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. In this week's column, he shares his thoughts on the nominees for Wine Program of the Year in the CultureMap Tastemaker Awards. Take it away, Chris.
All right here we go! It’s that time of year again — the CultureMap Tastemaker Awards— and I’m going to go over the nominees for Wine Program of the Year! Let’s just say that this isn’t the CultureMap Wine Guy Awards, because we already did that one, and man, was it outstanding! Tickets sold out so fast — because there were none.
You had better get your tickets to this year’s, because this one is official...and mine was made up. (Maybe one day the Wine Guy Awards will be a sanctioned event, but, until then, this one will do.)
I would like to congratulate all of the nominees and give you a little look into why they were nominated. Okay, I can’t really speak to why they were nominated because I’m not on the committee, but I do know that all of these places are doing the good work by putting together amazing wine lists that are very focused for each of their establishments, which is not easy.
Let’s take a look at the nominees, shall we?
13 Celsius opened in 2006 and has been a mainstay of consistency and deliciousness since it opened. The wine list is so thoughtful and has been chock full of gems for almost two decades. It’s the place you want to go to meet up with friends for a quick drink, go on a date and have a bottle of champagne from the list, or just hunker down by yourself with a bottle of Burgundy and crush that Mortadella and fried egg on a pretzel bun. It’s all there for the taking. I’m proud of you if you choose the latter.
Andiron is new to the list and, well, it earned its place. It offers a really impressive champagne list that includes multiple selections from the same producers. You will find short descriptions of some of their favorite producers to help give you some insight into what they see when putting the list together. It does have a lot of the big dogs and harder-to-find wines, which at times can come with the big dog pricing, but these wines are badass!
I know I have written about the wine list at Bludorn a few times now, and I could do this all the time. Great selections by the glass, half bottles and large format. Wine director Molly Austad has such a fantastic palette and a way of putting a list together. Their selections and price points are very much like the food program — you can choose your own adventure!
Small and mighty is the name of the game at ElRo Pizza & Crudo. The restaurant itself follows along with this game as well. The thing that I love is that this restaurant is Terrence Gallivan in a nutshell: smart and methodical. The menu is chock full of delicious crudos, salads, and pizzas while the wine list hovers under 35 very thoughtful selections. Every time I see a chef write a wine list it impresses me. Just sayin’.
Katami enters a gray area. Sake isn’t wine, but if it was, this would be the winner of all winners. This sake list is amazing, but this is a wine list award, not a beverage award. That being said, this wine list is also over-the-top bad ass! It’s written for the menu whether you are going in with nigiri and other fish dishes and want some killer champagne or white burgundy or if you are tackling some of the best wagyu from Japan and crushing some Bordeaux. You are just winning here.
Light Years is the place to go try new things. Natural wines are so fun, always different and ever changing. This is exactly what Light Years does—they’re fast paced and always changing. Swing by and check it out, learn some new things!
Little’s Oyster Bar, what more can I say about this list? I love it. I am enamored that it’s one of the most focused lists for a menu that I have seen. Seafood-focused wines flow like the waters the oysters and fish live in. It’s a beautiful homage to a seafood-style steakhouse if you will and I LOVE it! Chablis, yes! Champagne, yes! Crisp acidic whites, yes! Cabernet Sauvignon, not so much but it’s there!
Courtesy of Bludorn
Molly Austad is Bludorn's wine director.
For all the lists that are nominated here, March has the biggest cellar with the most selections. Let’s just say the wine list is amazing, but another thing about this restaurant is just as amazing. The restaurant is ever changing, and the pairings that are represented on the menu are beautiful, well thought out, and quite frankly perfect. It’s the only nominated restaurant that offers pairings, and the sommelier team here is like no other. They work diligently through the process of bringing in unique and targeted wines for each of the intricate items that the culinary team thinks about. It’s truly amazing to watch the team do what they do.
I haven’t been to Mimo, but I can’t wait to go. I hear the food is awesome, and the wine list looks fantastic. It’s focus is like the restaurant, Italian, which I absolutely love. If you look around, it has a pretty decent amount of wines from other parts of the world, too. The possibilities of awesomeness are endless. Let’s just say this place looks fun.
(Editor’s note: Chris and everyone else can get to know Mimo’s wine list better by attending their next wine dinner on Wednesday, February 28. Get a five-course meal with wine pairings from Tenuta Mazzolino for $135, gratuity included. Reservations available online.)
Nobie’s is one of our neighborhood spots, so we know this list well. The wine list is like the food and the restaurant — fun and rambunctious. The music in the house is generally a little louder, the puns on the menu are a fun look into chef Martin Stayer and his team’s minds, and the wine list is a look at sommeliers Sara Stayer and Zeb Fletcher’s soul. The list is chock full of interesting things to drink.
All in all, I would grab a cocktail, put my food order in and let the team run wild with what they are drinking. It’s always a little bit of a relief to let go and let the team drive the bus of fun. I know you want to ride.
Street to Kitchen
Rule #1: Order the frozen Whiskey Thai Tea.
Rule #2: Order a good balance of sour, sweet and spicy dishes. Don’t go all in on one style of dish. Thai food is about balance.
Rule #3: Order champagne!!! It’s just so damn good with Chef G’s food!
Sommelier and co-owner Graham Painter has put together a very smart list that is definitely what he likes to drink. So take his advice!
Good luck to all of the nominees. Thank you for building beautiful lists of wine. Cheers, Houston!
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The 2024 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards event runs 6-10 pm Wednesday, March 27 at Silver Street Studios (2000 Edwards St.).
The 2024 Wine Program of the Year award is presented by Rías Baixas Albariño.
Who are you rooting for in this year’s Tastemaker Awards? Tell Chris Shepherd 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 founded with his wife Lindsey Brown, has distributed more than $11 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.
