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Celebrate Your Love with Sparkling Wine from Limoux! (redux)
This post was originally published on January 30, 2016. Tim and Phyllis have since sold French Country Wines and sadly, the new owners do not carry this lovely wine. Wine lovers in Houston and nationally are discovering sparkling wines that originated nearly 100 years before Dom Pérignon was born, and years before Champagne became the…
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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…
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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…
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Steele Stymie Founder’s Reserve 2016 Syrah
Last night we joined a group of other wine folks for a virtual tasting of Steele Wines with winemaker and owner Jed Steele. With over 50 years’ in the wine industry, Jed started with a cellar position after playing basketball on scholarship for Gonzaga University, then went back to school at University of California -…
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Brys Estate Reserve Pinot Noir 2016
The 2016 Brys Estate Vineyard and Winery Pinot Noir from Old Mission Peninsula AVA is 100 percent Pinot Noir estate grapes from Traverse City, Michigan. A lighter ruby Burgundian style, it features smoked cherry and cola flavors. We paired it with red lentils and sliced pork belly. 13.5% ABV $32 For more information about Brys Estate…
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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…
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Cocktails: Lost in Thyme
We met friends Anton and Celia out for dinner at Whiskey Cake Kitchen & Bar to toast the new year. We started with cocktails, and I chose this gem. Lost in Thyme is a concoction of Old Overholt Rye, aperol, cinnamon thyme syrup, lemon and aquafaba (the foamy stuff on top – it’s vegan). Garnished…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…