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There has never been a better time to be a Houston wine lover. New restaurants opened in recent years offer carefully curated wine lists or unique tasting experiences. Sommeliers immerse themselves in adventurous styles and lesser-known wine regions to keep the selections fresh for guests. And loyal representatives of the Houston restaurant scene continue to bring top-class wine to the table of fine dining.
Aaron and Victoria Bludorn opened their eponymous restaurant in the summer of 2020 and it has quickly become one of the hottest tables in Houston. The wine program is managed by Molly Austad, Wine Director, whose experience includes Pappas Bros. Steakhouse and McGuire Moorman Hospitality in Austin. The mostly classic list is based heavily on French manufacturers, especially from Burgundy, and is rounded off by Italian, Spanish and American bottles, among other things. At the top of the list are half-bottles and large-format bottles as well as reserve picks by the glass. Three porrón choices are fun: for $ 50, you can get a traditional Catalan pitcher with a spout to pour wine directly into your mouth. 807 Taft, 713-999-0146; bludornrestaurant.com
Caracol’s Pescado Horneado today’s catch, whole roasted, photographed Wednesday July 16, 2014, in Houston. (Nick de la Torre)
Nick de la Torre
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Chef Hugo Ortega’s seaside Mexican restaurant, which focuses on seafood, also has the company’s most engaging wine program, run by H-Town Restaurant Group’s beverage manager, Sean Beck. The list starts with a page with changing offers and stories about the wines and producers. The rest is organized by style, with introductions explaining what to expect for guests in a fun and informative way. The list concludes with a Mexican bottle selection. 2200 posts oak, 713-622-9996; caracol.net
The entrance to the tasting menu restaurant Degust, which is located in a fenced industrial area at Long Point, gives the place a secret club atmosphere.
Alison Cook / staff
Degus
Eating in the Newcomer Degust is like entering a house for a large dinner party, except with high-quality food and service. The 12-course tasting menu is best ordered with the wine pairs, each delivered personally by sommelier Dale Ellington, who explains why he chose the wines for each dish with clarity and enthusiasm. A one-sided wine list is also available for a bottle-by-bottle selection. It focuses on fun Spanish wines that are off the beaten path, and others from Portugal, France, California, and Mexico top it off. 7202 Long Dot, 281-707-4623; degusthouston.com
MORE FROM EMMA BALTER: Here’s your guide to Texas Hill Country wineries
An Italian sparkling rose in the new wine coupés from Giacomo’s Cibo e Vino
Alison Cook
Giacomo’s food and wine
Chef Lynette Hawkins’ restaurant Giacomo in River Oaks not only delights with home-made pasta and Italian comfort, but also with its carefully curated wine list that goes beyond the big players in Italy. Giacomo’s presents wines from 15 different regions of the country, including lesser-known places like Sicily, Friuli, Umbria, South Tyrol, Emilia-Romagna and more, as well as loyal Piedmont and Tuscany. The list also includes a full page of orange wines and notes whether a selection comes from a winemaker or is produced sustainably, organically or biodynamically. 3215 Westheimer Strasse, 713-522-1934; giacomosciboevino.com
The March restaurant in Montrose has a wine cellar with 11,000 bottles.
Julie Soefer
March
March in Montrose, by the Goodnight Hospitality team, is one of the newest tasting menu-only restaurants in town. The top-class culinary experience is complemented by the wine program led by General Manager and Beverage Director Mark Sayre and his five sommelier wine team. The 80-page list of sources from the 11,000-bottle cellar in March, hitting all the classic regions and grape varieties in France, California and Italy – fans of Champagne and Burgundy will be particularly happy here. Under-the-radar selections from places such as Austria, Germany and South Africa ensure a thirst for discovery. Wine accompaniments are also available for the six- and nine-course tasting menus. 1624 Westheimer, 832-380-2481; marchrestaurant.com
On special request, the Dry Aged Prime Tomahawk Ribeye Steak in the Pappas Bros. Steakhouse
Pappas Bros. Steakhouse / Pappas Bros. Steakhouse
Pappas Bros. Steakhouse
There’s no better place in Houston to burn your pocket with wine than the Pappas Bros. Steakhouse. The depth and breadth of the restaurant’s selection is impressive and covers all areas of the wine world. Especially the collection of red and white Burgundy, Californian Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux is dizzying and offers the most renowned producers and some older vintages. Also worth mentioning are Pappas’ champagne, red Rhone, Italian and Spanish sections. 5839 Westheimer, 713-780-7352; 1200 McKinney, 713-658-1995; pappasbros.com
The Roots Wine Bar offers a fun wine program via an enomatic wine machine.
Pound diab
Roots wine bar
Dispensing wine through an enomatic machine can be missed so many times, but it’s an absolute hit at Roots Wine Bar, which opened in the East End in February. Grab a card at the host booth and swipe it through the various stations to reveal the changing wine selections. Each bottle comes with a pocket-sized card with more information about the wine and the friendly staff is always available to answer any questions. JD Fouché takes care of the wine and the food, which is much more ambitious and well executed than it needs to be for a wine bar. 3107 Leeland, 713-818-2079; roothtx.com
Interior of the new Rosie Cannonball, 1620 Westheimer.Julie Soefer
Rosie cannonball
Rosie Cannonball is March’s little sister; the two restaurants share the 11,000-bottle cellar. Rosie’s wine list is more succinct, hitting all the notes in the classic French, Italian, and American regions with a small selection of selections from each as well as bottles from Portugal, Spain, and Greece. There are some interesting finds especially in the Loire and Rhône sections, not to mention the two sides with bubbles and one full side with fun rosé and orange wines. The program is also great value for money, with most bottles being under $ 100 and many being $ 70 or less. 1620 Westheimer, 832-380-2471; rosiecannonball.com
Fleurie in a glass at Squable
Alison Cook / staff
Squable
The creativity of this Hangout in Heights in the kitchen extends to the wine list too. Squable is the place to go if you want to discover something new and unusual, be it a Serbian Pinot Noir, Bubbles from Armenia or a Mexican orange wine. The list is more “natural”, but there are also more conventional wines that reach the pockets of France, Spain, Germany, Austria, Italy, South Africa, Australia, California, Oregon and Washington. 632 W. 19., 832-834-7362; squabletime.com
Burgers at Vic & Anthony’s
Landrys / Landrys
Vic & Anthony’s Steakhouse
This steakhouse is another heavy hitter that will satisfy Houston’s deep pockets and expense accounts. Vic & Anthony’s has perhaps the most impressive selection of red Bordeaux in town, including many first and second wines and older vintages that date back to the 1940s. (A 1982 Château Lafite-Rothschild for $ 15,000, anyone?) The California Cabernet and Burgundy sections are also worth a visit; the latter contains three full pages of the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. The list also has strengths in the Rhône, Spain and Piedmont and Tuscany in Italy. 1510 Texas, 713-228-1111; vicandanthonys.com
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