Bottles & Bites Without Borders

Send us Fan Mail Our 2nd episode in the Shelf Hero's series.  In this episode the Matt's are back along with Dave and we discuss some of our favorite Rye's and Bourbons in this price range.  When we get the the $30-$60 price range there is so much to enjoy.  We cover offerings from Wild Turkey, Jim Beam, Heaven Hill, Four Roses, Barton and Brown Foreman.  A great listen to get infor...

Send us Fan Mail I'm joined by Darryl Bowman and in this episode we talk to Brett Martin - store manager at Longhorn Liquor (12 stores) and Meagen Howard from Oak & Eden.  Megan brought some really cool whiskeys Oak & Eden are doing seasonally a long with their regulars.  Fun to taste through and we give you our honest feed back on everything.    Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Ernie and Dave join me on this episode as we talk about Wild Turkey.  There's so much to get into with a topic like Turkey Talk so this conversation covers quite a bit in a hour. Deeper dive will come on a follow up episode.  Here Ernie shares some of the history of Turkey, the Russell family, we talk about the solid products that should be in everyone's home bar and we...

Send us Fan Mail This episode is just casual conversation that covers several topics related to food, wine and whiskey, my favorite is our new Supper Club Group.  We get into bourbons, distillers, food with bourbon, a little wine and a little about how crazy the beer world is.  Just some fun conversation. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we taste through Rye Whiskey's that can be found on a regular basis (except 1) on at the liquor stores.  David, Glenn and Joby join me to taste through, compare and discuss the quality, flavor and price point on 7 Rye's.  Rittenhouse Rye, Sazerac Rye, James E. Pepper Rye, Whitmeyers Rye,  Pikesville Rye, Rarebreed Rye, EH Taylor Rye are the whiskeys we ta...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode I'm joined by Dave and Joby and we discuss and taste through some bourbons that we call shelf hero's.  A shelf hero is a bourbon that has three qualifying factors - Quality, Value and availability.  Today we are staying in the $12 - $30 range, shelf hero's can get to various prices but today we want to keep the cap at $30.  We also feel these are gre...

Send us Fan Mail On this episode I'm joined by Darryl Bowman of Bad Wine Reviews, Jordan Hill and Tyler Martin.  They are part of a movement #FB2020 (F@$k Bourbon 2020), we talk about what exactly this means to them and what are the issues that got them to this point. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Me and a few friends (Glenn, Dave and Joby) taste through and compare wheated bourbons along with a little fun conversation.  The results were a little surprising based on my expectations of what we were comparing with cost, reputation and availability. As always with bourbon episodes there's always knowledge that is shared and gained.   Support the show

Send us Fan Mail On this episode my guest is John Fodera from Tuscan Vines.  John has become an expert on the wines of Italy.  We discuss the wines of Tuscany - Chianti and Brunello, their history, the grapes, the land and the rules / regulations.  John has a great website that's a resource for Italian wines, recipes, wine reviews and interviews with Italian wine makers Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Darren Lafferty is a big on supporting local, he does a great job of supporting and promoting local "mom & pop" eateries in our area.  I had the opportunity to have a conversation with Darren about him, where this #supportlocal comes from and his photography.  We have this chat at Essentials Kitchen with Chef Martinez, Darren hadn't had Chef's food and I th...

Send us Fan Mail This episode is a fun conversation with Schel Kidd, the Wisconsin Wine Guy.  I found Schel on YouTube with his wine review show and liked what he was doing, he also has a cooking channel "Cooking In The Raw".  Great guy with a long history in food and wine, cool to hear his story and his journey. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail In this episode I'm joined by Ernie E. to help me explore Four Roses Bourbon.  We discuss their history, their position in the bourbon market in the US and around the world, their ambassador Al Young and their 10 different recipes that are made up of two mash bills and 5 different yeast strains.  If you've wanted to learn a little more about Four Roses this episode is wo...

Send us Fan Mail This episode I talk about our favorite locally owned restaurants that we are still supporting with take-out, and are encouraging everyone to support their local shops and restaurants.  I call some friends around the area to discuss the places we are ordering from.  I talk to some friends in LA and Edward Ramirez who runs a FB group all about supporting local restaurants.    Suppor...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Simon Solomon from MudoVino joins me to talk about Spain and Spanish wines.  We discuss three whites (one sparkling) and three reds.  Spain is a region I'm trying to get into some this was a very educational conversation for me and I hope you are excited about trying some Spanish wines after listening.  Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Great conversation with Simon Solomon (MundoVino) and Rob May (KillerVino) on wine from Argentina and specifically Catena Family wines.  This conversation we feature the Catena Appellation Series, which include a Chardonnay, 3 Malbecs a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Cab Franc.     Support the show

Send us Fan Mail If you don't know, Katy has a fantastic wine bar, Cellar Door.  Cellar Door has been around for almost 10 years and I feel like people still don't know it's here.  Ron Holsomback is the owner and does a great job in creating a Tuscan get away right in Katy.  Listen to this conversation on everything the Cellar Door offers, from a great wine list to great food, live...

Send us Fan Mail Paso Robles is a new wine region I have begun to explore.  Paso is making some great wines, many are in the Rhone Valley style with GSM, Syrah, Petite Syrah because of the climate and soil types but they are still making some great Zins and Cabs.  Russell Family is one of the oldest wineries in the AVA and Serrano is one of the youngest.  This is a great conversation to learn more...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we talk about our visit to Robinson Family and the experience of being able to stay on property.  Robinson is a boutique winery, only producing 1000-1200 cases per year, its our kind of place. Then we have a great conversation with Tom Jinks, he and his wife Susie Robinson Jinks own the winery.  It is truly a family winery, with their three daughters and 8 grandchi...

Send us Fan Mail From Triple D (Diners, Drive-ins & Dives) to Katy Texas!  A conversation with Chef Ceu on his new Katy restaurant and his fusion of beef and brisket with sushi.  This is a place that if you like sushi, you'll love it. If you don't like sushi, you'll love it.  Chef Ceu is very creative and a master at combining flavors that will please everyone.  Listen and get t...

Send us Fan Mail This is a fun conversation, both Jeremy and Lexey are in the business of wine.  We start by pulling three bottles from my cellar to taste and discuss.  I picked them, and Jeremy and Lexey tell me what I have.  The conversation does pivot to some related wine topics, cost of wines, where to get good value, what to pay at restaurants are a few. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Wade was nice enough to have me over to share a pour and just talk a little about bourbon.  Great conversation while we share a few pours and Wade shares some good stuff! Support the show

Send us Fan Mail This episode is about meeting the new owners of Azul, getting to know a little about them and what their vision is for the restaurant. I talk with Lucy, Tomas and Chris about the changes going on with the menu, adding a happy hour with happy hour food, a brunch is now being served.  Azul servers so much more than seafood, if you haven't been you need to go visit and explore t...

Send us Fan Mail Me and three friends taste through the Elijah Craig barrel proof releases from 2017, 2018 and 2019.  We compared all the A's as a group then the B's and finished with the C's.  At the end we picked a winner from each group and then a Grand Champion.  It's a long show, but with good conversation and bonus content. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail This is our first episode where we pick out five wines that we think you get great "Bang for your Buck".  This episode we cover CA cabs, Lodi, Sonoma County and Napa Valley are regions with wines in this show.  These are wines that are available nationally.  The wines we picked are wines we drink and enjoy and have for years. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail This episode I'm joined by Dr. Bryan Cotton and Cameron Glover.  In our group we call Bryan Dr. Frankenbourbon because of his "mad scientist" mixing of bourbons.  In this episode we focus on OVW 10 vs. Poor Mans Pappy and OF Birthday Bourbon vs. Poor Mans Birthday Bourbon.  You'll find out what Dr. Fankenbourbon uses to make these and we'll discuss how clo...