The World Affairs Council of Houston
is best known for holding public events featuring foreign policy
heavyweights such as former Secretaries of State Colin Powell and James
Baker III.
However two upcoming programs will extend the Council's reach into food-related subjects.
Sutter Home Winery is a reasonably credible wine maker. Sure, to some people they may be one step up from Two Buck Chuck, but you have to think the wine makers at Sutter Home retain some shred of pride and dignity.Or not.
That's Your Big Boy
If the three-martini lunch was the status symbol of the go-go '80s
(Gordon Gekko and all that), then surely the steakhouse dinner replete
with a bottle of Opus One and a finishing cigar was the defining dish
of the naughty '00s (pronounced "aughties" by the way).
Such naughty carnivorousness was exacerbated by an avalanche of
high-end steakhouse chains entering the Houston market. Old standbys
and feisty newcomers mingled and prospered during the boom -- Ruth's
While in Navasota lovin' on some alpacas, Texas Traveler had a hankerin' thirst. So we got on our trusty iPhone and found the closest winery, a funky l'il shack called the Purple Possum Winery.
While in the air-conditioned comfort of the Purple Possum's tasting room, we met a lovely couple we'd seen earlier that day at a local diner. "Are you on the Wine Trail too?" they asked us.
The Texas Highway 105 corridor might not be as well-know for it's vineyards as, say, Napa Valley, but there are a
Whether your beverage of choice is wine, coffee or beer, we've got you covered in this week's upcoming events.
The French Open takes place this weekend, and if you're looking for a spot to watch, then Coffee Groundz is the place for you. The coffee shop-cum-gelateria in Midtown is offering specials all weekend, with viewing parties starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Befitting the French theme, all wine is $1 off each glass or 30 percent off each bottle, all French press coffee is $5, an
Photo by Katharine ShilcuttWhile in Chinatown browsing the aisles at Hong Kong City Mall's grocery store, Hong Kong Market, last weekend, I ran across something interesting among the hundreds of bottles of sake: Japanese Chardonnay and Merlot, made by Chateau Mercian. It's highly possible that I'm the last person on earth to know that Japan produces wines other than the traditional rice wine, but everyone I've talked to has seemed equally clueless.
Wanting to try a bottle of Japanese
​Joe Lopez says he used to have an inferiority complex. That's hard to believe when you consider that the now outspoken San Antonio-based artist took on the Gallo wine company -- and won! Gallo in English is a family surname. Gallo is Spanish means rooster. Lopez found the rooster image a strong cultural symbol. His painting Puro Gallo, a slang term meaning pure blood Mexican, led to a legal fight with the Ernest and Julio Gallo Winery.
Lopez, who will be appearing at Casa Ramirez on Saturda
Photo by Robb WalshInstead of combining grape juices to make a blend, German viticulturalist Georg Scheu crossed two popular varietals to make a new grape. Huxelrebe is a cross between sweet and aromatic Muscat and the austere Swiss wine grape, Chasselas. Invented in 1927, Huxelrebe was named after the late viticulturalist Fritz Huxel, who won a variety of prizes for his Huxelrebe wines.
Thanks to its hearty Chasselas genes, the grape is fast-maturing and produces Auslese (late-harvest
