Please The Palate Pick of the Week: Drinking Wine in Houston, Texas at Three Wine Bars – Light Years, Montrose Cheese & Wine and A’Bouzy

Written by Allison Levine on October 19, 2019

Travel Lifestyle Wine

When spending a few days in Houston with a fellow wine lover and wine writer friend, what else would we do but drink wine. Houston is a pretty happening scene and its food scene has been steadily getting buzz. And the wine scene is also pretty exciting. After spending a day heading from one wine bar to the next, drinking wine in Houston is the Please The Palate pick of the week.

Light Years Wine Bar (1304 W. Alabama Street, Houston, TX 77006)

Located in the Montrose neighborhood of Houston, Light Years Wine Bar and Shop focuses on natural wines. While I am a fan of minimal-intervention wines, natural wines is not a term that resonates with me. But, I loved Light Years Wine Bar. Located in a charming stand-alone building that looks like an old house, Light Years has a long wine bar, as well as tables and chairs inside, and a patio outside. There are more than 200 bottles of wine on the wine shelves available for purchase. And at the bar, there are close to 40 bottles available to order by the glass. This list is not printed out and changes daily. The staff is friendly and after asking us what we were in the mood for, offered a few wines to taste to see what we preferred. Read More +

Please The Palate Wine of the Week: Palmina 2018 Vermentino

Written by Allison Levine on October 16, 2019

Wine

Vermentino is an Italian grape that is widely planted in Sardinia, but also can be found in Liguria (under the name Pigato) and in Piedmont (under the name Favorita). It can also be found in California, planted in Santa Ynez Valley, Paso Robles and Carneros. And, one of the producers of Vermentino in California is Palmina Wines in Santa Ynez Valley. Perfect for the hot summer days, the Palmina 2018 Vermentino, Los Olivos District is the Please The Palate Wine of the Week.

Vermentino is a light-bodied white wine that can be likened in style to Sauvignon Blanc, without being quite as in-your-face, as Sauvignon Blanc can be. Typical aromas are lime, grapefruit, pineapple and almond. Vermentino produces a fresh, zesty wine with good acidity.

The Palmina 2018 Vermentino, Los Olivos District was fermented with 100 percent native yeasts and was aged in stainless steel and neutral French oak for five months. The youthful wine has notes of lemon, green apple, pear and a hint of mint. It is zesty and bright with a saline minerality on the finish. This is the wine to pair with ceviche, shellfish or seafood.

There were 600 cases of the Palmina 2018 Vermentino, Los Olivos District produced and costs $28 per bottle.

Please The Palate Pick of the Week: Bavel DTLA

Written by Allison Levine on October 12, 2019

Food

Bavel DTLA has been on my list since it opened more than a year ago. Sister restaurant to Bestia, Bavel is owned by Chefs Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis and is located in the Arts District of Downtown LA. Between my travel schedule over the last year and Bavel’s location which can take more than an hour for me to get to on any given weeknight, it took me a while to get there. But, this past Sunday when a friend came into town, it was the perfect excuse to head to Bavel, the Please The Palate Pick of the Week.

Located in a large old warehouse, Bavel sits on an isolated corner in the Arts District. Inside, white-washed walls, wood furnishings, high ceilings with skylights and ductwork and plants draping down from the ceiling make it feel like you have entered a Middle Eastern paradise.