If you’re looking for a quick winery trip with a little bit of luxury and a great variety of award-winning wines, hop in the car and cruise on up to Messina Hof Winery and Resort in Bryan. (Messina Hof also has a tasting room location in the Hill Country… But Bryan is just so close for a quick visit!)

Events

Messina Hof hosts weekly events including wine appreciation classes and pairings at their Wine Bar, as well as all of their Texas-made wines, many of which won many accolades at this year’s Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s International Wine Competition.

Dining

The Vintage House Restaurant offers fine dining in a winery setting, as well as monthly cooking parties with the chef. For those who prefer to make an overnight stay of the experience, book a room at the AAA 4 Diamond rated bed and breakfast right on the property.

Wine and Roses Festival

Need another excuse to visit? On April 20, Messina Hof is hosting its annual Wine and Roses Festival, when the winery’s roses (and bluebonnets) will be in full bloom. There will be a grape-stomping competition, wine seminars, live music and more. Click over for more details and to plan your trip this weekend.

Cheers!

Mark the dates for these wonderful wine events coming up in the Houston area!

Jump to an Event

• Renteria Wine Dinner
• Brennan’s Freeman Wine Dinner
• Frank Family Wine Dinner
• Wine-A-Palooza

Renteria Wine Dinner

This four-course wine dinner gives you plenty of quality time with winemaker Oscar Renteria.

Event Details

Event: Join Oscar Renteria, owner and winemaker of Renteria Winery, for a four-course wine dinner featuring wines from his historic winery in Napa Valley.
Date: Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Time: Reception – 6:30 pm , Dinner – 7:00 pm
Location: Brix Wine Cellars, 110 Vintage Park Blvd Ste T, Houston, Texas 77070
Contact: Call 281-374-6100 or e-mail info@brixwinecellars.com
Cost:$85 per person – A credit card is required to guarantee your reservation and a deposit of $40 will only be charged if you do not cancel before April 16th and do not attend to the event.
Reservations: Call 281-374-6100 to make your reservation.

Brennan’s Freeman Wine Dinner

Dinner and wine at its finest featuring Freeman wines of the Sonoma Coast and the Russian River Valley.

Event Details

Event: Enjoy a sensuous evening of wine pairings featuring chardonnays and pinot noirs from Freeman Winery.
Date: Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Time: 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Location: Brennan’s of Houston, 3300 Smith Street, Houston, Texas 77006
Phone: 713-522-9711
Cost: $130 per person + tax & gratuity
Tickets: Call Fern Casio at 713-522-9711.

Frank Family Wine Dinner

The beloved Frank Family Vineyards is highlighted in this six-course dinner.

Event Details

Event: Join Triniti Restaurant for a wine dinner showcasing the Frank Family Vineyards from California. Guests will delight in a six-course spring-inspired menu from Chef Ryan Hildebrand, expertly paired with wines from the Frank Family Vineyards.
Date: Monday, April 22, 2013
Time: 7:00 pm
Location: Triniti Restaurant, 2815 South Shepherd Drive, Houston, Texas 77098
Contact: To make reservations or for more information, please call 713-527-9090.
Cost: $125 per person

Wine-A-Palooza

Enjoy unlimited food, wine and craft beers along with live entertainment by pianist and rocker extraordinaire, Nick Greer.

Event Details

Event: Taste over 100 wines during our afternoon Wine-A-Palooza! This annual event sells out every year and happens rain or shine.
Date: Saturday, April 27, 2013
Time: 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Location: The Corkscrew, 1308 W. 20th St., Houston, Texas 77008
Contact: 713-230-8325
Cost: $45 per person
Tickets: Buy tickets online here.

There are quite a few wine events coming up in the Houston area. Here’s a quick rundown of events in order for you to get your wine calendar booked!

BRIX Wine Cellars, on the beautiful Piazza Fontana in the Vintage Park Shopping Center in Northwest Houston, has a variety of wine events coming up including:

• A Torbreck Wine Tasting on January 31, 2013 at 6:30 pm for $25/person.

Dave Powell, founder and chief winemaker for Australia’s Torbreck winery will be here for a wine tasting with light hors d’oeuvres on Thursday January 31st. Join us as we taste Torbreck’s “Woodcutter” Semillon, Barossa Valley Shiraz, “Cuvee Juvenile” and “The Steading” red blend, and “The Bothie” Muscat dessert wine. This is a unique opportunity to meet the founder of the winery responsible for some of Australia’s finest wines. Make your reservation now!

• A Valentine’s Day Dinner on February 14, 2013 beginning as early as 5 pm for $59/person.

In the Spirit of Love of Community, Wesley Community Center, is hosting their 2nd Annual Lone Star Night (for Love!) at Vintners Own Winery on Friday, February 8th, 2013 from 6:30 – 8:30 pm.

This special event will serve to build and strengthen relationships with our friends and supporters and raise critically important general operating funds for our broad array of educational and social services that empower, build self-sufficiency and promote health and well-being among children and families of Houston’s Near Northside. The love-infused, Valentine’s Day-inspired event will feature a sumptuous, romantic small bites menu developed by Robert Martinez of MaxGray Production. Vintners Own has paired this menu with an inspiring selection of varietals from their award-winning, California Napa and Sonoma Valley wines produced locally in their Houston facility. There will be original Nuevo Flamenco compositions along with other Brazilian bossa nova and jazz favorites performed by Guitarist Guillermo Serpas. In addition, you’ll be entertained with a silent auction and a “live art” piece created by artist Wiley Robertson.

Lone Star Night (for Love!) tickets start at $125 for the Friendship level and $280 for the Sweetest Hearts (for couples) level. Additional sponsorship opportunities are available and include a variety of recognition activities. Please visit the Lone Star Night (for Love!) event website for more information.

Messina Hof winery will host a wine dinner at J. McKinney’s Restaurant at the Fredonia Hotel in Nacogdoches, Texas on February 8, 2013 at 7 pm to kick off the Annual Wine Swirl.  Guests will experience four courses of J. McKinney’s Restaurant specialties magnificently paired with award-winning Messina Hof wines. The cost is $69 per person plus tax and gratuity.

Winery co-founders, Paul and Merrill Bonarrigo, will be in attendance to help kick off the Nacogdoches Wine Swirl, a wine event with food pairings to benefit Nacogdoches’ historic downtown on Saturday, February 9.

The Fredonia Hotel is a landmark boutique hotel located in Nacogdoches, Texas. To attend the wine dinner, please RSVP by calling (936) 564-1234 for a reservation. For more information on the Nacogdoches Wine Swirl, visit them on Facebook.

Vanessa Trevino Boyd, resident Sommelier at Philippe

If you are in Houston and can clear your schedule for a few Wednesday evenings to explore some new wine with people who know and love wine, I’ve got an event for you…

Phil’s Wine Lounge, which is downstairs at Philippe on Post Oak near the Galleria, is hosting a seven-part series with seven of Houston’s best sommeliers. Each session, a new sommelier will take the spotlight and share about a different region of wines. While they share, you get to enjoy four wines and a paired cheese board. And it is only $40 per session!

In my humble opinion, that’s a great price for exploring wines with these somms… think of all you can learn each night and all the new wines you’ll try. I LOVE this!!

Check out this schedule:

• February 6: A Trip to Austria with Fred Jones of The Pass & Provisions
• February 20: Cutting-Edge California Chardonnays with Jason Sherman of Brennan’s
• March 6: Syrah is Back with David Keck of Uchi
• March 20: Sparkling Wine—Its Non-Champagne Counterparts with Sommelier James Watkins
• April 3: Ungrafted: Wines from Deep Vines with Christian Varas of River Oaks Country Club
• April 17: Bandol: The New Uber-Hip Wines with Kelly McCloud of Fleming’s Steakhouse
• May 1: Italy Off the Beaten Path with Adele Corrigan of 13 Celsius

The series is hosted by Vanessa Trevino Boyd, resident Sommelier at Philippe and last year’s Food & Wine pick for one the top sommeliers in the country.  I’ve already shared a bit about Vanessa here on VineSleuth Uncorked.  She knows tons about wine and is so great about sharing her vast knowledge without being  intimidating. I can only imagine that she’ll do a great job hosting these other somms, too.

Want to sign up? (I know I do). Here are the details:

WHEN:                      Every other Wednesday, February 6- May 1, 6-7:30 p.m.

WHERE:                  Phil’s Wine Lounge at Philippe/ 1800 Post Oak Blvd

COST:                     $40 per person, includes four wines and a cheese board.

CONTACT:              Seating is limited to 15 people per event. To reserve your spot, email kgarver@philippehouston.com.

Photo courtesy of Thomas Heylen.

After our Tasting Tour of French Wine here on VineSleuth Uncorked, are you ready to taste some Cru Classé Bordeaux wines?

If you are in Houston, tomorrow (Thursday) could be your day to really enjoy the region!

Spec’s is hosting 40 Bordeaux chateau owners, directors, and/or winemakers presenting 52 mostly Cru Classé Bordeaux wines all from the 2010 vintage in a standup-and-walk-around tasting format at the Crystal Ballroom of the Rice Hotel.

By appellation, they include …

• Pomerol: Chx. Clinet, Croix St Geroges, Gazin, and La Pointe
• St. Emilion: Chx. Angelus, Canon La Gaffeliere, Clos L’Oratoire, and Daugay, Clos Fourtet, Grand Corbin Despagne, and La Confession
• Castillon: Chx. d’Aiguilhe and Ampelia
• St. Estephe: Chx. Lafon Rochet and les Ormes de Pez
• Pauillac: Chx. Pichon Baron, Pibran, Lynch Bages (with 2nd wine Echo de Lynch Bages and Lynch Bages Blanc as well), d’Armailhac, Clerc Milon, Grand Puy Lacoste (and 2nd wine Lacoste Borie), Haut Batailley, and Haut Bages Liberal
• St. Julien: Chx. Branaire Ducru, Leoville Barton, Leoville Poyferrre, Talbot, St. Pierre, and Gloria
• Margaux: Chx. Brane Cantenac (along with Baron de Brane), Cantenac Brown, and Ferriere
• Haut Medoc: Chx. Cantemerle, Chasse Spleen, Camensac, Poujeaux, and Senejac
• Pessac Leognan (Graves): Ch. Carbonnieux (both red & white), Domaine de Chevalier (both red & white), Smith Haut Lafitte (both red and white) and Clos Marsalette (red)
• Sauternes: Ch. Suduiraut (along with 2nd wine Lions de Suduiraut)

The tasting will open at 4:30pm and run until 8:30pm, giving tasters ample time to taste the wines and visit with our guests from Bordeaux. The tasting will include a spread of artisanal cheeses and breads chosen to help absorb the wines and refresh the palate. We will taste from Riedel Degustazione (tasting) glasses.

I know I will definitely be there, experiencing these wines and meeting as many people as I can behind them. I hope to report back to you on the experience next week.

If you’d like to join me at the tasting, tickets for the event cost $75.00 total per person cash ($78.95 regular).   Call Marlo at 832-660-0250 or email MarloAmmons@specsonline.com to reserve your spot.

Then, if you’re on Twitter, tweet me @VineSleuth and we’ll make plans to share a taste together.

Hope to see there you tomorrow!

Photo courtesy of Thomas Heylen.

Houston’s own wine legend and Spec’s fine wine buyer, Bear Dalton, will be offering a four-part wine 101 class this January as part of the Wine School at l’Alliance Française.  The class will meet Monday evenings at 7, January 7-28, and will explore tasting, winemaking basics, and sparkling and fortified wines. Participants will taste 40 wines from around the world as they learn. The four-part series cost is $200 per person cash ($210.52 regular) for all four sessions.

The series is designed for those just developing their interest in wine, and want to get a great start, as well as those who feel the need for a thorough review to help organize their tasting and thinking about wine. It’s  also a good place to start for a service professional looking to move more into the wine side of the restaurant business or anyone looking to move into the wholesale or retail wine trade. Basically, it’s a great starter course as well as refresher.

Here’s what each week will cover:

Week 1: Why Taste? Starting at the beginning: The basics of tasting (1/7/13)

Tasting wine versus drinking wine. Sensory evaluation. Types of tasting. Blind tasting. Playing “The Options Game.” Ten wines will be tasted. Additional topics will include proper glassware, wine tools, and the restaurant wine ritual.

Week 2: White wine making and white wine varieties and styles  (1/14/13)

We will taste ten white wines including Chardonnay with and without oak, off-dry whites, and sweet dessert wine. Topics will include how grape growing and winemaking affect wine style and flavors and how the types of wine represented by those tasted pair with food. We also will talk about wine storage and wine preservation and the concept of terroir.

Week 3: Red (and Rosé) wine making and red wine varieties  (1/21/13)

We will taste ten red wines representing a range of styles and varieties including new world versus old world comparisons. Topics will include how grape growing and winemaking affect wine style and flavors and how the types of wine represented by those tasted pair with food. We also will talk about age-ability and age-worthiness as well as wine keeping and wine collecting.

Week 4: Sparkling Wines (ranging from the Charmat bulk process wines – such as Prosecco – to real French Champagne) and Fortified wines focusing mostly on Port (1/28/13):

We will discuss grape varieties, styles, techniques and their impact on flavor. We will discuss decanting and decanters and pairing these unusual partners with food.

Ready to sign up or have questions?

Call Marlo at 832-660-0250 or send her an email at MarloAmmons@specsonline.com.

All sessions of this class will be held at l’Alliance Française, located at 427 Lovett Blvd. l’Alliance is on the southeast corner of Lovett and Whitney (one block south of Westheimer and two blocks east of Montrose).

Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Committeheads with the Grand Champion wine and Reserve Grand Champion wine

This weekend I, along with 99 other judges, swirled, sniffed and tasted our way through more than 2,900 wines to help determine the winners of the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo’s international wine competition.

I hope to share the details of my first wine judging experience soon, as well as fill you in on more about the Rodeo. In the meantime, though, I’ve got to fill you in on the big news.

The  big winners are:

• Grand Champion: Alexander Vally Vineyards CYRUS, Alexander Valley, 2008

• Reserve Grand Champion: Williams Selyem Westside Road Neighbors Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, 2010

• Top Italian Wine:  Bolla Amarone, Veneto, 2007
• Top Red Wine:   Silkwood Wines Alicante Bouche, California, NV
• Top White Wine:  Consilience Wines Viognier, Santa Barbara County, 2011
• Top Sparkling Wine:  Gosset Excellence Brut, Champagne, NV
• Top Sweet Wine:  Yalumba Museum Reserve Antique Tawny, Barossa Valley, NV
• Top Value Wine: Cycles Gladiator Winery Pinot Noir, California, 2011
• Top Texas Wine:  Pedrnales Cellars Voignier, Texas, 2012

Like I said, I hope to fill you in soon on all the details: just how purple my teeth really are, whom I had the honor to meet, how many wines I evaluated (more than 200!!) and what happens behind the scenes at the Rodeo wine competition.

Until then, check out these wines and let me know what YOU think of them.

I just came across this dinner at Triniti on South Shepherd featuring Peju wines. It is this Thursday, November 8:

Please Join Executive Chef Ryan Hildebrand and Sommelier Fred Zennati

for a Peju Wines Portfolio Dinner

CANAPE

egg yolk pearls and caviar

ENDIVE & PEAR

cara cara orange, smokey blue cheese, brioche crumble

Sauvignon Blanc, 2011

PRAWNS

strawberry, corn spoon bread

Tess, N/V

QUAIL

fig, foie gras, swiss chard

Merlot, 2008

INTERMEZZO

pomegranate ice

VENISON

scented sweet potato, cocoa, vinegar carrots

Cabernet Sauvignon, 2009

APPLE

caramel toffee, cinnamon ice cream

Here’s a little about Peju Winery:

Peju is a family-owned and operated winery in Napa Valley, established in 1982 by Anthony and Herta Peju. Peju’s goal is to produce high-end but approachable wines – which undoubtedly takes a combination of winemaking skills and blending, but above all – capturing the essence of the grapes from the terroir in which they are grown.

I think it looks pretty delicious… what do you think? I haven’t had any of the Peju wines, but I sure am curious about them now.

The dinner is $95 per person, plus tax & gratuity.

Wanna go?

Call Fred Zennati at 713.527.9090 to book your seat.

Triniti is located at 2815 S. Shepherd Drive