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San Francisco’s Queen of Sauvy B: Eco Terreno Winery

Beer for breakfast and wine for lunch–this is how you pass a wintry day in San Francisco. Today, I have tasted everything from cinnamon-sugar pumpkin ale in a toasty brick basement at Fisherman’s Wharf to vegan gluten-free beer (made with sushi rice) at a queer-friendly microbrewery in North Beach. And before strolling off to reconstitute…
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The Wine Fairy 2025 recap: Our first year by the numbers

Wine friends, The Wine Fairy blog was started in December 2024. That means I’ve just wrapped up my first full year as a wine writer…and what a busy year it’s been. I have been through months of studying, gallons upon gallons of wine, and several short exploratory trips to United States wine regions. (Napa Valley…
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The wino’s guide to Princess Cruises

The thought of being stranded at sea for seven or more days–away from your cellar and favorite decanter, at the mercy of a dismal list of house wines–strikes fear into the heart of any wine enthusiast. But don’t worry! With the help of this guide, you will be able to navigate through an ocean of…
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Local wines by the Bay at Winery Collective (San Francisco, CA)

Fisherman’s Wharf in December is not a bustling place. The cruise ships have mostly left for the season and the sidewalks are nearly empty. It’s too chilly and gray to catch any California sunshine on the waterfront. The Ghirardelli Chocolate building shines on the top of the hill, its marble counters spotless, its sundae glasses…
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Local Sips: Times Ten Cellars (Dallas, TX)

A leisurely wine tasting sounded like the perfect way to end a hectic holiday weekend. Feeling curious and thirsty, I made my way to Times Ten Cellars, an urban winery in East Dallas’s historic Lakewood neighborhood. Open since 2005, Times Ten is well-known locally as a bookable venue for wedding dinners and private receptions. But…
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DFW Wine Events: December 2025

‘Tis the season to spoil your palate with the best wines that North Texas has to offer! This month, as ever, we scoured the emails and socials for tempting wine events to make your days and nights jolly. The unifying theme of this December 2025 edition is bubbles. South African bubbly, Italian bubbly, good Champagne,…
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Local Sips: Tasting Texas Pinot Noir (and more) at Red Dirt Cellars (Grapevine, TX)

They say you can’t grow Pinot Noir in Texas…but Texans are a feisty bunch who don’t hearken to the word “can’t.” That doesn’t mean it’s easy. Pinot Noir, as a rule, likes a long, consistent growing season and a cool to moderate climate. Those are two things we definitely don’t have here, where summer temperatures…
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Champagne Laurent-Perrier tasting at Pogo’s Wine & Spirits (Dallas, TX)

I used to credit most of Champagne’s popularity to marketing glitz. It’s all about the image, right? I guzzled cheap Cava and grocery-store Crémant, feeling smug and wise. But I was wrong. Good Champagne, alas, occupies its own tier of deliciousness among sparkling wines. The bubbles are finer, the texture richer, the flavors brighter and…
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DFW Wine Events: November 2025

We love our vibrant, viniferous city! Once a month at The Wine Fairy blog, we pick Dallas-Fort Worth’s ten (or so) most exciting wine events to share with you. But for November, there was too much to choose from–it was impossible to narrow it down. So here’s 20 local wine activities (yep, 20!) to keep…
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Six Texas food and wine pairings that will make you go, “Yeehaw!”

One of the best things about bringing home a bottle from a local winery is opening it with friends at the dinner table. But Texas wines can be quirky little buggers, and conventional wine-pairing advice doesn’t always apply to the unique wine of the Lone Star State. In this article, we look at six of…
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Wine, food, and more wine at the DFW Italian Festival (Irving, Texas)

It’s State Fair of Texas season in Dallas this month–but if sharing Fair Park with 100,000 people doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, there are lots of smaller community events to choose from. On Saturday, we dropped in on the DFW Italian Festival, a celebration of Italian food and heritage that’s now in its…
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DFW Wine Events: October 2025

Here’s to fall–and a new month full of wine experiences in Dallas-Fort Worth! There’s lots to taste, see, and do in October, including street festivals, wine dinners, educational classes, and more. As always, we’re just local wine nerds and are not affiliated with any of the businesses listed below. All info is subject to change.…