Unique Culinary Experiences Are Part of This Year’s Sugar Land Wine & Food Affair | Houstonia Magazine

Seafood boils, Italian wines and meat curing are just a few of the tasty opportunities.

By Rafa Farihah  1/24/2017

IT MAY BE JUST OUTSIDE HOUSTON ITSELF, but once a year Sugar Land is the ultimate destination to celebrate the legions of epicurean traditions in the most ethnically diverse county in America. Sugar Land Wine & Food Affair, a four-day festival from April 6-9 consists of dinners, learning experiences, a Grand Tasting and a two-day Sip & Stroll. On Friday, tickets went on sale for this year’s event.

Partnered with IWSC Group North America, the 14th annual Sugar Land Wine and Food Affair is bringing a fusion of flavors to our city, connecting people and brands through experiences. Think international food fest paired with some of the finest wines, and encompassing a melting pot of African, Asian, Latino, European and Southwestern flavors.

The following day is a real education, when the soon-to-open Bacon Bros. Public House plays host for the Cured & Fermented Lunch from 12 to 2 p.m. There, chefs Kevin Ouzts and Joseph Zerwas will discuss their methods for curing everything from salumi and kimchi. Just kick back and allow sommelier Jason Tesauro to select the supreme complementary beverage pairing with your meal. Treat yo’ self to fermented foods of every strip, whether meat, vegetable or grape.

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A taste of Virginia: Take a food-focused trip to Richmond | WTOP: Washington's Top News

By Rachel Nania, November 4, 2016

WASHINGTON — The nation’s capital isn’t the only great food city in the local area. Virginia’s capital city is also raking in recognition for its innovative and fast-growing restaurant scene. 

In the last year, national publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post and Saveur have put Richmond on the map as a top town for eating and drinking. 

Susan Winiecki, co-owner of Real Richmond Food Tours and associate publisher of Richmond Magazine, says the city’s shift into the culinary spotlight started about 15 years ago when chef Jason Alley opened his restaurant, Comfort, on downtown’s once-desolate Broad Street. 

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From aglianico to zibibbo, he poured an alphabetical tour of wine grapes | The Washington Post

By Dave McIntyre, October 29, 2016

More than 1,300 varieties of grapes are used around the world to produce wine. Dedicated wine fiends may be able to experience most of those over a lifetime. Jason Tesauro would like us to taste an alphabet’s worth in a single fascinating evening.

He calls it Grapetionary, an A-to-Z exploration of the world of wine that combines ampelography (the study of grapes) with geography. It’s educational and fun — emphasis on fun.

Tesauro, 44, is co-author of “The Modern Gentleman” and sommelier and brand manager for Barboursville Vineyards in Virginia. He thought up Grapetionary while flipping the pages of Wine Grapes, an encyclopedic reference written by Jancis Robinson, Julia Harding and José Vouillamoz. Think of it as the Oxford English Dictionary of wine grapes.

“I was going through the book page by page, and I realized there were a lot of grapes that sounded interesting but not very delicious,” he told me. “And there were some that were interesting and delicious. I thought, what a great party...

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The Most Unique Wine Event I've Ever Experienced | Forbes

By Cathy Huyghe, June 9, 2016

First there was the disorientation of the place. A working vineyard? In the middle of urban Atlanta?

Then there was the very well put-together arrangement of the event, a luncheon last Friday during the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival. The arrangement included long, elegant dining tables between the vines, and large white canopies to protect guests (and wines) from the noonday Southern sun.

But the kicker -- the indicator that demonstrated that we were no longer in Kansas, Toto -- was the one-page "map" to what the event was all about: Grapetionary A-Z, with one grape designated for each letter and one wine made from each grape. The guests at the lunch were treated to tastes of each of those 26 wines, most of which they'd never tasted before and will likely never taste again.

Identifying those grapes, and pulling those wines altogether in one place at one time, was a logistical accomplishment, to say the least. The driving force behind Grapetionary A-Z, and the guide for the event, was Jason Tesauro, a.k.a. The Modern Gent, an author, beverage specialist, and consultant based in Richmond, Virginia.

Vivacity, creativity, and unconventionality are earmarks of Tesauro's programs, which make for lively, outside-the-box experiences. In true gamer character, Tesauro responded with gusto to my challenge of answering 26 questions -- from what it took to pull off this event, to why his approach to events is good for wine, to how luminaries like Jancis Robinson and Randall Grahm influenced him, to what happened with all the wine that...

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Preview: On the Set of "A Moveable Feast" at Merroir Restaurant | Style Weekly

By Brandon Fox, May 6, 2016

“Mingle,” the assistant director tells us. “Pretend like you’re meeting each other for the first time!”

Apparently, we aren’t mingling aggressively enough for the crew of WGBH’s “A Moveable Feast with Fine Cooking.” They take away the tables around us, and unexpectedly, while I tip a raw oyster back that’s still ever-so-slightly attached to its shell, a camera is in my face. It can’t be pretty.

I’m at Merroir restaurant, on the Middle Peninsula in Topping, and the PBS show is filming an episode for its fourth season. “A Moveable Feast” follows Australian chef Pete Evans while he travels throughout America to taste regional specialties.

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