James Brock - HoustonNewMedia.org

Wines Worth Drinking — Fig Brandy, Rosé Mania and a Distinctive Napa Red Highlight the Latest Picks

James Brock — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 01:33:01 +0000

My current wine tasting schedule includes several bottles of rosé, a Napa red blend and a fig brandy from a family distillery in Sonoma County. It’s an eclectic lineup that showcases the diverse world of wine (and spirits). The 2023 Rosé of Pinot...

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Summer Wines That Will Make Any Hot Party (Or Cool Night) Better — 5 Perfect Picks For the Season

James Brock — Wed, 03 Jul 2024 19:41:52 +0000

Summer is here full force with it heat and humidity, the severity of which is dependent upon where you happen to be, vacation agendas, and, if you are lucky, myriad invitations to garden parties, dinners and poolside gatherings. Along with food – I&#82...

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Great Wines For Dad — Reds, White and Sparkling Picks That Will Impress For Father’s Day Or Any Fun Occasion

James Brock — Fri, 07 Jun 2024 13:42:07 +0000

If you’re looking for gifts for a father (or really anyone) who is passionate about wine, we’ve got you covered. Let’s start big with a big wine from Napa Valley, the 2021 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon from Oleandri Wines. Founde...

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Wines To Know — Getting Into the San Luis Obispo Coast With Talley Vineyards Is a Delightful Breeze

James Brock — Mon, 27 May 2024 12:43:15 +0000

When scheduling my wine tasting sessions, I attempt to be efficient, orderly, logical. I select a few bottles that share commonalities. Say a trio from Rioja of the same vintage. Or five nonvintage sparkling wines from California. This approach offers ...

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Doris Metropolitan’s Exuberant Wine Guru Dishes on the Houston Restaurant Life, Her Favorite Bottles and French Literature

James Brock — Fri, 22 Dec 2023 05:26:30 +0000

I love to talk about wine with people who share my passion for it. We open bottles, we trade stories about travel and soil types, terroir and residual sugar, and we talk of taste and food and restaurants. We recommend wines to one another, we drink and...

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Holiday Wines Perfect For Thanksgiving, Christmas and Any Other Special Meal With Family and Friends

James Brock — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 16:28:58 +0000

The end of 2023 is nigh, and that means a number of great happenings will unfold before the calendar turns to a new cycle of days and nights. Celebrations, intimate dinners, raucous feasts, office parties and everything in between. All designed to offe...

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A Los Angeles Restaurant’s Wine Guru Shares His Best Stories & Drink Picks — Highly Likely’s José Bejarano Keeps It Real

James Brock — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 01:17:16 +0000

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A Texas Wine Worthy of Old Friends — and an Impressive California Tasting Winner From a Woman Who Knows Grapes

James Brock — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 16:55:33 +0000

The bottle had been staring me down for several days, waiting its turn in my tasting queue, which had, for various reasons, including several trips and an enthralling read on the history of Assisi, developed a backlog. It was patient, that bottle. It w...

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Cooking For One, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir — Worthy Wine Picks For Any Night In

James Brock — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 23:54:54 +0000

One night a few weeks ago I was cooking for myself, as I would be dining solo that evening. I, nearly every evening, cook for two, and we host dinner parties with four to six guests as often as we can. Cooking for one is an uncommon occurrence for me, ...

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Holiday Wines That Shine — How to Make Sure You’re Drinking Something Special Without Getting Too Fussy

James Brock — Wed, 14 Dec 2022 02:40:18 +0000

It is never a good idea to get too fussy about the wines you serve during the holidays. Don’t overcomplicate things. After all, the focal point should be the people. The ones we gather with and host and cook for. There will be parties and cocktai...

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Holiday Wines That Shine — How to Make Sure You’re Drinking Something Special Without Getting Too Fussy

James Brock — Wed, 14 Dec 2022 02:40:18 +0000

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Wine Wisdom — A Beautiful Cabernet Franc and an Italian Restaurant in Los Angeles to Try

James Brock — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 18:57:55 +0000

A good cabernet franc is almost always welcome at any dinner I prepare, and one I opened recently is worthy of its own, permanent chair at my table. It was a 2017 from Chappellet. The wine was beautiful, full of expressive fruit — the cabernet franc vi...

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An Most Underrated White Wine, a Wine Picked During a War and Great Wine Books — This Hospitality Guru Shares Her Best Tips

James Brock — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 02:39:50 +0000

I like to talk about wine with people who share my passion for it. We open bottles, we trade stories about travel and soil types, terroir and residual sugar, and we talk of taste and food and restaurants. We recommend wines to one another, we drink and...

The post An Most Underrated White Wine, a Wine Picked During a War and Great Wine Books — This Hospitality Guru Shares Her Best Tips first appeared on HoustonNewMedia.org.

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Wines From a Unsung Region of Italy You Need to Know — The Magic of Sannio

James Brock — Thu, 17 Mar 2022 16:49:26 +0000

Do you know Sannio? Some of you might, but for those who have never heard the word I’d like to provide a primer and recommend some wines from the Italian region, which lies North of Naples and offers lots of value, whether one is discussing wine,...

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Great Wines For Valentine’s Day — and a Surprisingly Good Super Bowl Wine

James Brock — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 00:36:06 +0000

Looking for some wines for weekend dinners, or Valentine’s Day, perhaps? My tasting schedule was interrupted recently while I was out of the country — though I did sample some good Mexican wines (more on that later) — but I’m back in the sw...

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Great Gins to Drink in 2022 — This Drink Isn’t Just For Your Grandparents Anymore

James Brock — Tue, 11 Jan 2022 15:59:53 +0000

Orris root. winter savory, coriander seed, juniper, orange peel, elderflower, angelica. Quick: What comes to mind when you read those words? If your response is gin, you win. Gin is a thing of beauty, and it’s one of my favorite distilled spirits. It i...

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Triathlete, Race Car Driver, Poker Player and Winemaker — Dusty Nabor’s Done It All, But Grapes Always Reigned Supreme

James Brock — Thu, 23 Dec 2021 14:45:07 +0000

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Holiday Wines That Make Any Special Occasion Even More Memorable — From White to Red to Sparkling and Rose

James Brock — Wed, 24 Nov 2021 15:19:12 +0000

Every year, as Thanksgiving and Christmas approach, I am the recipient of requests for wine recommendations for the holidays. It’s a job I take seriously, as Thanksgiving is one of my favorite days of the year, for several reasons, chief among th...

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Wine Raised — Growing Up on a Vineyard Makes For a Prolific Winemaker and an Opinionated Voice

James Brock — Tue, 09 Nov 2021 03:10:17 +0000

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New Zealand Wine Wiz Nick Goldschmidt on the Surprisingly Easy Secret to a Lifetime of Good Drinking

James Brock — Thu, 30 Sep 2021 00:19:19 +0000

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