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    a dry wine

    Texas entrepreneurs uncork line of wines without one thing: alcohol

    Teresa Gubbins
    Aug 10, 2021 | 11:35 am
    Wine lady
    She seems to be really enjoying that AF wine.
    Starla Wines

    There's a new non-alcoholic wine on the market with Texas ties: Called Starla Wines, it's a line of wine for those who cannot or choose not to drink wine with alcohol.

    The line, which hails from Dallas, comprises a trio of varietals — Sauvignon Blanc, Red Blend, and Sparkling Rosé — and is available online at StarlaWines.com for $28 per bottle or three for $84, including shipping.

    The alcohol-free market — which even has its own acronym, AF — is growing and anticipated to continue to grow by nearly 6 percent over the next five years. Lest you think that wine and cocktails without alcohol is not a thing.

    According to a release, Starla's wines use grapes from California, and are made in California. There's no hangover, and they're low carb, low sugar, and low calorie: The Red Blend and Sparkling Rose have five calories and zero carbs per five-ounce serving.

    Let's get to the sexy wine descriptions:

    • Sauvignon Blanc. Light, crisp notes of wild honeysuckle, rosemary, pear, and lemon balm finished with a white peach blossom parfum. Pairs with pork, green lentils, and video calls.
    • Red Blend: Bold and sumptuous aromatics of sweet dark cherry, blackberry, bergamot, and black pepper, with a bouquet of French lavender. Pairs with dark chocolate, tapas, and 6 am workouts.
    • Sparkling Rosé: Dry and bright botanicals of strawberry blossom, citrus, lychee, and mineral, and sweet gardenia on the nose. Pairs with creamy risotto, French fries, and 2 am cravings.

    Founder & CEO Dawn Maire, who was previously president at Rockfish and Poo-Pouri, says she created the line because she saw great opportunity in the AF world to make something that she herself would like to drink.

    "The journey to create the first, premium alcohol removed wine started when I began replacing my beloved wine with better-for-me choices," she says. "I was surprised and disappointed with the lackluster set of options on the market."

    "I saw the opportunity to satisfy the demands of the growing set of sober-curious and alcohol-abstaining consumers with an authentic, premium selection of wine," she says.

    Starla's co-founder is Jamie Coulter, co-owner of La Vie Style House at Highland Park Village.

    To get the alcohol out, they partnered with de-alcoholizing technology group BevZero. The process begins with fermented wine from California grapes, then uses vacuum distillation technology to vaporize and remove the alcohol from the wine, leaving behind the original flavors and aroma.

    After the alcohol is removed less than one-half of one percent remains — the same amount of alcohol as Kombucha.

    BevZero CEO Debbie Novograd says they've seen a "significant uptick in consumers opting for healthier consumption choices, especially in women, who make up 54 percent of wine buyers."

    A spokesperson says that the wine is currently sold exclusively on Starlawines.com, but will likely become available at some retailers in the fall.

    wine
    news/restaurants-bars

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    truffle masters recap

    Street corn shines at Houston's truffle-powered chef competition

    Eric Sandler
    Mar 12, 2026 | 5:32 pm
    Truffle Masters 2026
    Photo by Daniel Ortiz
    Marcus Benedict, Daniella Johner, and chef Luis Roger of MAD and BCN.

    One of Houston’s top Mexican restaurants took the top prize at this year’s Truffle Masters competition. Victoria Elizondo, chef-owner of Cochinita & Co., bested 24 other Houston chefs with Elotitos, corn brushed with chiltepin aioli, dusted with seven chile spice, and finished with shaved truffles and Parmesan.

    “The team killed it last night,” Elizondo wrote on Instagram. “We won 1st place at @thetrufflemasters all while having fun and cooking with love! Food doesn’t need to be fancy, it just needs to be made with corazón!”

    The attention couldn’t have come at a better time. As CultureMap reported last month, Cochinita & Co. is currently in the process of opening a second location in Lindale Park. Customers can invest in the project via the NuMarket platform in exchange for credits at the restaurant.

    Second prize went to Camaraderie in the Heights for its black sesame and black truffle gelato, while Cocody, a French restaurant in River Oaks, took third place for its truffle-shaped Lollys Persillade Escargot Cromesquis, essentially an escargot lollypop with with black truffle and quail egg in the middle.

    Montrose sushi restaurant Soto won People’s Choice with its Engawa fin muscle with truffle balsamic unagi sauce, kizami, and chocolate black truffle masago arare. Aniket Bhingare, a bartender at Michelin-starred restaurant Musaafer, won the cocktail competition with his Pour Me a Slice, made with truffle and herb-infused and a clarified mix of roma tomatoes, fresh basil, oregano, basil, and truffle oil.

    Other standout dishes included a Yukon Gold potato with truffle brown butter from Michelin-recognized sushi restaurant Hidden Omakase, truffle s’mores from Israeli-inspired steakhouse Doris Metropolitan, beef tartare and truffle ice cream from fine dining sushi restaurant Katami, and Credence’s truffle duck sausage with plums and truffles. Maximo, a Mexican restaurant in West U., maximized (sorry) its truffle usage with a Cachetada de Barbacoa Taco, made with nixtamalized truffle tortilla, truffle-braised barbacoa, and sottocenere al tartufo cheese with black garlic-habanero salsa

    More than 350 attended the sold-out affair, which took place at the Astorian events space in Sawyer Yards. The judging panel include both media members (such as this author) and hospitality pros. A portion of proceeds will be donated to the KNOWAutism Foundation.

    Truffle Masters 2026

    Photo by Daniel Ortiz

    Marcus Benedict, Daniella Johner, and chef Luis Roger of MAD and BCN.

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