wine guy wednesday

CultureMap Wine Guy Chris Shepherd on a must-attend dinner at March toasting French wines

Editor's note: Long before Chris Shepherd became a James Beard Award-winning chef, he developed enough of a passion for wine to work at Brennan's of Houston as a sommelier. He maintains that interest to this day. When Chris expressed interest in writing about wine-related topics for CultureMap, we said yes.

In this week's column, he tells us about a special wine dinner at one of his favorite Houston restaurants. Take it away, Chris.

$March restaurant chefs and Jon Bonn\u00e9$

Photo by Zach Horst

Chris Davies, Jon Bonné, and Felipe Riccio review the dishes at March.

Here we go! Have I got a wine dinner for you!

This Tuesday, October 3, the team at March will host renowned wine writer Jon Bonné for a one-night dinner celebrating the release of his amazing new book The New French Wine. If you don’t have this book, drive illegally fast to the nearest place to buy a book and get your hands on this one. If you work in a restaurant, a wine bar, or just frequent either of those places, you should have this book on the shelf.

Over the past few years, we are seeing a change and an influx of new wines coming from France. Wines are becoming more available and even more approachable. Trust me, I love the houses and vineyards in Burgundy, Bordeaux, Champagne, and Loire, but now we are seeing this deep rooted love of different areas and some new winemakers that are embracing that as well. History wasn’t wrong. It’s just as Jon Bonné writes, “C’est Compliqué,” or “It’s’ complicated.”

I’m going to share a paragraph from his book that says a lot to me. Jon writes:

The state of wine in France matters because France is (and, with luck, forever will be) the soul of the global wine industry. Its grape varieties remain benchmarks around the world. Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir and Chenin Blanc, Gamay, and so on are the base materials for so many other wine regions, whether it be California or the Adelaide Hills, or even Tuscany. And reference examples from France remain just that: precedents by which other places measure their progress.

I personally agree with all of this— history tells us this. When I spoke to Jon today, he told me, “I would argue that nothing this big has happened to the French wine business since Phylloxera over 150 years ago.”

We’re seeing the newest winemakers and lesser known regions everywhere now on wine lists, in shops, and even at the grocery stores. We’re seeing sections for Beaujolais, Languedoc, Roussillon, Provence and even the Jura.

This book took Jon over either years to write, and it’s a masterpiece. It breaks down the whys, the whos, and the wheres from region to region. France has been hard to discover forever, but this book has it all laid out for you. You want to know more about the new and the old producers of Champagne, yep! I feel like the dog that had been chasing the car forever, and I finally caught it. Thank you for that, I was getting tired.

Now, on to the dinner. It’s no secret that the folks at Goodnight Hospitality are good friends of mine. I love what they do at Montrose Cheese and Wine, Rosie Cannonball, March, and I can’t wait for Marigold Club to open. They just get me — delicious food and beverage in a very thoughtful way.

Felipe Riccio, who is the chef/partner at Goodnight, is a young, very smart chef. And he truly understands wine. Believe it or not, there are not many chefs out there that focus on wine as much as food — Erin Smith at Feges BBQ, Terrence Gallivan at Elro, Felipe. I’m sure there are a few more but not many. It takes work and passion to learn wine but once you fall into it, it’s on!

Felipe and his team at MARCH are in the middle of the Sicily menu right now but are planning this one-night, amazing dinner. Master sommelier June Rodil, Mark Sayre, Gillie Dougherty, and Felipe sat down and picked the wines for this dinner by region and then dove into the deep end of the pool to work the menu. You want to talk about special? Yeah! You need to get this ticket, I already did because it is going to be one for the memory books. I would suggest if you want a killer experience then head on over to the MARCH website and book your seat. Everyone involved is just over the moon with excitement.

June told me, “Rather than being in constant search for the same old icons, Jon is discovering new French wine icons and unlocking their history and culture while sharing with us what we should be collecting for the future.”

I know that collecting is just as important as being able to enjoy now. In this book you will find both, and that’s pretty amazing. I hope you join Jon, Felipe, June, me and the rest of the team on Tuesday. Let’s raise a glass of Champagne and have an amazing conversation and dinner! See you there.

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Contact our Wine Guy via 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 $11 million to hospitality workers in crisis through its Emergency Relief Fund. Catch his new TV show, Eat Like a Local, every Saturday at 10 am on KPRC Channel 2.

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River Oaks Remix

River Oaks lounge reboots around '90s DJ culture and retro bites

Photo by Michael Anthony

The recently formed LCN Hospitality group—David Anderson III, Mikos Adams, and DJ Mr. Rogers—have relaunched Fancy's with chef Dominick Lee curating the menu.

Less than two years after opening, a River Oaks cocktail lounge has new ownership and a new personality, though under the same name: Fancy’s.

Located at 1947 W. Gray St., the original Fancy’s opened in May 2024 under the guidance of Clé Group owners Zack Truesdell, Salim Dehkordi, and Dallas Rodriguez (BLVD Park, KISS, Heights Social, Say No Mas). The name said it all: an upscale, reservation-recommended lounge with a strictly enforced dress code.

The River Oaks spot is looking a little more approachable these days under new leadership. David Anderson III and Mikos Adams, both partners in downtown record lounge Off the Record, have joined with local producer and DJ Mr. Rogers to relaunch the space as a sound-driven cocktail lounge. This is the first joint venture of the trio under the recently formed LCN Hospitality group.

Fancy’s next chapter took shape through the success of DJ Mr. Rogers’ S.U.S.H.I. (Songs U Should Hear Immediately), a no-requests music-omakase pop-up during the lounge’s previous run.

“We were already spending time in the space through a music-forward pop-up, and the response made it clear there was a real appetite for guided music experiences where the DJ sets the tone and leads discovery, rather than competing for attention,” Anderson said in a statement. “After years in nightlife, where spectacle often comes first, it felt exciting to imagine something different. We thought back to the way DJs shaped culture in the ’90s and wanted to pair that sensibility with the history and energy of River Oaks.”

Former and first-time patrons will find a concept built around weekly programming, including:

S.U.S.H.I. Wednesdays (Songs U Should Hear Immediately)
Global House Thursdays
Funk, Disco, and R&B Fridays
Saturday Night After Hours, high-energy dance-focused programming

Photo by Michael Anthony

The recently formed LCN Hospitality group—David Anderson III, Mikos Adams, and DJ Mr. Rogers—have relaunched Fancy's with chef Dominick Lee curating the menu.

"As a producer and DJ, I've always been drawn to the idea of creating experiences where music is the guide, not the background,” Rogers said. “At Fancy's, we're building a space where discovery happens naturally, whether you're hearing something for the first time or rediscovering a classic through a different lens.”

In the kitchen, chef Dominick Lee looked to lavish River Oaks dinner parties of the ’90s, researching Baron Ricky di Porta Nova, a local legend known for extravagant gatherings. The result is nostalgic small plates and canapés such as Oysters di Porta Nova, a caviar-topped pasta tucked into an oyster shell, and refined chicken nuggets served with three unique dipping sauces and an optional caviar add-on.

"It's a different dinner party every night, shaped by a different sound experience," Lee said. "The food is there to complement that—indulgent but not heavy, familiar but elevated, always in service of the night unfolding around it.”

Behind the bar, bartender Sergio Contreras (formerly of L’Colombe d’Or and Tony’s) has crafted a drink menu that riffs on classic cocktails. Syrups are made in-house using natural, low-sugar ingredients, so patrons can imbibe without the sugar crash. Contreras’ menu includes highlights like the Razzle Dazzle, a French 75 remix, and Forbidden Love, a margarita with a Cabernet float.

"It's all about balance," Contreras said. "We want people to feel good while they're here and when they wake up the next morning after a late night on the dance floor. The classics are the foundation, but we're reworking them in a way that feels modern and intentional."

For those easing into the evening, the lounge offers “Fancy Hour” daily from 5 to 8 pm, featuring $10 signature cocktails and half-off the food menu. On Thursdays, the special runs all day.

The 102-seat bar also includes a second-floor outdoor patio and two private dining spaces. Fancy’s is open Wednesday through Friday, 5 pm-12 am, and Saturday from 7 pm-2 am. Reservations are available via OpenTable.