Photos by Samantha Jane Beatty
Styling by Todd Ramos
Model Jerry Raines for Neal Hamil Agency
Grooming by Briana Dai
Photography assistance by John Lewis
Styling assistance by Tyler Treadwell
Shot on location at The Barn at Four Pines Ranch in Crosby
Bottaio Wine Shop at Coppa Osteria (photo by Rebecca Wright Photography)
Madame Zero
Houstonian Matthew Massey’s Champagne Madame Zéro, known for its low sugar content, crafts rosé Champagne, blanc de blancs, and 2013 Grand Vintage “Millie,” as well as gift sets. The single gift set comes embossed in a black lacquered gift box holding extra aged premier cru blanc de blancs or rosé encased in velvet. Check out all the other Champagne options and consider yourself prepared for New Year’s Eve!
Montrose Cheese & Wine
Peruse the food and wine gifts online, or stop by the adorable shop to place a custom order, a cheese and charcuterie box, or the Champagne and Caviar set. Or snag a monthly wine club subscription with two options: its “Scooby Snack” ($75 monthly) includes three selected bottles and a half-pound of seasonal cheese. The “Advanced Course” ($175 monthly) includes six bottles and 2.5 pounds of artisan cheese. Membership perks include five percent off all dine-in.
Aperture Winery
Aperture Cellars is a newish winery and tasting room in charming Healdsburg, Calif., from notable winemaker Jesse Katz and investor Jim Crane, a local Houston icon. Katz is the son of famous photographer Andy Katz, and Crane, as most know, is a businessman who owns Potente Restaurant and the Houston Astros. Gift a Wine Collective membership for boutique wines delivered to your doorstep — think luxurious chenin blanc, Bordeaux red blend, and several cabernets — plus perks like member pricing, complimentary estate tastings, and more. Getting away to the must-see winery is always a treat!
Repour wine stopper
What looks like a bottle stopper is the only wine preservation product on the market using oxygen absorption to eliminate the oxygen in an opened bottle of wine. The packet inside the bottle stopper holds a proprietary iron-based blend. A reaction occurs between the iron and the oxygen inside the bottle to continuously remove the oxygen from the bottle and the wine. Not only is it easy and useful, but it’s also a steal at $2.50 per stopper!
Schott Zwiesel Wine Glasses
For an all-purpose wine glass that looks modern but is dishwasher safe, here’s an excellent choice for a red and white wine glass. Always exquisite are the delicate wine glasses from the 300-year-old family run company Riedel. The latest includes the Winewings collection with a flat bottom design and glass waves crafted for different varietals made to enhance aromas and wine flavors.
Brennan's pralines gift box
That wonderful praline that you receive gratis after your meal at Brennan’s of Houston can be ordered online and shipped nationwide. These world class pralines come in a decorative box that will be great for any gift. Gift boxes are carefully packed with 12 handmade pralines ($24.99 plus shipping).
White and red wine drinkers need this nifty bottle cooler that keeps wine at the right temp, only losing a few degrees per hour. A no brainer!
Culinary Adventure
Recipe for Success Foundation is offering natural bath products and food-inspired gifts for everyone on your list. Whether it be fresh vegetables and herbs to cook with, or beautiful flowers, you can gift mindful and local. Let’s Cook! includes Hope Farms signature chambray blue apron and Cook the Harvest gift certificate for one cooking class. Hope Farms Culinary Adventure features a Taste of Hope Farms produce presentation, a gift certificate for Cook the Harvest Class, and signature apron. Check out options and purchase here.
Bottaio at Coppa Osteria
How perfect: a petite wine shop inside an Italian joint. This newcomer tucked away in Coppa Osteria in Rice Village, stocks wines from small boutique vineyards – mostly biodynamic, natural, or organic. Wines are priced below the restaurant wine list, and you can peruse the selections online and call ahead for pick-up.
We couldn’t leave without something sweet. This cute shop from Mom-turned-baker-entrepreneur Tracy Jones touts giant, soft, gooey goodness right in time for the indulgent season. You can’t miss with dreamy flavors like Campfire Bliss with melted marshmallow center, Nutella Dream, and red velvet filled with cream cheese. Pick up a box or ship nationwide.
These unique wind-up sculptures include a giant, brightly painted Nutcracker, an electric guitar, a cleverly constructed guitar slide, a stack of old school boomboxes and vintage stereo equipment, a banjo, a violin, a music note, a theater mask, a microphone, and an elegant harp. None of the eco-friendly sculptures require electricity to operate; each sculpture illuminates its surroundings and plays its own unique holiday soundtrack with the simple turn of a crank.
Presented by the Houston Theater District in collaboration with Lynn Wyatt Square, Market Square Park, and Trebly Park, Harmonies is the first activation in a series of initiatives by Houston Theater District — a diverse group of businesses, policy leaders, and arts organizations who perform in the District — to create public spaces for social interaction, cultural exchange, and (let’s be real) selfies and Instagram reels.
Beginning in 2024, the music boxes will shift from playing holiday tunes to music from local arts organizations and artists. Before then, make the trip Downtown and give each one a spin.
