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Houston Cellar Classic-The Grand Tasting Experience

     The Grand Tasting Experience held yesterday at The Tasting Room at Uptown Park was the finale of the three day Houston Cellar Classic-A Celebration of Wine & Food. Houston-area winelovers came in droves to taste over ninety wines and sample menu items from local restaurants. 
     The parking lot was partitioned off to provide tent space for food booths. This allowed wine tasters to have small snacks between tastings with diverse offerings such as cheese plates from the Houston Dairy Maids, lettuce wraps from Pei Wei, fried chicken from Max's Wine Dive, shrimp ceviche from Frank's Chop House and risotto from Ristorante Cavour, just to name a few.
     On the patio and inside, there were about fifteen tasting stations to accommodate the large crowd who sipped and swirled through. I only tasted nineteen of the offerings, I intentionally skipped several good ones that I am already too familiar with in an effort to find some new treasures.
     The 1999 Pommery Cuvee Louise-Champagne was subtle perfection. Other favorites were Nickel & Nickel Ponzo Zinfandel, Numanthia Termes-Tempranillo, Two Hands Bellas Garden Shiraz, Benziger Tribute and "M" Cabernet Sauvignon by Michael Mondavi.
     The crowd was a friendly group of enthusiastic wine lovers all ready to share their thoughts on the many different wines. A good time was had by all and money was raised to support JDRF-Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International. The Houston Cellar Classic is an annual event that should not be missed if you are a lover of food and wine.

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