Words of Inspiration: Thanksgiving 2009

Designers,

This Thanksgiving, TH&L thanks you for all that you do and the value, order, and art you bring to the world.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Now, for some words of inspiration:

Design is an opportunity to continue telling the story, not just to sum everything up.

- Tate Linden

People think that design is styling. Design is not style. It’s not about giving shape to the shell and not giving a damn about the guts. Good design is a renaissance attitude that combines technology, cognitive science, human need, and beauty to produce something that the world didn’t know it was missing.

- Paola Antonelli

Design creates culture. Culture shapes values. Values determine the future.

- Robert L. Peters

Wine Champions: Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo International Wine Competition

Those familiar with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo know that it is much, much more than, well, a livestock show and rodeo. In addition to the two, it is an entertainment, food, and wine destination. A charitable event, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is committed to benefiting youth, supporting education, and facilitating better agricultural practices through exhibitions, and presentation.

November 14 -15, The Show held its seventh annual International Wine Competition. With over 1,761 wines entered from 583 wineries, and sixteen countries the competition was stiff. The panel of 15 judges – local, national, and international wine experts - awarded 1,250 medals. I cannot imagine how much tasting that required.

Of the 1,250 medals awarded, here are your 2010 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo International Wine Competition Champions:

Grand Champion Best of Show – Davis Family Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, 2005

Reserve Grand Champion Best of Show – Laetitia Vineyard & Winery, Nadia Red Bordeaux Blend, Arroyo Grande Valley,2005

Top Texas Wine – Flat Creek Estate, Mistella, Texas, NV

Top All‐Around Winery – d’Arenberg, Australia

Top Argentina Wine – Bodega Elvira Calle, Ca’de Calle Malbec, Mendoza, 2008

Top Sparkling Wine – Domaine Ste. Michelle, Blanc de Blanc, Columbia Valley, NV

Top White Wine – Kallfelz Estate, Single Vineyard Reisling, Mosel, 2007

Top Red Wine – Sequoia Grove, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, 2006

Top Sweet Wine – Hopler Eiswein, Riesling, Austria, NV

Top Value Wine – Napa Landing, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, 2006

Mark your calendars! The champions will be awarded their buckles, chaps, and saddles at the Rodeo Uncorked! Roundup and Best Bites competition Sunday, Feb. 21, 2010, at Reliant Center in Houston. In addition, all champion wines will be auctioned at the Rodeo Uncorked! Champion Wine Auction and Dinner Sat., March 6, 2010 at 6 p.m., Reliant Center, 600 series meeting rooms.

For tickets to the Rodeo Uncorked! events, visit rodeohouston.com, e‐mail wine@rodeohouston.com, or call (832) 667-1128.

Outdoor Living: Architectural Elements

Helios Fire Vessel

With the weather cooling down after a long record-hot summer in central Texas, we can all finally be outdoors and actually enjoy it. Over the last few weeks, we’ve had some magically sunny, cool, crisp days that remind me of California, where there is not a cloud in the sky. Mid-day picnics, savoring morning coffee at an outdoor café, alfresco dining, spontaneous walks to take in the fresh, cool air, sunshine – I just want most of every single day. And if I had an outdoor living area - besides my second-floor, 5-by-5 patio – I’d be inspired to make the most of my outdoor living space – adding aesthetic elements, a fountain to provide the sound of running water, or a lamp to provide a soft enchanting light. Anything to tempt me to stay outdoors forever.

So, when I came across a few of Stone Forest’s designs for outdoor living, I knew I had to share them. Their artistic, handcrafted, eco-friendly architectural elements made in their New Mexico studio are perfect for a garden, patio, terrace, or any outdoor space. The goal of every one of their products is to showcase the raw majesty of nature, which is shown in their natural, rough finishes and simple designs.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Alpine Planter Fountain

Custom Trough Fountain

Classic Bench

French Rosette Fountain

Wabi Oil Lamps

Lotus Basin

Tetsubachi Basin

Design Tools: Color Visualizer

In a recent post I wrote about the importance of color. Color Visualizer, which launched on sherwin-williams.com not too long ago, allows homeowners, designers, and contractors to play around with and explore color in a noncommittal fashion. There is no longer a reason to paint an entire room one color only to realize you hate it. So, how does it work? You upload a photo of an interior room or exterior of a building and you can work within those images trying different paint combinations to see how they might look in those spaces. It is like virtually trying on clothes or a new hairstyle before you actually buy the clothes or cut your hair. Once you find the right combination for you, you can save, print, or download the colorized images you've created. In addition, you can play around with different hues and saturations of a certain tone as well as find out light reflectance, RGB, and HEX values for each color selected.

If you want to take exploring color in you life even further, Sherwin-Williams has an iPhone application - ColorSnap - that allows you to match real-life color inspiration with a paint color.

Words of Inspiration

Walking along 2nd Street in downtown Austin last Friday, this quote on Design Within Reach's window caught my eye ...

The urge for good design is the same urge to go on living. (Harry Bertoia)

What many do not realize is that our lives are shaped and expressed by design - both good and bad - and that we have the choice to surround ourselves with the good, the talented, and the true. Life and design are intricately woven and cannot be separated. Design is life.

Holidays 2009: Wine & Food Pairings

Just in time for the Holidays, Texas wine experts share fresh ideas on how to pair local wines with local flavors. Thanksgiving may be a little over two weeks away, but it is never too early to start planning your menu.

Want to pair wine and food like the pros? Here's what wine professionals across Texas recommend for your holiday gathering.

Merrill Bonnarigo, owner of Messina Hof Winery and Resort, says if you like white wine, pair your turkey with a Gewürztraminer. If you like red, pair it with a Pinot Noir. And for a holiday wine and cheese gathering, try Port with a nice, blue-veined Stilton.

Nichole Bendele, public relations coordinator for Becker Vineyards, suggests staying away from a heavier wine with your traditional meal.

"It would overpower," she said. "An Alsatian-style Gewürztraminer is good with holiday turkey, as well as the traditional cranberry sauce. Some light-bodied Pinot Noirs can complement holiday turkey and some lighter-style Zinfandels can also be fun. And there is nothing wrong with using wine for reduction sauces or adding to gravies, or as a meat marinade."

At Bell Mountain Vineyards, cooler weather means it's time for KrisKindel. This red wine, in the European tradition, is served hot (but never boiled).

Sangiovese is the choice at Barking Rocks Winery where they recommend pairing it with spicy Italian appetizers.

Alamosa Wine Cellars owner Karen Johnson suggests dining with a Texas Rose. "It's a wine that holds up against the myriad flavors on the holiday table, yet doesn't overpower the star of the table, the roast turkey," Johnson said.

Pillar Bluff Vineyards owner Gill Bledsoe enjoys the holiday with Swiss cheese soup and a Chenin Blanc, followed by the main course -- duck and Pillar Bluff Vineyards' red Enology 101.

Port is on the menu at Stone House Vineyard. It can pair with a dessert -- or be one. "Drink it with fruitcake, chocolate or just by itself!" owner Angela Downer Moench says.

Bonarrigo says the emphasis on finding the perfect pairing can take the joy out of a meal. Still, she says, there is science in the art of pairing, and certain food and wine alliances can maximize their combined flavor potential.

She explains that, in most cases, people try to pair an entrée or food item with a wine. But you can achieve the desired result by using certain spices or ingredients in your meal, regardless of what you're serving. In other words, while a cook can't change the composition of a favorite wine, he or she can change the way a dish is prepared to get a sumptuous food-wine flavor combination.

For more pairing advice, call your favorite Texas winery or visit TDA's Texas Wine web site.

Event: Dallas Sample Sale, Nov. 6 - Nov. 8