Bottles & Bites Without Borders

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We are starting a new series on the podcast.  It is lists of our TOP 5 in any category related to food and beverage. 

Please listen to this quick episode to hear how you can join the show.

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This is episode we are pouring some bourbons for two guys, Ryan & Cameron, who are new to bourbon.  This is a fun conversation as we taste through some bourbons.  Our approach was to have bourbons from the major distilleries that were similar in proof and style.  We had Ryan and Cameron taste them blind with the objective being what distillery profile did they and like and which one may not be their jam.  The last pour of the episode is a banger and funny to hear their reactions.  Chris Chambers joins this episode as well.

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John Fodera comes back on the show to talk about to great wines from Piemonte Italy.  These wines are known as the King and Queen of Italian wines and they are Barolo (King) and Barbaresco (Queen).  We discuss the region, the conditions and landscape, the grape Nebbiolo.  What are the rules for making these wines? How long must they age before release? When should you drink them? What foods should you eat with them?  We cover all this and more in this episode.   Please check out https://johnfodera.com to read John's blog on Italian wines and to find some great Italian recipes. 

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Jesse Parker - Master Blender for Doc Swinson joins the show.  Carter and Rob talk to Jesse about Doc Swinson's approach, what makes them different than other blending houses?  We discuss Jesse having over a decade of experience and being in his early 30's.  Then we get into what's next for Doc, what can we expect to see from them in the future, how hard is it to get good / old barrels in todays market and how does Jesse see the future of bourbon and rye.

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@AttorneySomm John Jackson joints the show to talk about collecting and storing wines.  This is targeted more to the wine drinker who will consume the  wines.  We do discuss collecting as an investment, but more just touching on this.  We cover the things you need to consider to start collecting, at home vs. offsite, equipment, budget, how important diversifying your collection will be.  We also talk about value wines, as well as some high quality expensive wines for your collection.  

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Rosa's is as close to a NY pizzeria as I have found in the Houston area.  The shop is set up just as I remember from living in NY.  You can get pizza by the slice!  Carter had not been here so I thought lets go have dinner and do a show from the restaurant.  Angelo (Luigi) is the owner, he is from Italy and was shy about coming on the episode because of his accent.  I will continue to get him on because when he starts talking food, and Italian food he tells stories and is a pleasure to listen to.  Look for that episode in the future.  Carter and I taste through some menu items, talk about the dishes and talk about the restaurant itself.  The restaurant is aslo BYOB so being able to bring up your own bottle of wine is very cool.  Give the show a listen and if you're ever in the Houston area (Katy) go check out Rosa's.

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Dave Scott has been on the show a number of times and is a very good friend of mine.  He and I met by going to a guys house for a blind tasting of Mash Bill #2.  In this episode Dave and I talk through Mash Bill #2 and the story of how me met through bourbon and how that's turned into a 4+ year friendship that's still going.  We talk about and hear how what makes bourbon special is the people you share it with and the memories you make when you share pours.  Enjoy the listen.  

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Champagne can be intimidating.   Its thought to be a sophisticated wine, expensive, only for special occasions and something to have before a good meal.  Most average wine drinkers probably have this opinion on Champagne, but this opinion is not accurate.  Chris Ruhland author of the book "Press for Champagne" joins Carter and I to discuss Champagne.  Chris does a great job of getting the average wine drinker to understand Champagne and more importantly to understand why you like what you have in the glass and why you don't like what's in your glass.  This conversation is your Understanding Champagne or maybe Champagne 101.  I didn't know a lot about Champagne before this episode so I didn't have the confidence to go to the wine shop and buy Champagne.  After this episode I am excited to go buy some Champagne and start understanding what I'm drinking and what I like or don't and WHY!  Get a copy of Chris' book on Amazon - the link is below

https://www.amazon.com/Press-Champagne-Enjoying-Greatest-Sparkling/dp/1737546809/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1C5P3FCGOWGNE&keywords=press+for+champagne+book&qid=1649027151&sprefix=Press+for+Champ%2Caps%2C101&sr=8-1

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This episode Carter and I are joined by Leo Arnold and Luis Baston.  Leo & Luis are huge Four Roses nerds and they share their knowledge as well as some fantastic pours.  We dive into Four Roses, discussing their history, standard shelf offerings, special releases, single barrel picks, yeast strains, mash bills, understanding runs and doing barrel picks. 

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We are starting a new series  "The Best Houston BBQ Joints".  Through our social media we have put together a list of what are thought of as the Best of the Best BBQ spots in Houston and we will hit them all over the next few months.  First stop for us was Pinkerton's BBQ located at 1504 Airline Dr. Houston Texas.  https://pinkertonsbarbecue.com/location/houston/ is where you can find them on the web. 
The meats we will be judging are Brisket, Pork Ribs, Sausage & Chicken
The sides will be Green Beans, Corn, Mac N Cheese, Potato Salad, Cole Slaw, Beans 
We will also have an OPEN category for a specialty meat or side
Enjoy the first stop in this Tour of Houston BBQ.

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