa Rosa. Fog creeping up through Crane Canyon provides a moderating effect on the climate here. This region is the principal grape supplier to Kendall-Jackson.
Russian River Valley is adjacent to the city of Santa Rosa and the Russian River. The Russian River Valley accounts for about one sixth of the wine grapes planted in Sonoma County. Vineyards are prevalent with over 75 wineries accounted for including one of my favorites; Sonoma-Cutrer.
The California Central Coast encompasses the counties of Alameda (Livermore Valley), Contra Costa, Monterey, Santa Barbara (Santa Ynez Valley), San Benito, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo (Paso Robles), San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz Mountains). The Central Coast contains thirty American Viticultural Areas. While quite topologically similar the different microclimates affect the varietals grown and the styles of wines produced.
Defined by its proximity to the ocean with the mountain ranges running east to west, open to the ocean's marine effect, natural alleys allow the cool ocean fog and breezes to flow into the coastal valleys and their vineyards. This moderate climate ranging from foggy mornings, midday sun and afternoon breezes provides a long growing season allowing for slow, even ripening of the wine grapes. Slower ripening and a longer growing season induces more intense flavors in the grapes and thus the wine also.
Wineries in this appellation grow a diversity of grape varieties and range from small, boutique wineries to large scale producers. Initially, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir were the dominant varieties but Rhone varieties as well as other major varieties have become well ingrained into the area.
Welcome to the Virtual Wine Tasting Club. Every month in our online wine tasting series we will taste a different wine and post our tasting notes. In advance, if possible, please post the wine you will be trying that fits the tasting. The tasting will last one month so you can taste and post your notes in that time frame. Please ask questions about the wine we're tasting, post recommendations for future wine tastings and make this online wine tasting group a wonderful, interactive, informative wine discussion.
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