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My experience preparing for WSET Level 2
Nobody needs an industry credential to enjoy and learn about wine…but what if you just want one? Today, I thought I’d write a bit about my experience studying and preparing for the Wine & Spirits Education Trust Level 2 Award in Wines. I’m planning to take the exam in just over three weeks (January 2025).…
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Texas Tasting: Messina Hof (Grapevine)
When Paul V. and Merrill Bonarrigo planted some vines in Bryan, Texas in 1977, they might not have guessed that the single-acre, experimental vineyard would become one of the oldest and most awarded estate wineries in Texas. Messina Hof wines are familiar to Texas wine fans here and abroad. There’s a large portfolio of wines, covering…
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Review: The Costco Wine Adventure Calendar (2024)
Update: Costco’s 2025 calendar is out now! Peek inside the box here. Or, if you’re curious about what the wines taste like, check out our archive of reviews from the 2025 Wine Advent-ure Calendar. As every suburban wino knows, the wholesale club Costco can be a reliable source for better-than-drinkable wine at rock-bottom prices. The…
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Top ten North Dallas happy hours for winos
Dining out in Dallas has gotten expensive, y’all. Sometimes you want to go celebrate Hump Day without blowing your entire week’s budget on one so-so meal. Sometimes you’re itching to get out of the house or the office, but you ate a big lunch and you’re probably not going to be hungry for dinner. Sometimes…
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Wine Road Trip: Arizona’s Sonoita-Elgin region
Sippin’ in Sonoita! We were in Tucson in for the Gem & Mineral show in February 2024…what a perfect place to shake off the winter blahs. Some of the most breathtaking green hills and tumbleweed-swept deserts I’ve ever seen are here…and surprising hospitable wineries, as well. Sonoita-Elgin is a lesser-known wine region with plenty of…
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The Amtrak Mimosa Hack
The Amtrak Mimosa Hack. Hey, that rhymes! So, have you ever been cruising down a wide open plain while someone else is driving, looking at cows, looking at clouds, looking at garbage fires in people’s yards, four hours to go until your destination and thought, “Well, this is fine…but it would be better with a…