wine guy Wednesday

Chris Shepherd recommends more wines for Thanksgiving, plus a can't-miss meal

I love a great wine event, especially when it’s a winery that I truly love. This one is a true banger.

On Wednesday, November 19, the team at The Marigold Club will be hosting Scribe Winery owner Andrew Mariani. Scribe has redefined the wine experience in Sonoma, where the breathtaking hacienda estate looks out over the picturesque vineyards and hills of lower Sonoma Valley.

For one evening only, they will be be bringing an exceptional lineup of wines featuring limited production wines rarely seen outside the winery, new releases that will be making their Houston debut, and a few of their brilliant flagship wines that show their distinctive style.

We personally love their wines like the Sylvaner which is so bright and clean. The Chardonnays show such distinctive vineyard characteristics and their Pinot Noirs just scream sunshine! They have such an exciting line up that whatever they are pouring is going to hit perfectly with the menu. I know that the culinary team has got this menu on lock, because Scribe makes some of the most food-friendly wines I’ve ever had. I also got a sneak peak at the menu and it looks amazing!

This, in fact, is a tasting that Lindsey and I must do every time we are out there. Plus, we are club members, so to say this is a special dinner is an understatement. It’s been a hard few weeks and you deserve to treat yourself before the holiday season kicks off.

Get your tickets here ($295)!

More Thanksgiving Day wine picks

We should discuss some more Turkey Day wines while we are at it. Remember that St Joseph Blanc we talked about over at Houston Wine Merchant last week? Well, you guys went and bought all of it, so I spoke with June Rodil, who is one of Houston’s seven master sommeliers, about wines at Montrose Cheese & Wine for this special day.

Hold on to your cranberry sauce, because we are going deep!

From June:
This is our Thanksgiving pack and can be purchased as a 4 pack or individually!

Domaine du Père Caboche Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc, Rhone Valley, France, 2023
Beautiful bright color with light yellow and green reflections. The nose is very complex and pretty with white flowers, peach, and ginger. This wine is unmistakably delicious, with notes of fresh pear at the end. The mouth is smooth and lush with nice aromatics and light peppered notes.

Tribute to Grace, Santa Barbara Highlands Vineyard, California, Grenache Rosé, 2024
Winemaker Angela Osborne connects deeply with this single vineyard old-vine Grenache grown at 3,200 feet and uses biodynamic principles to convert the energy of the land into this graceful (no pun intended) Rosé. Angela foot treads the whole-cluster fruit before fermentation to extract color for this Rosé. With this bottle, you can expect a palate packed with delicate floral and stone fruit flavors with bright acidity and an herbal anise-tinged finish.

Claus Preisinger 'Puszta Libre' Burgenland, Austria, 2023
A wild-yet-lively and very drinkable red wine blend from Burgenland, Austria that's made from Saint Laurent and Zweigelt. Delicate tannins and a vibrant red and black berried fruit character make this an excellent wine for the table. Drinks well with a slight chill.

Gregoletto, Treviso Sui Lieviti Prosecco, Veneto, Italy, 2023
Naturally made Prosecco, made by refermenting in bottle without disgorgement. It has the slight cloudiness of a pet-nat with bracingly pure, clean flavors. It is crafted via sustainable, traditional practices in the hilly epicenter of the vast Prosecco zone, and that great terroir shines through with clarity in each mouthwatering sip. You’ll see that the Gregoletto family is in a league all their own when it comes to old-school Italian farmer fizz.

All of these for $125. That is a damn fine price for this.

June also reminded me that the annual Beaujolais release is set for November 20 and how this is perfect wine for Thanksgiving. I love Cru Beaujolais, and Montrose Cheese & Wine has put together a 12-pack for the season.

More from June:
We have a 12 pack of all the Crus of Beaujolais and then some on presale for Beaujo Day on Nov 20! Tour de Beaujolais, $395 (Par 12)

Montrose Cheese and Wine Thanksgiving 4-pack

Photo by Zach Horst

Find these four wines at Montrose Cheese & Wine.

Juicy, opulent, palate wetting, and diverse, the array of Beaujolais we’ve put together will provide an immaculate pairing alongside Thanksgiving dinner and festivities alike. Here at Montrose Cheese & Wine, we have a proclivity to the delectable array of expressions based in Beaujolais; you deserve to taste through the entirety of what Beaujolais has to offer as well!

As a region, Beaujolais is divided into 10 different departments, titled crus, shown by a declaration of which cru on the face of the label. Each of these crus have a unique expression and allow a different part of the delicious gamay grape to shine, from the aromatic nature of Fleurie to the bold presence of Moulin-à-Vent. We’ve put together a selection of 10 bottles, one from each of the 10 crus, plus a Beaujolais Nouveau and Beaujolais-Village, to make a full 12 bottle case!

Ten crus, North to South: Saint-Amour, Juliénas, Chénas, Moulin-à-Vent, Fleurie, Chiroubles, Morgon, Régnié, Côte de Brouilly, and Brouilly

Who wants to take the tour with me? I love all of this, and you should add this to that game plan I wrote about in last week’s column. One stop shop is what I’m talking about. Wine dinners, Turkey Day packs, and a tour of Cru Beaujolais?

Goodnight is right!

Have fun this Thanksgiving and remember to email me if you have any questions!!!

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Need any other Thanksgiving advice? Send Chris an email at chris@chrisshepherd.is.

Chris Shepherd won a James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest in 2014. The Southern Smoke Foundation, a nonprofit he co-founded with his wife Lindsey Brown, has distributed more than $15 million to hospitality workers in crisis through its Emergency Relief Fund. Catch his TV show, Eat Like a Local, every Saturday at 10 am on KPRC Channel 2 or on YouTube.

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New Year's greetings

Chris Shepherd gives thanks for underrated wine and talented Houston doctors

Photo by Chris Shepherd

Chris has been enjoying wines from California's Lodi region.

I know my articles have been a bit scarce these past few months, and I owe you an apology. Life shifted in a big way. In September, my wife Lindsey was diagnosed with breast cancer, and our world narrowed, in the best possible way — to home, health, and the fight in front of us.

The first and most important thing I’m thankful for is early detection and the city we live in. Having MD Anderson here in Houston is a gift I’ll never take lightly. Lindsey is doing great with treatment. She’s an absolute warrior, and this experience has a way of reframing everything. It forces you to look back, take inventory, and find purpose in both the good and the hard. Today, we’re focusing on the good.

I love documenting delicious bottles, great bites, and the people we share them with. Every year, I scroll back through my photos to see if my drinking patterns have changed. The answer? A little, but not dramatically. That’s part of what makes wine so fascinating — it’s alive, always evolving, and so are we.

Chablis and Sangiovese were heavy hitters in 2024 and carried right into 2025. But on the white side, I found myself diving deeper into Aligoté, Burgundy’s other white grape. While Chardonnay is the big dog, Aligoté deserves your attention. Think green apple, citrus, herbal, and floral notes, with bright energy and lift. The real bonus? You can drink Aligoté from top Burgundy producers at a much friendlier price point. It punches well above its weight and belongs on your table.

I’ve also been blown away by Chardonnay from northern Oregon. Early mistakes with clones led to wines that never quite found balance, but producers committed to getting it right with different clones that did much better in cooler sites, with less oak and shorter barrel time. Barrels should be nurturing vessels, not seasoning agents. Producers like North Valley, Soter, and Alexana are making some of the best Chardonnay I’ve had in years, and I am here for it.

This past year also brought new adventures, including a month-long stay in Healdsburg, California in July. With a Southern Smoke event and another trip already planned, we packed up the cats, rented a house, and lived somewhere else for a while. It was magical and something I hope we do again.

While out there, my friend Tegan Passalacqua (Turley Vineyards, Sandlands) invited me to Lodi to taste what’s happening in that region. Lodi has long been known for bulk wine, but the story runs much deeper. Sitting just outside the Sierra Foothills, the region was shaped by massive geological shifts millions of years ago that helped it draw settlers searching for gold in the 1800s. They brought vines with them: Zinfandel, Syrah, and countless lesser-known varieties that are finally getting their moment.

Zinfandel, genetically linked to Tribidrag (Croatia) and Primitivo (Italy), has been thriving there since the 1850s. After its boom in the early 2000s and an era of ultra-ripe, high-alcohol styles it lost some favor. But tastes change. What’s coming from Lodi’s old vines today is refined, balanced, and beautiful.

“Think head-trained, dry-farmed, own-rooted vines — some 100 to 150 years old — producing wines that speak clearly of place,” Passalacqua tells me. His Zins sit around 14.5-percent alcohol, elegant and structured, a far cry from the 16-17-percent monsters of decades past.

One of my newest obsessions is Old Vine Cinsault from the Bechthold Vineyard, planted in 1885. Traditionally a blending grape in southern France, here it shines on its own with bright red fruit and soft tannins — an incredibly crushable wine. If you love lighter Pinot Noir or Gamay, this will make you smile. Look for bottles from Sandlands, Turley, Lorenza, Birichino, and others.

So here’s the takeaway, like always: break down the walls you’ve been drinking behind. Try something new. Aligoté and Lodi aren’t new but they don’t need to be. They just need people willing to make them cool again. Trust me, they’re delicious and deserving.

And in the words of the late, great Jerry Garcia:

Photo by Chris Shepherd

Chris has been enjoying wines from California's Lodi region.

Wake up to find out that you are the eyes of the world
The heart has its beaches, its homeland and thoughts of its own
Wake now, discover that you are the song that the morning brings
The heart has its seasons, its evenings and songs of its own

Happy New Year, team. Never forget to be kind and show love.

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