Above, from left: Nicole Burke, Krug’s U.S. brand ambassador, leading Houston sommelier (and my good friend) Sean Beck, and the inimitable Rajat Parr, one of the coolest dudes in the wine world period.

No, the image above wasn’t snapped at The Ten Bells in New York or Tosca Café in San Francisco.

It was taken two nights ago at my favorite Houston wine bar, Camerata, where one invariably bumps into wine scene glitterati.

There’s a genuine buzz (excuse the pun) in Houston these days and so much groovy stuff happening.

I’d only ever met Raj on one other occasion and I was so geeked to catch up with him. I’m an unabashed fan and I believe he really stands apart from his peers in his entirely fresh, real, and sui generis approach to wine and wine connoisseurship. He’s just a super cool dude and I was stoked to rub shoulders and taste with him. The Krug wasn’t bad either.

In other Houston wine scene news…

Earlier in the evening, sommelier Travis Hinkle poured me some very reasonably priced 2005 Musar white, a wine I love to taste at every opportunity, over at The Pass and Provisions.

And before the evening got started, I caught up with my favorite Italophile wine director in Houston, Samantha Porter, who’s pouring a flight of macerated whites next week at Osteria Mazzantini.

Who can complain about living in Texas?