Riesling

Do You Know Your VinoType?

How many of you actually really enjoy a glass of White Zinfandel or Moscato, but are afraid to tell your friends in fear of being judged for having a "beginner's taste" in wine? Probably a lot of you (including myself). Wine & Food Week 2013 began on Monday night with the Wine Wizard Kick-Off Even ... More >>

Five Blind Wine Pairings, Five Sommeliers and One Fantastic Dinner at Philippe Restaurant Lounge

Five courses, five sommeliers, two bartenders and a Master Chef of France. As far as wine dinners go, last week's Guest Sommelier Wine Dinner at Philippe Restaurant Lounge was nothing short of a tour de force. The dinner marked the finale of sommelier Vanessa Treviño-Boyd's wildly successful So ... More >>

Bold & Brave Wine List (& Cartography) at The Pass & Provisions

Honestly, I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the bold and brave new wine list at The Pass & Provisions, the newly opened and much talked about effort by chefs/partners Terrence Gallivan and Seth Siegel-Gardner. The list, by the affable and dynamic Fred Jones (who graciously took time out to sp ... More >>

Gumbo and Half Bottle of Riesling for a Lonely Diner at Brennan's

Yesterday evening, when I found myself in the peculiar predicament of having to dine alone, I decided to treat myself to a bowl of gumbo at the bar at Brennan's, a landmark where I still hadn't eaten after nearly four years in Texas. Beyond the social awkwardness, dining alone for a wine lover can ... More >>

A Shameless Plug for Finger Lakes Wines

I'm no Jeremy Parzen, but I do know a little bit about wine. Growing up in the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York, I took the proximity and availability of local wine (and a decent wine education) for granted. When I was 21, "wine trailing" was a cheap way to get drunk. Tastings only cost a b ... More >>

Digging a German Red Quaffer from Pfalz

Generally, when wine nerds like me think of fine wines from Germany, we think white: Mosel Riesling, with its enormous capacity for longevity and nuance, its bright acidity and vibrant minerality, is considered by many to be one of Europe's greatest wines. (Celebrity sommelier and winner of this yea ... More >>

Wine for Hanukkah, the Festival of Fried Foods and Olive Oil

Photos by Jeremy Parzen.Tomorrow night is the first night of Hanukkah. In the U.S., Ashkenazi Jews eat potato pancakes to celebrate the festival. Here and in other parts of the world, Sephardi Jews eat doughnuts.​You don't need me to tell you why we eat fried foods for Hanukkah, the Jewish fes ... More >>

Odd Pair: Wine and Soup

Photos by Jeremy Parzen.​Whether we're making Tuscan ribollita, Mexican tortilla soup, or French soupe à l'oignon, wine is always a key ingredient at our house (where there's always a spare cup of wine in the kitchen). And while the sugar is the main component of the wine that adds flavor to ... 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 >>

Top 12 Wines Under $15 for the Holidays

A $10 sparkling wine for the holidays: Toso is one of our top picks.​Last night, Whole Foods Market introduced its Top 10 wines for the holidays -- except that this year, like the days of Christmas, there are actually 12. Historically, some of the recommended wines have been held up at custom ... More >>

Odd Pair: Top 5 Wines to Pair with Pizza

​Above: "Pizza al Trancio" (Pizza by the Slice) in Rome, paired with Coca Cola. Here in the U.S., we don't think of it as an "odd pair." But in Italy, homeland of pizza and a country where wine is considered an essential element of healthy dining, pizza and wine are rarely if ever paired. Do ... More >>

Odd Pair: Zucchini Blossoms and Austrian Riesling

​Today, we typically associate zucchini and zucchini blossoms with Italy and Southern France. I've just returned from Italy, where summer months find fiori di zucca (literally, squash flowers) at the height of their glory. We often forget that zucchini and zucchini blossoms, despite their Ital ... More >>

Tasting Notes: This Week in Wine Blogs

Know a Houston-based blog we should be paying particular attention to? Leave the address in the comments section below. Vintage Texas: Top Texas wine blogger Russ Kane may be based in Houston, but, man, this dude gets around. His blog is always our No. 1 go-to resource for wine events happening aro ... More >>

Wine of the Week: Riesling, the Perfect Poolside Wine

​If you've been following along recently here at "Wine Time" on the Eating Our Words blog, you know that my credo and top criteria for picking wines are balanced alcohol and bright acidity. These words-to-live-and-drink-by go hand-in-hand with a motto often repeated at our house: no wine with ... More >>

Odd Pair: Wasabi Peas and Riesling

​Though I am a fan of all types of good wine, I tend to shy away from some of the sweeter forms of vino. So while I can appreciate the fine craftsmanship of the 2009 St. Urbans-hof Urban Riesling, I knew I needed to find something savory to offset the sweetness that is common with this variet ... More >>

Wine of the Week: Clos du Bois 2009 California Riesling

​Part of the Clos du Bois Spring Collection 2011, this aromatic Riesling reminds us of Tinkerbell. The wine and the fairy are both tart and sweet; they're light on their feet; and they share a "green" factor - the wine has a slight green tint and comes in a cute lime-green box, and it even has ... More >>

Germany Meets Texas: Rieslings at The Tasting Room

Scallops.​Nik Weis of St. Urbans-Hof traveled all the way from Germany to show off his Rieslings, and after a few sips, it was evident why he would make the effort to share this refreshingly light and sweet wine with Houstonians. The first of The Tasting Room's Winemaker Dinner Series events ... More >>

Antica Osteria

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5 Wines That'll Blow Your Mind

August Meals

Siestas fit in perfectly with Houston's climate

For the Love of Sauerkraut

Somehow a restaurant from the Black Forest finds its way to Midtown