wine guy Wednesday

Chris Shepherd suggests 6 Houston wine dinners to support hospitality workers

Southern Smoke Decanted is sold out, but Chris has other wine dinner suggestions.

Photo by Daniel Ortiz

What’s happening team! I have some amazing events coming up for you to dive into.

Southern Smoke Decanted is coming up in just a few weeks. The event itself is completely sold out, but you have some opportunities here to do some cool things and drink some cool wines!

First, the auction will be available for anyone to participate in and have access to amazing bottles and experiences. For year three of Decanted, we’re hosting six wine dinners around the city, and you will want to kick yourself later for not attending.

I absolutely love a wine dinner. Just think about this for a minute, chefs letting their creative juices flow to pair with fantastic wineries pouring all the delicious wines that they spend so much time perfecting. As a chef, these were some of my favorite nights of service. It always let me break away from the menu and let me just create.

First, I want to thank each restaurant and each winery for choosing to be a part of these dinners and committing to helping the food and beverage industry in a very meaningful way. If we, as people that love to eat food and drink things, can come together to make sure that the people that are producing these things can feel our support by helping to build the much needed safety net, then we can all sleep better at night.

Imagine that world for a minute because it all boils down to one word, access. Access to something that cooks, waiters, farmers, distillers, winemakers, and anyone else in the F&B industry have never really had. Imagine what it’s like to make sure that someone’s rent has been paid, their child’s doctor’s appointment has been covered, or speaking to a therapist before making a decision that will alter an entire family’s day-to-day life.

You can help to make that change just by going to a dinner. Wow, that’s powerful. We always say that the restaurant is the place you go to celebrate, to relax, to not have to cook, to go through the drive-through on the way home when your kids are yelling at you for chicken nuggies and that person that opens the window and hands you a bag of hot-and-crispy items. Your stress has been relieved, but the person who handed you that bag of joy is in full turmoil over not having money for rent, food, or medicine. As an industry, these fantastic humans are always there to take care of you, but who takes care of them? It’s that easy, you can literally save a life without even knowing it.

So let’s get into the details! The Marigold Club will host an amazing Hirsch dinner featuring nine different bottlings! Attendees will taste rosé, Chardonnay, and six different Pinot Noirs. I’ve written about Hirsch previously, and it’s my wife’s absolute favorite, no questions asked. The Hirsch Vineyards are some of the most iconic in the world and produce such beautiful wines. You can literally see the Pacific Ocean from their vineyards.

Bludorn is up next with a magical evening with the iconic Littorai who produces some of the most delicious Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Sonoma and Anderson Valley. Aaron sent me their menu, and it looks so good!

If you would like something elegant but casual, visit the newest restaurant on our list, Star Rover. Chef Bobby Matos and team are hosting the folks from the Napa Valley legend Spottswoode. They are going to be throwing an awesome oyster roast party with other snacks for folks with that delicious Sauvignon Blanc and the Lyndenhurst Cabernet Sauvignon. This is more of a banger party than a sit-down dinner, so it’s time to choose your adventure!

Musaafer will host Houston’s own Dr. Revana as they pour wines from the beautiful Alexana estate in Willamette Valley with its Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, and Teo blocks of Pinot Noir. Then Dr. Revana will take us on a ride down to Napa Valley for the 2018 and 2019 vintages of the esteemed Revana Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. I can only imagine what Michelin-starred chef Mayank has planned for this amazing evening. Get down!

Speaking of Michelin stars, I guess they aligned because chef Luis Roger of BCN Taste & Tradition will be hosting the teams from Raventós i Blanc and Can Sumol for a whimsical evening at MAD. I’ve seen the menu and pairings and I will be very jealous of everyone going to this one. This menu is just fun!

Last but not least, my dear friend chef Ryan Lachaine and the team at State Of Grace will be pouring wines from the legendary Paul Hobbs. At this dinner, you get to try wines from all over the place, starting with Hillick and Hobbs Riesling from Seneca Lake in upstate New York. Then we move into wines from Argentina, Spain, and Napa Valley. I mean c'mon! I know how chef Ryan cooks and I can’t wait to see what he throws down for you guys with this one!

These evenings will be a celebration of food, wine, and the beautiful industry that takes care of us on a daily basis. For one minute imagine a world without food service where we’re left to grow and cook our own food, ferment our own wine, distill our own bourbon. That sounds very challenging and very hard. Let’s take a little time to honor these amazing people and go to a wine dinner! You owe it to yourself. I’ll see you out there!

----

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.

news-you-can-eat fundraisers wine

Meet the Tastemakers

Houston's 10 best bartenders of 2026 treat strangers like regulars

Photo by Christian Niklaus

Julia Miles, Refuge.

The time has come to celebrate the 10 nominees for Bartender of the Year in the 2026 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards.

While we recognize chefs in two different categories, bartenders are the only front of house workers who are eligible for a Tastemaker Award. While it can be hard to get to know a server or a manager, bar patrons tend to build long-term relationships with their bartenders, even following them from one job to the next.

While all of this year’s nominees have skills in craft cocktails, it’s their ability to build relationships with their customers that truly stands out. That’s why our panel of expert judges selected them as the best of the best.

Who will win? Find out at our Tastemaker Awards ceremony April 16 at Silver Street Studios. Dine on bites from this year’s nominees, sip cocktails from our sponsors, and witness as we reveal the winners. Buy your tickets now. A limited number of Early Bird General Admission tickets remain. VIP tickets offer early entry, valet parking, and more perks. All tickets will sell out before the event, so don't wait.

Here are the 10 nominees for Bartender of the Year:

Alejandro Medina, Bludorn Hospitality
The Anvil veteran is responsible for the cocktail programs at all four of the group’s restaurants. Although he’s primarily focused on staff training and menu development, he still shows up behind the bar as his schedule permits. Visit Bar Bludorn to sample his creations for the restaurant’s martini happy hour.

Brandon Choate, Nancy's Hustle
It’s been about a year since the bartender took over the cocktail program at the Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant. During that time, he’s tweaked the cocktail menu by putting seasonal spins on classics and matching flavors to the restaurant’s butter-drenched cuisine.

Chad Matson, Lee's
Patrons will frequently find Matson working the room at this Rice Village cocktail bar. He’s friendly demeanor sets the tone for Lee’s warm service, which has made it a destination for cocktail fans from across the city. Picking a favorite drink from the Lee’s menu is tricky, but Matson’s blood orange margarita is particularly must try.

Cory Martin, Montrose Grocer
As anyone who’s been to this wine shop/bar knows, the vibes are immaculate. Martin sets the tone for that atmosphere — both by engaging with customers about which glass or bottle they’re most likely to enjoy and by picking just the right album from the thousands of records that fill Montrose Grocer’s shelves. Be sure to ask him which rosé pairs best with the bar’s Sunday night live jazz sessions.

Craig Mickle, Baso
A steady presence behind the bar, Mickle’s cocktails utilize many of the same ingredients that Baso’s chefs use in their dishes. For example, the strawberries that sweeten the menu’s endive salad show up in the Astro Boy cocktail, where they’re paired with sherry and fresno chile peppers. Working closely with the kitchen not only ensures a cohesive experience for diners, it also helps reduce waste.

Jacki Schromm, Donna's
After stints at Anvil and Reserve 101, Bobby Heugel partnered with Schromm to open Donna’s, the lively new cocktail bar that’s been a smash hit since it opened in November. One staple of the menu is Schroom’s “Jackie’s martini,” which is made with a 50-50 mix of gin with Cocchi Americano and Dolin Blanc vermouth. It’s smoother and has a lower ABV than a traditional martini, which means patrons can drink a couple more and stay a little longer

Javier Ruano, BCN
Creating cocktails that meet the level of chef Luis Roger’s cooking is tricky, but Ruano meets the challenge. The restaurant’s signature gin and tonics feature carefully-selected combinations of gins, tonics, and seasonal ingredients to create drinks that are both eye-catching and delicious. Plus, he delivers the kind of polished service diners expect from a restaurant with a Michelin star.

Josh Alden, Bandista
A veteran of bars such as Refuge and Reserve 101, Alden has the necessary skills to craft drinks worthy of Bandista’s intimate environment and premium prices. More than knowledge of flavors and spirits, it’s his warm personality that’s made him a perennial nominee in this category.

Julia Miles, Refuge
As one of Refuge’s veteran bartenders, Miles’ cheerful attitude makes newcomers feel like regulars and regulars feel like old friends. While the work is serious — Refuge’s cocktails can be pretty complex — Miles understands that the end goal is not to show off how much effort went into the drink — it’s to show customers a good time.

Peter Jahnke, Catbirds
As Bobby Heugel’s business partner at both Catbirds and the Blue Lagoon Club, Jahnke is more likely to serve his customers a beer and a shot than a complex cocktail. Both bars have a casual environment and a lengthy roster of regulars, all of whom appreciate that Jahnke’s calm demeanor helps set the tone for places where friends and colleagues go for respite after a long day.

----

The Tastemaker Awards ceremony is sponsored in Houston by Maker's Mark, Culinary Khancepts, NTX LVL Event, Shutto and more to be announced. A portion of proceeds will benefit our nonprofit partner, the Southern Smoke Foundation.

Photo by Christian Niklaus

Julia Miles, Refuge.

tastemaker awards cocktails