Amazing. You can put your name on a list for wine or beer that sells out in 10 minutes. Now that’s customer service. The kind you might expect at a small store in the older neighborhoods of a big city or a small town. Or if you’re an important customer at the big wine retailer. Not a huge mega-store that sits along the freeway in the suburbs. It’s the kind of service that builds clientele, not just customers.
Continue readingAuthor: Amy Corron Power
A licensed attorney, Amy is a wine-lover, foodie, photographer, political junkie and award-winning author who writes about Wine, Food, Beer & Spirits. As Managing Editor & Tasting Director for Another Wine Blog, she travels all over the world's wine regions to share her experiences with her readers and legions of twitter, Instagram and Facebook friends and fans. Amy holds certifications through the International Sommelier Guild, and is also certified, with honors, as a California Wine Appellation Specialist (CWAS). She is a member of the Guild of Sommeliers, The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas and regularly attends Houston Sommelier Association events.
Amy is also a contributor to the Chicken Soup for the Soul series of books, and was most recently published in Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Power of Gratitude.
Crescent City Phoenix – The Return of New Orleans
Kelly moved back to New Orleans. During our dinner she beamed about the city where she grew up, and the city where she has returned to help restore. A city that is authentic, historical and focused on tourism. She touched a nerve when she talked about so many people who have said they feel guilty about vacationing in a city that suffered so much.
Continue readingDay Two: Window on New Orleans Past and Present
We disembarked for a private tour of Antoine’s Restaurant. Opened in 1840, Antoine’s is the oldest in New Orleans and oldest family-run restaurant in the country. It has 15 different dining rooms, with a variety of old photos and artifacts from Mardi Gras royalty. It continued to serve wine and booze during Prohibition, we’re told, by using a bit of hallway which was part of the “ladies room” to allow the men to pass through a secret door.
Continue readingQué Syrah and Pinot Noir! Olson Ogden Wines
This beautiful small lot Syrah is opaque, an inky purple with gorgeous ripe fruit. Blueberries, blackberries and rich baking spices on the nose, reminded Joe of a succulent pie. Once in the mouth, we tasted more of the blackberry and blueberry flavors, brown sugar and cloves, with a nice toasty oak on a finish that ended in gobs of fruit, spice, vanilla and velvety tannins.
Continue readingThe Holiday Party: Or How Not to Throw up on Your Boss
The annual “Holiday” party can be a great way to enjoy some food and drink; socialize with your coworkers and dance late into the evening, all on the company dime. But these outings are also fraught with peril. Here are some tips to keep from making a fool of yourself — or worse!
Continue readingThanksgiving: It’s Not Always about the Food
Thanksgiving in our family is always a dilemma — Joe wants to host everyone at our house, and my brother wants to host everyone at his. Before my father died, it was always at my parents’ house. My mother would slave over the stove all day, invariably wearing herself out. We would have enough food to feed half the neighborhood with plenty of leftovers. My mother grew up poor, so she has this special relationship with food.
Continue readingEasy Holiday Banana Bread
Hostess Gift-Giving: Planet Friendly Wine Bags will Travel!
Here at Another Wine Blog, we try to do our best to recycle. Leftover wine becomes a reduction sauce for meat, or a great addition to some zesty barbecue sauce! We found a beautiful wine gift bag you can give and then track its travels!
Continue readingWine Tasting Clubs: Solving the Mystery One Glass at a Time
I had heard my husband talk about Iris for weeks during his ISG studies but didn’t meet her until the class got together for a holiday party last December. Many of the students had obtained part-time pouring gigs at local Houston wine bars. But we found ourselves at Iris’ tastings most often—because she was pouring on weekends and her bubbly personality is just so hard to resist.
Continue reading