Get Perfect Picks from Houston Wine Merchant
One of the side effects of drinking good wine is great conversation, and the casual atmosphere of Houston Wine Merchant lends itself to fantastic conversations about wine. Here, staff members each specialize in a geographic area so that they can dive deeply into studying the characteristics of a region’s wines. “We’re like the Farmer’s Market of wine stores,” says Retail Manager Antonio Gianola: just like we consumers enjoy meeting the people behind the produce we purchase at our favorite farmer’s market, we can add to our wine-drinking experience by chatting with the staff at Houston Wine Merchant and hearing their stories about their favorite selections.
Sometimes the producers themselves are on hand at the regular tastings, held every Friday evening (from 5:30-7:30) and Saturday afternoon (from 2:00-4:00.) Each tasting focuses on a theme, such as a specific region or grape variety, a certain style, or of course, an individual producers’ offerings. Third Fridays are devoted to spirits, and in the fall, expect to see some Burgundy tastings, which, according to Gianola, can be intense in the best way. These tastings are a great way to gain deeper understanding of wine and spirits and the parts of the world they come from.
Gianola says that no matter the price of the bottle, wines are usually purchased for drinking right away. “Many people are saying, ’I’m going to a friend’s house for dinner, they’re making pork chops, I want to bring a bottle of wine.’ Then we try to get a feel for whether they'd like white or red, if they know what the sides are going to be and how it will be cooked. Just finding something that will fit what they’re looking for.” The experts at Houston Wine Merchant thrive on helping folks find just the right thing, even if it means going to great lengths to obtain a single coveted bottle for a customer to give as a gift.
Houston Wine Merchant may seek out the staff’s favorite wines from all over the world, but they also enjoy participating in local wine dinners. These events are a great way to try different wines and then follow up at Houston Wine Merchant to get more of what you loved. Wines are selected for food pairings with preparation style in mind; an Italian pasta dish, for example, even if created with local ingredients, might pair best with an Italian wine that suits the dish’s style. And though their wines travel to Houston from across the globe, the buyers’ goal is to support smaller, independent producers offering something unique to their location—wherever that may be.
But rest assured, for the devout locavore, Houston Wine Merchant has a selection of Texas wines that highlight the unique characteristics of grapes that grow well within a day’s drive of Houston. We know Texas is hot, which means some of the most popular grape varieties, like Pinot Noir, won’t grow well here. But grapes like Mouvedre, Tempranillo, and Sangiovese can thrive in Texas. Gianola in particular adores a Texas Viognier, gushing that “Viognier in the Hill Country is phenomenal—they’re most amazing with asparagus! Raw, or grilled, it’s crazy. I works well with veal and pork and many fish dishes, but with asparagus, it’s just magic.”
“We’re still getting people to realize that Texas wine can be great, and it doesn’t have to be Chardonnay!”
Houston Wine Merchant’s Texas shelves are stocked with selections from boutique wineries crafting wine specifically from Texas-grown grapes. “Many of them don’t even have distributions, so if you are not at the winery or on the mailing list, you will never get their wines,” says Gianola. But you can find many to choose from at Houston Wine Merchant.
Wine intimidates many people, but it doesn’t need to. While there is always more to learn (Gianola says “the rabbit hole is as deep as you’d like it to be!”,) and there are plenty of services for more experienced drinkers looking to build impressive cellars, buying wine should be fun for anyone. Gianola aims to remove the wine lingo from conversations and just figure out what his guests enjoy. There is no right or wrong way to drink wine, but having someone to help makes the experience that much more rich.
