wine guy wednesday

All the bottles being popped at Houston's 2-day Champagne festival

It's an opportunity to drink some of the world's best champagne.

Photo by Mikhail Lipyanskiy

It’s that time of year again—I’m calling on all of you Champagne lovers out there!

La Fête Du Champagne is coming to town with one hell of an amazing lineup of parties October 18-19. My wife Lindsey and I attended a couple of the events last year not knowing what to expect. It was more than I ever imagined by far!

Let’s start with the list of events that are happening this year:

October 18is a lunch at Navy Blue with Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle, which is where they will discuss The Art of Assemblage. Most Champagne houses’ prestige cuvées are vintage wines. Laurent-Perrier believes that by blending three complementary vintages they can create a wine that is greater than the sum of its parts, and I am here for it! Chef Jerrod Zifchak and the team at Navy Blue are putting together a menu like no other. They are just really amazing cooks, and we are lucky to have a place like this in our city. Price of the ticket is $425 plus tax, but look at this lineup!

Laurent-Perrier, Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature NV
Laurent Perrier, Vintage 2012
Laurent Perrier, Vintage 2008
Laurent Perrier, Vintage 2007
Laurent Perrier, Grand Siècle Nº26
Laurent Perrier, Grand Siècle Nº25
Laurent Perrier, Grand Siècle Nº24
Laurent Perrier, Grand Siècle Nº23
Laurent Perrier, Grand Siècle Nº23 en magnum
Laurent Perrier, Grand Siècle “Les Réserves” Nº20 en magnum

Dinner on Friday, October 18th is at the newest restaurant by Aaron Bludorn and team, Bar Bludorn. Chef Alexandra Peña is at the helm of this new beautiful restaurant in the Memorial neighborhood. She is an absolute rockstar. I had dinner there the other night and damn, was it fantastic.

I can wait to see what she and the team put together for this amazing dinner with one of Champagne’s oldest Grande Marquehouses. Founded in 1760, Lanson is well known for the remarkable aging potential of its wines. Larson style is influenced by the winemaking style of blocking malolactic fermentation and thoughtful, precise blending of only the best Grand Cru fruit.

This is something to remember when you are tasting LansonLe Vintage Collection 1964 en magnum. Dinner starts at 6:30 and tickets are $950+ tax. Ready for the line up????

Lanson, Le Black Label NV en magnum
Lanson, Le Vintage 2012 en magnum
Lanson, Le Clos 2009 en magnum
Lanson, Le Vintage Collection 1996 en magnum
Lanson, Le Vintage Collection 1990 en magnum
Lanson, Le Vintage Collection 1989 en magnum
Lanson, Le Vintage Collection 1988 en magnum
Lanson, Le Vintage Collection 1985 en magnum
Lanson, Le Vintage Collection 1976 en magnum
Lanson, Le Vintage Collection 1964 en magnum

And this is just day one!

Wake up, get some electrolytes and coffee in you to clear the fog and let’s get your palate ready for day two!

Saturday, we move to the OG Bludorn where two events that are happening. The first is a walk-around tasting from 12-2 pm with small bites. This event is already sold out but you can get on the wait list or double down (smart move if you ask me) and just purchase the Magnum package which is tickets to both events on Saturday. This is what Lindsey and I did last year and it was very, very impressive. Wanna see the lineup for the afternoon? Yeah. you do.

Here it is:

Delamotte, Brut NV
Delamotte, Blanc de Blancs NV
Delamotte, Blanc de Blancs 2018
Delamotte, Rosé NV
Dom Pérignon, Vintage 2015
Dom Pérignon, Vintage 2006 - Plénitude 2
Dom Pérignon, Rosé Vintage 2009
René Geoffroy, Expression 1er Cru Brut NV
René Geoffroy, Lieu Dit Tiersaudes Blanc de Noirs 1er Cru Brut Nature 2019
René Geoffroy, Lieu Dit Houtrants Complantés 1er Cru Brut Nature NV
René Geoffroy, Rosé de Saignée 1er Cru Brut NV
Lanson, Le Black Label NV
Lanson, Le Rosé NV
Lanson, Le Green Label NV
Lanson, Le Vintage 2012
Laurent-Perrier, Vintage 2012
Laurent-Perrier, Grand Siècle Nº26
Laurent-Perrier, Grand Siècle Nº23 en magnum
Laurent-Perrier, Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature NV
A. Margaine, Brut NV
A. Margaine, Extra Brut NV
A. Margaine, Cuvée M NV
A. Margaine, Special Club 2015 or 2016
Moussé, L’Orage NV
Moussé, Les Fortes Terres 2019
Moussé, Eugène NV
Moussé, L’Esquisse NV
Vilmart & Cie, Grand Cellier NV
Vilmart & Cie, Grand Cellier d’Or 2019
Vilmart & Cie, Cœur de Cuvée 2016
Vilmart & Cie, Emotion 2015

Damn, I love these wines, but you’re going to need a nap before dinner — it's like nothing you have ever seen. It’s an absolute party and what dreams are made of for Champagne lovers. It’s a full-on onslaught of all your senses in the best possible way, because this is a culmination of wines from both days and so much more with so many surprises!

Sommeliers are everywhere pouring so many different Champagnes at lightning speed. Every time you turn your head there is something different to taste! The food that chef Chase Voelz and his team are putting out is some of the best around — this night is no exception. I highly, highly recommend this event. Last year, I almost had a change of plans and couldn’t make it, but it worked out that we could and I would have been kicking my own ass if I missed it.

Drink responsibly and get a ride share. I emphasize this again, ride share please. Just trust me because you will want to sample a lot of things.

Ticket prices to Saturday are $200 for the tasting in the day which are sold out, $750+tax for the Gala in the evening, or what seems to be the best bet is the Magnum package that is $800+tax. The magnum package is exclusively for Amex Centurion and Platinum card holders. ,

Head over to the website for tickets. Until last year, this event was not held in Houston, and I had always wanted to travel to attend one. Thanks to Aaron and Victoria Bludorn, Cherif Mbodji. and all of the teams at Bludorn, Navy Blue, and Bar Bludorn it’s happening in our beautiful city.

wine festivals news-you-can-eat

don't call it a comeback

Veteran Houston chef's vibrant new cafe now open at the Menil Collection

Photo by Becca Wright

Flautas and campechana are both available at Chroma.

Visitors to The Menil Collection once again have a compelling, on campus dining option. Chrôma, the new restaurant from veteran Houston chef and restaurateur Claire Smith, is now open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Located in the former Bistro Menil space (1512 Sul Ross), Chrôma (styled in press materials as the all-lowercase “chrôma”) is an all-day cafe that serves Smith’s signature take on globally inspired comfort food.

"I'm honored by the trust the Menil Foundation has placed in me," Smith said in a statement. "Chrôma will be a space that reflects the creativity and warmth of the Menil community — a place where visitors, neighbors, and art lovers can gather, dine, and connect."

Smith worked with architect Dillon Kyle to transform Bistro Menil into Chrôma. The interior features a 30-foot sculptural bar that consists of seven kinds of marble in a butcher block pattern. The main dining room features a wood ceiling with bright orange felt leaves. Diners who opt for the 500-square-foot patio will have a view of the Menil’s celebrated Jack sculpture by Houston artist Jim Love.

"The space is an allegorical landscape," Kyle explained. "We have created a light and airy space that brings in the existing nature and landscape, aiming for a casualness that is comfortable to all.”

The menu will feel familiar to anyone who visited Smith’s previous establishments such as Shade, Canopy, and Alice Blue. Weekday breakfast includes classic egg dishes — think a green egg frittata; a bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich; chilaquiles; and Smith’s signature quiche. Pair them with freshly baked pastries that include croissants, scones, danish, and a gluten-free chocolate chip cookie.

During lunch and dinner, meals start with appetizers, including Japanese eggplant, fried green tomatoes, cheese and charcuterie plates, deviled eggs, and campechana that’s made with shrimp and crab. From there, diners can pick one of six salads, including a chicken cobb, and entrees that run the gamut from a BLT to a cheeseburger, chicken flautas, and pan-seared red snapper in a Thai red curry sauce. Weekend brunch, served from 10 am-3 pm on Saturday and Sunday, offers many of the dishes from both the breakfast and dinner menus.

Considered one of Houston’s earliest advocates for using locally sourced ingredients on a menu, Smith opened Daily Review Cafe, her first restaurant, in 1994. She followed it with Shade, which debuted in the mid-aughts on 19th Street in the Heights. It earned a devoted following for its Southern-inspired comfort food such as the signature shrimp and grits.

In 2017, she transformed Shade into the European-inspired Alice Blue, with an assist from chef Jason Vaughan and beverage expert Sean Jensen — the duo who would go on to earn a Bib Gourmand from the Michelin Guide for Nancy’s Hustle. She also operated all-day concept Canopy on Montrose Boulevard from 2009-2019.

Last year, Smith told CultureMap that she never planned to retire when Alice Blue closed in 2024. She was simply looking for the right opportunity to return to the dining scene.

“When the opportunity arose to open a project on the Menil campus, I jumped on it,” she said.

Chrôma opens daily at 7 am.

Photo by Becca Wright

Flautas and campechana are both available at Chroma.

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wine guy wednesday

All the bottles being popped at Houston's 2-day Champagne festival

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