Wine News

Messina Hof uncorks Houston's largest winery, complete with restaurant and patio

Texas winery Messina Hof has big plans for the Houston market. The company announced it will open a winery, restaurant, and warehouse at Harvest Green, the master-planned community in Richmond.

Slated to open in late 2019 or early 2020, Messina Hof Harvest Green Winery will be the company’s second-largest winery and will become the home for its entire shipping operation, including its wine club. In addition, the facility will offer a covered patio for outdoor events and a 130-seat restaurant. All told, it will be the largest winery in the Houston area, according to Messina Hof.

“We have vetted a few other locations around Houston, but ultimately Harvest Green makes the most sense for us,” winemaker Paul Mitchell Bonarrigo tells CultureMap. One of our members, their children live in Harvest Green. He introduced me to the management team at Johnson Development. It became clear their vision of community, farm to table, green-centric, aligned with our core values.”

As it has with similar facilities in Bryan, Grapevine, and Fredericksburg, Messina Hof’s Houston-area winery will offer consumers insight into the wine-making process. Expect wine tastings, wine dinners, and harvest events such as a grape stomp. Yes, those grapes will be grown on site.

“I could see us having four to five acres of vineyard,” Bonarrigo says. “A lot of that will be associated with the winery. I think we’ll probably produce about 5,000 gallons [per year] there.”

The winery’s restaurant will also be a big component of its offerings. Bonarrigo describes it as more casual than the one at Messina Hof’s estate facility in Bryan, but its proximity to the Harvest Green farm maintained by local firm Loam Agronomics will ensure access to fresh local produce.

“The goal is to make a menu that really goes well with the wine selection,” Bonarrigo says. “My wife, Karen, is our food and wine expert. She does a lot of development in our food program.”

Bonarrigo describes these plans as “phase one” of Messina Hof’s Harvest Green facility. The company has already begun negotiations with Johnson Development for a potential phase two that would include an air-conditioned event facility that could hold 300 people. For now, those who want to have a wedding or other special event at the winery will have to make do with its 2,400-square-foot covered patio.

“It’s very exciting to move on to our next stage in our company,” Bonarrigo says. “We look forward to seeing what happens.”

Karen and Paul Mitchell Bonarrigo

Courtesy of Messina Hof

Karen and Paul Mitchell Bonarrigo

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Later, Late August

Michelin-recognized Houston restaurant quietly closes after only 2.5 years

Photo by Rebekah Flores

Late August is now open at The Ion.

One of only two Black-owned Houston restaurants with a spot in the Michelin Guide has served its last meal. Late August, chef Chris Williams’s restaurant in the Ion mixed-use development, has closed for daily service but will remain open for private events through the end of the year.

Lucille’s Hospitality Group, the company behind Late August, issued the following statement about its closure as a full service restaurant:

Late August, in close partnership with the Ion, is transitioning its restaurant operations in the Ion District to focus on private catering and event services through Lucille's Hospitality Group, and other projects, including the Hospitality Group’s newest upcoming concept The Branch. The restaurant is grateful to the ION team and the Houston community for helping establish the space as a celebrated, Michelin-recommended culinary destination.

Late August will continue to honor previously booked events through the end of the year and remain a partner through catering services in the district. The restaurant space will transition to an event-focused model as part of the Ion's continued commitment to providing a dynamic mix of dining and retail experiences across the district. Lucille’s Hospitality Group is excited for what is next, and can’t wait for our community to check out its other concepts at Lucille’s or The Branch. If you’re interested in booking an event at Late August, you can reach out to catering@lhghouston.com.

Williams tells CultureMap that the decision to close the restaurant was triggered in part by Rice University’s plans to expand the Ion by adding the Arc, a nearly 200,000-square-foot research and technology facility that will replace a parking lot that’s adjacent to the Ion. Williams decided the construction would disrupt diners’ ability to access the building, which made closing it a more practical choice.

“We have 12,000 other restaurants,” Williams says about the number of choices that Houstonians have for where to eat dinner on any given night. “The idea of guests having to cross a major thoroughfare, we all agreed was not a sustainable path for us.”

Opened in 2024 by Williams and executive chef Sergio Hidalgo, Late August served an innovative menu that blended African and Mexican flavors. Last year, the chefs switched Late August from an a la carte menu to a tasting menu that better highlighted Hidalgo’s skills and the restaurant’s ingredients, many of which were sourced from Lucille’s 1913, the restaurant’s affiliated farm in Kendleton, Texas. The creative cooking helped Late August earn a Recommend designation from the Michelin Guide and a Best New Restaurant award from Esquire magazine.

“It was a great opportunity. We have zero regrets,” Williams says. “Just gratitude for the support and recognition we were able to get.”

While Hidalgo is leaving the company, many of the restaurant’s staff, including pastry chef Jennifer Parsons, will be transitioning to The Branch, a health-conscious new restaurant that’s opening soon at Midtown high-rise Forme. Details on that restaurant, including its projected opening date, will be released soon.

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