Category: Featured

  • Survival Sourdough Starter

    Survival Sourdough Starter

    Hey, long time no see! How have you been? Look at you, you haven’t aged a single day since I last saw you. Me? Oh, I’ve been well, thanks for asking! I’ve been around, I just didn’t have much new to say lately. Recently I posted on Facebook about how easy it is to make […]

  • 2009 Stark Viognier, Damiano Vineyard, Sierra Foothills

    2009 Stark Viognier, Damiano Vineyard, Sierra Foothills

    We, like many people we know ‘cellar’ our red wines. I say “cellar” because Houston homes do not have basements so any wine aging room is often custom designed to mimic the temperature and humidity found in a European cellar or a California cave. We do not have that luxury, so our wines aged for […]

  • Golf, Wine create Safety Net for At-Risk Students

    Golf, Wine create Safety Net for At-Risk Students

    Sounds rather provocative does it not: wine as a benefit for school-aged children at risk of dropping out of their studies? But for students in the Clear Creek Independent and Dickinson area schools, it is just that — thanks to the fine folks at Communities in Schools – Bay Area. Each year Communities in Schools […]

  • Soils make a Difference: The Zoning Project of DO Montsant

    Soils make a Difference: The Zoning Project of DO Montsant

    Why do we need to know about the soil? I asked, when I was first learning about wine. Because the composition of the soil can determine which grape grows best in the vineyard. The type of soil also helps decide the irrigation method needed in the vineyard. For example limestone, or calcareous soils are somewhat […]

  • Two Days in Dublin, Ireland: Day 1

    Two Days in Dublin, Ireland: Day 1

    Have a trip planned to Spain? Aer Lingus has some of the best air fares from the United States to Europe! If you plan your flights just right, you can turn an extended layover into a short visit to Dublin. This gives you just enough time to get a flavor for Ireland — and guarantee […]

  • Photos of Spain – Monstant

    Recently Amy and I participated in a press trip to Catalan. We visited the wine region of Monsant, an area that surrounds Priorat. It is truly one of the most beautiful places on the planet, a fact I was reminded of this morning when I started looking through my photos for ideas. So many gorgeous […]

  • DO Montsant on the Precipice: Vinyes Domènech

    As I stand on the path that leads from the tasting room through the vineyard to the edge of a precipice at Vinyes Domènech the Latin phrase in situ comes to mind. Literally, the phrase translates to “on-site.” To the archeologist, an artifact in situ is one that he or she unearths and records at […]

  • Make Your Own King Cake for Mardi Gras or Visit Limoux!

    King Cake with wine? Mon Dieu, you say! Not so fast. Mardi Gras means King Cake, and we have just the recipe and wine recommendation to enjoy your own Fat Tuesday celebration! (Note: Part of this article originally appeared last year, we’ve updated it to include the 2018 dates for Mardi Gras in the United […]

  • Raw Milk Does a Body Good: Healthyway Dairy

    “It’s real milk, from a cow.” Jacob looks at me in disbelief and I realize that sounds crazy. “I mean straight from the cow, instead of the grocery store,” I say. It tastes different. Better. Thus becomes my love affair with raw milk and Healthyway Dairy farm in Santa Fe, Texas. Why a Dairy Farm? […]

  • 2008 Jemrose “Gloria’s Gem” Proprietary Blend

    Often when we put together wine and food pairings the food comes first, and then the wine. Not this time. Knowing the intensity and flavor of this 2008 deep red vixen from Bennett Valley in Sonoma County, we needed something with gusto to stand up to it. Enter pork belly. Pork belly is so very […]