Houston

I t’s Business As Usual!

By Trish Hagner

Houston Houston

The second half of 2021 found our chapter’s Board of Directors meeting at Café Caspian. This meeting occurs annually in preparation for our Annual Business Meet‑ ing in August. Two weeks later, on July 28, our Cadre met at Lee Slataper’s home to lay out the plans for events through the end of the year.

When August 7 arrived, 42 members gathered for our Annual Business Meeting which we call our Summer Chill because we hold it in a wine warehouse which is at 65 degrees. It’s a nice break from the Houston summer temperatures! After reviewing financials and electing officers for the next year, we enjoyed a delicious pot luck supper and wines from our KOV cellar. It is also the time of year when we present our check to the University of Houston’s Conrad Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management where we established the Knights of the Vine Scholarship Endowment in 2011. Our new contact there is Chris Miller. Chris and his wife, Jane, joined us for this fun and casual event where our gift this year of $7,500 was presented. Later that same month, one of our favorite restaurants announced plans for a wine dinner. We contacted them and asked if they would reserve a private room for our group and allow us to join in. Obviously they said yes or we wouldn’t be talking about it here! So on August 26, 24 Knights, Gentle Ladies and guests had a great meal and Liberation de Paris wines celebrating that date in history. On August 26, 1944, Paris was liberat‑ ed and for the full story you can search the internet or watch the moving Is Paris Burning? We were fortunate to have the winery owner with us. On the Liberation de Paris wines website, you will see a quote: “In August 1944, a convoy of US soldiers liberated a small village

in Brittany, France. The first jeep stopped to pick up a seven year old boy greatly impacted by the war. The US soldier gave him a piece of gum and chocolate. The boy’s eyes lit up and he smiled. From that moment, an eternal gratitude for the United States of America was born. That boy is my father, Joel Bonneté.” How could we not have a great evening?

Our Master Flag Bearer Mark Davis and Gentle Lady Heidi Davis, when they are not in Houston, can be found at their fabulous home in Santa Fe, New Mex‑ ico and they generously offered to host all those who wanted to come to the Santa Fe Wine Festival the weekend of September 24 to visit them there as well. Eleven of our members took them up on this invitation and it was a grand weekend for sure. Spectacular views of the desert and mountains, the rich foods and the abundance of fine wine offerings all contributed to a beautiful weekend among friends.

Just a few days later, our Cellar Master, Tom Feeney, hosted a Riedel Seminar and Steak Night Dinner at the Houston Petroleum Club. As usual, people are still mystified at how the different shapes of stemware can affect the bouquet and the taste of the wine. If you haven’t experienced this, you just won’t believe it, but it is absolutely true and there are 31 wine lovers who attended that evening who can attest to it!

October found 33 of us back in the wine warehouse for a Taste of Argentina Dinner of paella and great wines. Large pans of paella were prepared before our very eyes and then truly enjoyed as we passed Argentin‑ ian wines around our long tables. The wines that night included Aniello 2020 Blanco de Pinot Noir “Soil” (Pa‑ tagonia), Loscano 2020 “The Winemaker” Chardonnay (Uco), Tercos 2018 Torrontes (Mendoza), Aniello 2019 Pinot Noir “006 Riverside” (Patagonia), Loscano 2019 “The Winemaker” Cabernet Sauvignon (Tupungato), and Ricardo Santos 2018 El Malbec (Mendoza).

Our Thirsty Thursdays returned on November 11 hosted by Mark and Heidi Davis on the rooftop of their high rise Houston residence. Casual is the word for these Thursday events. Pizza all around was served with five wines from Spain that included Lasalde 2020 White (Txakoli), Lasalde 2020 Rose (Txakoli), Hermanos Frias 2019 Joven (Rioja Alavesa), Sardaso 2017 Roble (Navar‑ ra) and Pixide 2018 Tempranillo (Ribera del Duero) and enjoyed by 36 members and guests.

And that brings us to December and our annual gathering at the lovely home of Lee and Laura Slataper. Not only did we have beautiful holiday decorations at our December 4 event, 50 members and guests were treated to live entertainment by Shannon Zamora whose style is classic and elegant! Before we knew it, many of our ladies were singing back up and having a wonderful time! Our food was catered by Café Benedicte and included piles of boiled shrimp and cocktail sauce, charcuterie boards, chicken piccata, peppercorn steak bites, Yukon mashed potatoes, grilled vegetables, brulee rolls (crepe filled deliciousness) and chocolate bites. And our wines … what a lovely and unexpected surprise! Our Master Commander Buddy Hagner and his lady Trish had traveled to visit our Nation’s Capital Chapter for their October Assemblage held at Walsh Winery in Purcellville, Virginia. After tasting through the Walsh wines, they wanted to share them with the Houston chapter and had several cases shipped back for our holiday event! Those wines included their 2019 Petit Manseng, 2020 Viognier, 2017 Wine En Passant, 2019 Twin Notch Vineyard Red, 2018 Loudoun County Cuvee and their 2019 What Will The Women Drink. Yes, that last one has a very interesting story, but doesn’t every bottle we open! And that, my friends, is why we love KOV and look forward to every time we can get together.

We hope you will make plans to come for a visit! Our 2022 Assem‑ blage Weekend will take place April 29 – May 1. But come whenever you can. Heck, we’ll get together just to celebrate that you are here with us! Until then ….. Cheers!