Wine Guy Wednesday

CultureMap Wine Guy Chris Shepherd uncorks the best bottles at Houston's top 10 programs

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 visits the nominees for Wine Program of the Year in the 2023 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards (buy tickets here).Take it away, Chris.

You hear every year that it’s a great time to drink wine in Houston. You know what? It’s always a great time to drink wine in Houston! Why? Houstonians drink a lot of wine. Which means we get a lot of badass allocations from wineries and distributors from around the world.

The CultureMap panel of experts have selected this list of restaurants and wine bars as Houston’s best wine programs 2023, and they’ve asked me to write my thoughts on each. Luckily, I frequent many of these spots to drink wine!

Here’s the common theme — each of these lists have such amazing choices that I traditionally will let the sommelier pick because I want to try something new, something I haven’t had, and something they are truly loving. Not only are the wine lists so darn good right now, so are the people writing them and working the floor.

13 Celsius
13 Celsius is a staple wine bar in this city and has been a fixture for a very long time (since 2006!). Their extensive — let me say again…extensive — wines by-the-glass selection is so large because the Coravin system keeps their wines fresh. Last time I visited, I had a fantastic bottle of Bruno Paillard “Assemblage” Extra Brut 2012, but they can also tempt me with their natural reds. Don’t sleep on the Hayu Wine Farm. You don’t see a lot of this, and it’s always delicious. They also have a great selection of reds from Piemonte. Nebbiolo is one of the greatest grapes around.

While you’re sitting there, don’t miss out on the mortadella panino. It’s legendary.

Bludorn
Bludorn is one of my favorite places to cozy up at the bar, order a cocktail from Fabio, and eat a few snacks. When it comes to wine, I always ask Molly Austad and her team to narrow it down to her favorite three bottles at the moment, and we’re never disappointed. It’s a really well-rounded list with a little bit of everything.

Last time I was there, I drank a really earthy Cru Beaujolais. It was perfect with the black truffle chicken — their pairing suggestions are on point. They have a fantastic selection of wines by-the-glass, and there is always an excess of Southern Rhone wines on the list that make my wife and me smile.

Lees Den
I visited Lees Den recently not knowing what to expect. I was so pleasantly surprised. I think owner Benjy Levit, sommelier Chrisanna Shewbart, and the team really have this place humming. The list is chock full of wines I want to drink with some of the best pricing I’ve seen in Houston in a very long time. The space is warm, and the staff is friendly.

I had a bottle of Comte Lafond Grand Cuvee—I haven’t seen this bottle since I was buying wine at Brennan’s. It made me almost giddy. And at $65, it was an absolute steal. You can find steals on almost any list if you know what to look for. Lees Den has an entire list of steals! It’s a playground. Even better, it shares a floor with a killer bottle shop.

Light Years
I’m glad I live in Montrose because I have a wine bar/bottle shop like Light Years near me. During the pandemic, my wife and I ordered cases and rode our tricycles over to pick them up!

Light Years is a natural wine bar, and the best part about natural wines is that I don’t know nearly enough about them. But I am learning, and that’s the fun of going to Light Years. The team is always helpful and walks me through everything. I’m always introduced to something new. Another thing about natural wine? The large format selection is always really good and affordable. And you know I love a magnum.

March
The March wine list is full of the allocated and the hard-to-find. To say this list has reach is an understatement — full of the producers you want to be drinking. It’s powerful without a lot of filler. Just gander at the selection of bérêche & fils! Champagne not your thing? Hopefully Burgundy is. Or Italian. Or California. Or Spain.

The March team has done a great job of accumulating back vintages of really cool wines. You want some Jordan back to 1984? They have it.

Funnily enough, I rarely look at the list when I’m at March, because the pairings with the tasting menus are so stunning. I do order from the list in The Lounge or — little known fact — when I’m downstairs at Rosie. While Rosie Cannonball has its own fantastic list, the March wine list is also available. This is something you should take advantage of.

Nancy's Hustle
What an absolute fantastic job Justin Vann has done with this wine list. A huge congrats on being named a James Beard finalist! Fun and funky, from sherry to orange wines to cider, the focus here is natural for sure.

Nancy’s Hustle doesn’t just create a list — they create a list for their menu. The wine list is curated to match the style of food they’re serving. That’s really unique and very cool. You’re not going to see some of the bigger names you know, and that’s quite all right. This is Justin and team working hard to curate wines specifically for their menu and what they like to drink. The homepage of their website says it all: “We like butter, natural wine, cider, and cocktails that pair well with food.” And they nailed it.

Nobie's
I’m a huge fan of Nobie’s. The menu is fun, the bourbon list is expansive, but I really love to go to Nobie’s because of the list Zeb Ulon has put together. When I go in, I tell him what I’m feeling wine-wise, and let him roll. He always brings a bottle he is truly in love with — many times lesser known, giving these wineries a voice.

Again, this list is built to go with the food. The team at Nobie’s always brings the party (if you’ve been to Southern Smoke, you know their booth is the party booth every year!) and their wine list is no exception. It’s fun, it’s joyous — always ready for a party. And it’s really smart.

Pappas Bros. Steakhouse
If you want to talk about an amazing list with depth of vintages, selections, styles, and all-around “oh my gosh, they have that on the list!”, this is the spot. If you know enough about wine, you can have fun looking through the list for that steal. Or, be very frank with the somms and tell them your price point and what you like, and they’ll find you the best bottle at the very best value.

If you want to go all-in, saddle up! This is the place to do it. They’ve been purchasing and collecting wine for 25 years. They have it!

Just last week, they hosted a multi-vintage Chateau Lafite Rothschild dinner and pulled every bottle from their cellar. I really wish CultureMap would have picked up a ticket for me to attend this once-in-a-lifetime dinner—maybe next time! (hint, hint) Their commitment to wine education and training is so good here that I’ve run into former Pappas Bros. sommeliers in restaurants all over the country.

State of Grace
I think State of Grace has one of the most helpful wine lists in Houston. Every single bottle has tasting notes, so you know exactly what you’re getting into when you order. The Sparkling section is very well laid out with amazing choices (is it obvious I love sparkling wine?). Their Pinot Noir selections are outstanding — a good selection of price points with the best selections at each price point. Their Italian section is very extensive — lots of Barolos, which is one of my favorites. Any time I see Paolo Scavino, I’m in!

Street to Kitchen
Much like the restaurant itself, the wine list at Street to Kitchen is unassuming and overachieving. It’s a funky little space deep in the East End. Everything here is small and mighty. Co-owner Graham Painter has done a good job of pairing unique, interesting, and approachable wines with chef Benchawan Painter’s food.

It’s unabashed but still very playful. Unapologetic but fun. Street to Kitchen shows you that not every wine list needs to be giant to be great.

Pappas Bros Steakhouse downtown wine glasses

Photo courtesy of Pappas Bros. Steakhouse

Pappas Bros. Steakhouse has something for everyone.

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Contact our Wine Guy via email at chris@chrisshepherdconcepts.com.

Chris Shepherd won a James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest in 2014. Last year, he parted ways with Underbelly Hospitality, a restaurant group that currently operates four Houston restaurants: Wild Oats, GJ Tavern, Underbelly Burger, and Georgia James. The Southern Smoke Foundation, a non-profit he co-founded with his wife Lindsey Brown, has distributed more than $10 million to hospitality workers in crisis through its Emergency Relief Fund.

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Houston DJ-turned-TikTok star cooks up a cult following one recipe at a time

Courtesy of Uncle Dibbz

Uncle Dibbz, a.k.a. A.H. Bowden, has built a devoted following for his viral recipes.

For the past month, Uncle Dibbz has been, shall we say, going ham on social media with the myriad videos of alternative Thanksgiving dishes. He’s dropped how-to clips for such recipes as Cajun-roasted turkey, honey-baked ham/hens, oven-bag turkey, and six-piece fried turkey (to go). Basically, if you don’t want to cook a bland ol’ Butterball this Turkey Day, Dibbz has you covered.

Who is Dibbz, you say? Well, he’s a North Jersey-born, Georgia-bred, Houston-based chef who’s been building quite the foodie rep online. Several videos across his TikTok, Instagram and YouTube pages, from his Cajun-boiled fried chicken (2 million on IG) to his “Propose to Me Pasta” (12.3 million on TikTok), has amassed millions of views. But Dibbz (government name: A.H. Bowden) wasn’t always a culinary content creator. He used to spin music back in Atlanta as DJ DiBiase, named after retired wrestler Ted “The Million Dollar Man” DiBiase. “DiBiase is a mouthful to say, so people just always call me ‘D’ or ‘Dibbz’ for short,” says Bowden, 37, during a Zoom interview.

@uncledibbz PROPOSE To Me PASTA 💍 🍝 Trust your Uncle! This SEAFOOD Pasta will seal the deal 👌🏽 Get my recipe below ⬇️ or on uncledibbz.com [@uncledibbz Link in Bio] 🌐 **Ingredients:** - 8 ounces spaghetti - 1 lb mixed seafood (shrimp, scallops, crab meat, etc.) - 2 tablespoons olive oil - Fresh chopped basil - 2 cloves garlic, minced - 1/2 cup white wine - 1/4 cup heavy cream - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter - Salt and pepper to taste - Uncle Dibbz Delta Dust [link in bio] - Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish) - Grated Parmesan cheese (for garnish) **Instructions:** 1. Cook the spaghetti pasta according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside. 2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the minced garlic, chopped basil and sauté for about 1 minute until fragrant. 3. Add the mixed seafood to the skillet. Season with Uncle Dibbz Delta Dust to taste and cook for 2-3 minutes until cooked through. Remove the seafood from the skillet and set aside. 4. Pour in the white wine to the skillet and let it simmer for 2 minutes, allowing the alcohol to cook off. 5. Stir in the heavy cream, butter, Uncle Dibbz Delta Dust seasoning, salt, and pepper. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly. 6. Add the cooked spaghetti and cooked mixed seafood to the skillet. Toss everything together until well coated with the sauce. 7. Remove from heat and garnish with fresh parsley and grated Parmesan cheese. 8. Serve hot and enjoy the flavorful Seafood Spaghetti. That's good Shawty! #UncleDibbz #ThatsGoodShawty #Pasta #marryme #proposal #bride #wife #husband #relationshipgoals #datenight #easyrecipe #seafood #cajun #cooking #fyp #foryou #viral #houston ♬ original sound - Uncle Dibbz 🍴

He was making a nice living as a DJ, even serving as rapper Big K.R.I.T.’s touring DJ for a while. But when the pandemic hit, the gigs obviously dried up.

“I was living in Miami at the time,” he says. “And, you know, when you have a lot of time on your hands to think – but also need to figure out a way to, you know, sustain an income and everything like that – the ideas start coming,”

Like most DJs at that time, he was doing live mixes on Instagram. But his days throwing cookout parties in Atlanta inspired him to start doing his cooking videos, where he used his very own seasoning. Of course, he had a lemon pepper blend, which he used in a lemon pepper hot wings video that currently has over a half-million views on TikTok.

“I'm about to go live to DJ later that night, and my phone was just going off with orders,” he recalls. “So I'm like, where are these orders coming from? And it's not from my friends. I'm seeing the cities and the states. I don't know these people.”

Thanks to his videos, which usually end with him saying his signature line “That’s good shawty!” (that’s also the name of his cookbook he released last year), Dibbz went into the seasoning business full time. He eventually hired another person to help send out the piles of orders he was receiving.

He even got an order from former Dallas Cowboy Emmitt Smith, one of his favorite athletes. “I remember doing a book report on him when I was in fourth grade,” he boasts.

Although Dibbz has a flair for making meals that border on decadent, he’s an ardent practitioner of cooking with natural ingredients, especially in his seasoning. He has several low-sodium seasoning, including Bebe’s Salt Free – named after his mother, who had open-heart surgery a few weeks before the pandemic started.

“I don't think a lot of people understand the amount of toxins and chemicals that go into a lot of these seasonings,” he says. “You're starting to see it in the news now. A lot of the foods with certain dyes are being taken off the shelves and things like that.’

Soon, Dibbz moved himself and his new business to Houston, a favorite place to perform as well as a town whose hip-hop got him into music. He cites local chopped-and-screwed gods DJ Screw, Michael 5000 Watts, and OG Ron C as his holy trinity of influences. To give props to the music of his new home, he created a hot sauce – called HXT Sauce – whose uncharacteristically large bottle resembles Promethazine cough syrup (aka the key ingredient in lean, the preferred purple cocktail for the city’s rap community).

“It's not necessarily about promoting that usage,” he says. “But, at the same time, it’s just a homage to one of the factors and influences of screwed-and-chopped music.”

Dibbz still indulges in spinning records from time to time. The Waxaholics’ DJ Big Reeks has gotten him to break out the vinyl a few times during his Thursday-night sets at Alley Kat Bar & Lounge in Midtown. But creating new recipes, dropping delicious content and proving you can eat and live in a hearty, healthy fashion still remains his full-time mission.

“I’m not just talking about eating cauliflower rice all day and every day, but just eat real food,” he says. “We're eating fake food. That's the bottom line. We're eating fake food and my whole purpose is to inspire people to eat real food and that starts with real ingredients, real herbs, you know – real natural seasonings.”

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