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 readingCategory: Featured
Day 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 reading
In defense of decadence
Wine 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 readingMama’s got a Fusebox…
We got down to the business of blending. Since I’d won a couple previous contests, I think Joe’s plan was to do all the blending himself. He doesn’t remember it this way, but I swear he created FIVE blends before I ever got a chance to put a pipette into any wine.
Continue readingSebastiani Vineyards & Winery added to Boycott
I first heard about Foley from “twitter.” In the course of talking wine with winebloggers and other ne’er do wells, I met a blogger by the name of WineDog who “tweeted” something about a boycott of Foley wines. WineDog’s blog, Pink Bunny Ears, has a number of posts about Foley. The latest 2-spread Foley feature in Wine Spectator set the WineDog off.
Continue readingSomewhere Over the Rhine: Riesling
When you mention Riesling, many will say “Oh, I don’t really like sweet wines, ” assuming all wines labeled Rieslings are sweet. However, Riesling can fall anywhere on the spectrum from bone dry to an intensely-concentrated sweetness, with variances in between. Riesling is one of the varietals most determined by its terroir, and wines can differ in their level of alcohol by volume. Many of the classic German semisweet version are 8% alcohol by volume or less, while newer, dryer Alsace and Austrian Rieslings are around 12%.
Continue readingKismet and the Most AMAZING Texas Wine
This wine is liquid nectar! Peaches, apricots, honey. You know the famous Meg Ryan scene in “When Harry Met Sally?” You just thought she was acting. My guess is they gave her a glass of something like this right before they shot that scene.
Continue reading