Piedmont

Perry Deep

Rotation

Platonic Love

Simposio establishes itself as a classic

News of the Weird

Simposio establishes itself as a classic

5 Wines That Will Blow Your Mind

Simposio establishes itself as a classic

Another Bump

Ten of the best coke anthems, plus a shortlist for the Cocaine Hall of Fame

Best Italian Restaurant

Ten of the best coke anthems, plus a shortlist for the Cocaine Hall of Fame

Blackbird Fly

Jolie Holland returns to her old hometown with the Tom Waits seal of approval

The Pig's Nose Knows

It's time to try a tiny bit of truffle

Big John and Little Joe

Space City's tallest and shortest musicians rule the 2002 Houston Press Music Awards

Hot Tunes, Summer in the City

Houston Press Music Awards Showcase 2002

Toque Off

Viva la differènza!

Playbill

Damon Bramblett

Bert Wills

Tell Me Why (Gold Rhyme)

Local Rotation

Harlem Slim: Delta Thug

Randy Travis

Harlem Slim: Delta Thug

Carolina Chocolate Drops

Harlem Slim: Delta Thug

Odd Pair: Carne Asada Tampiqueña and Nebbiolo

​On paper, this pairing breaks every rule of Wine 101. The heat of this dish -- the spiciness of both the marinade for the beef and the mole -- would overwhelm nearly any fine wine. The classic match would be ice-cold, dry beer served in an iced pony glass (perhaps even with a twist of lemon) ... More >>

Lombardia Wines and Carmelo's: A Great Pairing

​I was recently able to attend a dinner arranged by the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce of Texas and Harvest Importing to promote the wine of the Lombardy (North Central) region. The dinner was held at Carmelo's Italian Restaurant, the longstanding West Houston establishment. Lombardia wine ... More >>

Odd Pair: Cheeseburger and Barbaresco

​My friend and blogging colleague Franco Ziliani -- Italy's top wine blogger and veteran enojournalist -- is always astonished at how Americans "apply" the great wines of Italy. In Europe, the food and wine canon guides the "user" in ensuring that the wine will be enjoyed to the fullest by pa ... More >>

Odd Pair: Pseudo-Italian Sports Bar and French Wine

​Let's face it: No matter how you dress or slice the meatballs (more on that below), if you have ESPN constantly streaming on monitors that hover above your bar and dining room, you are a sports bar -- even if you slap ristorante italiano onto the name of your restaurant. According to its web ... More >>

Odd Pair: Wine and Legs (or Tears That Rhyme with Ears)

Photos by Jeremy Parzen.The legs of 2005 Langhe Nebbiolo Sperss by Gaja (Piedmont, Italy), tasted this week in Houston.​How many times have you been at a dinner party and heard some blowhard say something like the following (uttered with a fake British accent): Observe carefully: After swirli ... More >>

(Not So) Odd Pair: Wine and Sex

​The publication, last week, of the first English-language translation of the Japanese manga comic Drops of God by Tadashi Agi (a pseudonym for brother and sister Shin and Yuko Kibayashi) aroused my, ahem, curiosity. I have not yet read it but am dying to. The editors of the prestigious Br ... More >>

10 Thanksgiving Wines (That We Actually Drink)

Photos by Jeremy Parzen.Dolcetto can deliver character without overwhelming the palate or breaking the bank.​Yes, folks, it's that predictable time of year when everyone posts their Thanksgiving wine recommendations. Among the literally hundreds of blogs and feeds that I follow, one of my favo ... More >>

Odd Pair: A Favorite Wine for Breakfast

Photos by Jeremy Parzen.Serve gently sparkling Moscato d'Asti in a larger glass and you will be rewarded by its fresh stone fruit aromas. Moscato d'Asti, it's what's for breakfast.​In one of my favorite novels of all time, a character in Kurt Vonnegut's 1973 masterpiece calls the martini the B ... More >>

Tasting Notes: This Week in Wine Blogs

Photo by Jeremy Parzen.We just love it when Amy Corron Power, left with husband Joe, does "un-Amy-like" things!​Another Wine Blog: Love born in the blogosphere. It's a beautiful thing. A few weeks ago, when I shared a glass of stinky, delicious Cortese (from Piedmont) with tandem wine blogger ... More >>

Top 5 Gifts for Wine Lovers

Photo by Jeremy Parzen.Decanters by Riedel take wine service to a higher level of aesthetic pleasure. ​If you're ever invited to dine in someone's home in France, please don't bring a bottle of wine. Nothing will spur a French host to recoil in abject dishonor and displeasure than the gift of ... More >>

Wine & Truffle Dinner at Valentino Vin Bar

Photos by Christina UticoneDolcetto d'Alba​As if a wine hangover weren't bad enough, did you know you can actually get a truffle hangover? I woke up with one after five luscious courses of food at the recent Truffle & Wine dinner held at Valentino. Who can resist a hook like white truffles -- ... More >>

Wine Whine: Waiter, Please Don't Chill My White Wine (Too Much)!

Photo by Jeremy Parzen.​You can imagine how thrilled I was when I discovered one of my favorite northern Italian white wines on the list the other night at Giacomo's Cibo e Vino on Westheimer: The 2010 Anas-Cëtta (Nascetta) by Cogno for under $40. (The name of this rare grape is Nascetta, pro ... More >>