Monthly Archives: August 2013

happiness is a poopy diaper: Lila Jane has regained her birthweight!

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daddy and lila jane

Great news yesterday: Tracie P took Lila Jane to our local birthing store, Special Addition, and weighed Lila Jane, who has regained her birth weight two days before her two-week mark.

lila jane weight

Of all the gifts that we can give our children, none is more precious than mother’s milk.

I’m so proud of Tracie P and my love for her grows every day as I watch her suckle and nourish our beautiful little girls.

waffles bacon and berries

Naturally, at this point, Georgia P isn’t getting much sustenance from nursing. For her, it’s a comfort and a way to feel close to her mother.

She’s a healthy, if sometimes picky, eater.

As mommy and Lila Jane slumber this early Sunday morning, she’s enjoying a breakfast of wholewheat waffles with organic butter and organic maple syrup, organic berries, and good ol’ nothing-healthy-about-it American bacon.

We have a lot to be thankful for…

Buona domenica a tutti! Happy Sunday, yall!

An awesome Gavi and other grooviness @VinoVinoWine #ATX

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best gavi cortese biodynamic

So much groovy wine is finding its way to Austin, Texas these days. And it seems that nearly every day, I get turned on to a label I’ve never come across before, like this stunning Gavi by Giordano Lombardo, which blew me away with its focus, its mineral and citrus flavors, and its gentle 12% alcohol. I really really love this wine.

It was poured for me last night by my Austin client Vino Vino, our go-to wine bar in town.

bisson glera

Last night, we also tasted the Bisson crown-cap reclassified Prosecco that the winery labels as Glera (thanks again to owner and friend Jeff, for celebrating the birth of our daughter with me!).

With so much banana-candy Prosecco in Texas these days, it’s wonderful to see a commercial Prosecco like this one that actually tastes like Prosecco. High acidity, the classic note of green bitterness, and citrus and white fruit aromas and flavors. (I imagine that Bisson reclassified because it wanted to use the crown cap — a much more intelligent closure in my view — which is not allowed by the Prosecco DOC).

Bisson’s been in the Texas market for some time now and we’re big fans of its Ligurian Ciliegiolo. But I had never had the chance to taste this one.

st magdalener schiava

A local sales rep tasted us on another wine that I’ve followed for some time but — I believe — is new to the Texas market, the St. Magdalener Classico Huck am Bach, bottled by the Cantina Bolzano cooperative.

The wine showed beautifully and I love how the Lagrein gives the more gentle Schiava some oom-pah-pah. Great wine and a great time to love Italian wine in Texas.

Buon weekend, yall!

Greek grape porn: ripe Assyrtiko @Boutari #Santorini

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Just had to share this image that Christina Boutari sent me yesterday to post over at the Boutari blog.

Look at the rich color of the ripe Assyrtiko, a grape variety that has captivated U.S. wine professionals over the last few years.

Harvest is expected to begin early this year in Greece, writes Christina. “It was a warm year overall,” she told me in an email.

Boutari will begin picking Saturday, she said.

Santorini, where Assyrtiko is cultivated, is such an amazing place, entirely unique in the panorama of Mediterranean viticulture.

Here’s a thread of posts on Santorini and my visit there and here are my notes on the origins of the toponym Santorini and enonym Vinsanto.

assyrtiko grape bunch