epic california wine tasting

Wine Guy Chris Shepherd invites Houston to an epic California tasting for a worthy cause

Oh my my my! I’m just going to say that if you missed last weekend’s La Fête du Champagne, well…you missed out. I am not sure I have ever seen that amount of fantastic Champagne in one room at one time.

So if you don’t want to have FOMO next week, here is the next wine event on the don’t-miss list. For one night only on Wednesday, November 15, Napa Valley Vintners is coming to town and bringing 21 wineries with them. Traditionally this type of tasting is only done for the trade, but they are opening it up to the public for you to enjoy. Wineries such as Cain, Long Meadow Ranch, Stewart, Reynolds, and Staglin — just to name a few — will all be part of this amazing tasting.

The thing that excites me about this event is that I don’t have to make appointments all over Napa Valley to enjoy and try all these wineries. It would take at least a week in Napa to hit up all these wineries (I mean, I would love to try that), but we get to try them all in one night.

Tickets are $95 and all the proceeds go to the Southern Smoke Foundation, which takes care of folks in the food and beverage industry in their time of crisis and provides them with no cost mental health care. Full disclosure on this one — I co-founded Southern Smoke with my wife, and we have granted more than $11 million through emergency relief and referred 3,600 free mental health counseling sessions in five states. So this tasting event really is amazing, because it is industry taking care of industry while everyone gets to have a great time.

Let’s talk about what I’m looking forward to trying out because you have to have a plan or else you can get behind and overwhelmed really quickly. Now, I’m not sure what each vineyard is bringing, but here is a quick “Christmas list,” if you will. It’s what I’m hoping for but won’t be upset if it’s not there.

Think of it as a multiple round kind of event — stick and move, if you know what I mean.

First, you have to go through some white wines to start. As if I didn’t have enough sparkling wine over the past few days, I’m headed to the Schramsberg and Paula Kornell tables to try some bubbly, hopefully taste some of that J. Schram because it’s delicious.

Next, try the Sauvignon Blanc lineup from CAMi, Priest Ranch, S.R. Tonella, and Silverado. Then I’m going to slip on over and try some Staglin Chardonnay because it’s awesome.

Next it’s time to bring out the amazing red wines to make you do a little dance. This is when you get giddy! It’s Cabernet country, folks, and Napa Valley weather and earth makes it shine so bright.

You heard me, IT’S FINALLY CAB SEASON! All of these producers are in the mix — Cab to Cab blends and most are in allocations or hard to get, but you get this opportunity to taste them all. Cathiard Vineyards, Stewart, Cain, Acumen, Modus Operandi, and more.

Then once I get through Cabernet country, I am going to hit up Robert Biale Vineyards for some legendary Zinfandels. Call me a ride share now because I am in.

We are lucky that this Napa Valley roadshow is coming through Houston because Houstonians love Napa Valley, and we love trying wines for a good cause. Southern Smoke takes care of the food and beverage industry, including vineyard workers, winemakers, and tasting room workers. By supporting Southern Smoke, you’re also supporting the wine industry. I hope to see you there.

Courtesy of Napa Valley Vinters

Napa Valley Vinters is bringing 21 wineries to Houston next week

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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, and is the founder of the Southern Smoke Foundation. Catch his new TV show, Eat Like a Local, every Saturday at 10 am on KPRC Channel 2.

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howling for you

Rent dispute prompts closure of downtown Houston tequila and taco bar

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An essential downtown destination for tacos and tequila has quietly closed its doors — for now.

El Big Bad was locked out of its space at 419 Travis St. in mid-January. A notice posted to the door of the restaurant cites nonpayment of rent as the reason why the landlord has taken possession of the space.

Owner Steve Sharma tells CultureMap that he had already provided notice of his intent to leave the space when the lockout occurred. According to Sharma, the heirs of his former landlord refused to make necessary repairs to the 150-year old building and sought back rents from 2020 that the landlord had forgiven.

Hopefully, this isn’t the end of the road for El Big Bad. Sharma says he’s actively looking for a new home for the concept.

Open since 2013, El Big Bad evolved out of El Gran Malo, a casual bar in Lazybrook/Timbergrove. Moving downtown offered a number of advantages, including a big increase in space. That meant lots more room for the restaurant’s signature cocktails, many of which were made with house-infused tequilas. El Big Bad paired its drinks with a menu of Mexican and Tex-Mex favorites that included tacos, queso, fajitas and wings.

The restaurant's whimsical, fairy tale-inspired decor gave it a light hearted atmosphere. Its second story patio was frequently packed on sunny days.

While El Big Bad may return, the beginning of 2025 has seen a number of restaurants close permanently. They include sushi restaurant Roka Akor, neighborhood restaurant White Elm Brasserie, and Tris, a steakhouse in The Woodlands.

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