Author Archive

I’m never quite sure what to make of the Layer Cake wines. A year-old review of the shiraz on my wine blog was one of its most popular posts in 2010, and it’s still getting comments. Is it the quality of the wine that elicits so much enthusiasm, or the … more

Drove around Dallas north of Northwest Highway for 90 minutes on Sunday in search of mayoral campaign yard signs (and spent $3.40 a gallon gas in the process — talk about dedication). We’ve had several discussions over the years about whether yard signs matter; the general consensus seems to be … more

Bogle Vineyards has been, for more than a decade, perhaps the pre-eminent cheap wine producer in the United States. The wines are not just well made, but have style and quality far exceeding the $10 that they cost. Bogle has been a mainstay of the $10 Hall of Fame since … more

There are less than two months until the mayoral election, and it has been a decidedly dull campaign (though getting an email from an ex-police chief about his Mardi Gras float is a bit different). Here are updated odds on the three contenders, with a few thoughts. The first handicapping … more

This time last year, someone at City Hall — the official explanation about what happened was a bit wonky — forgot to renew dallascityhall.com, the domain name for the city’s Web site, and the site went dark. Which was certainly funny, but also annoying. So I promised to write a … more

The Italians continue to amaze. Much of the rest of their wine business may be in crisis, with too much expensive wine made to taste too much like it doesn’t come from Italy, but the quality and quantity of cheap, dependable, $10 Italian wine is as good — if not … more

Let’s see — we have three mayoral candidates, a mayor, and an ex-mayor. Perhaps one of them can solve this problem.

I consulted my city-issued, color-coded bulk pickup schedule, and it said my February pickup was the week of Feb. 24. So I put my bulk garbage on the curb … more

It’s not a surprise that former Mayor Park Cities, in his lust for higher office, says he won’t support federal earmarks to pay for the Trinity River toll road. The surprise is that everyone is so surprised.

Leppert’s announcement that he won’t vote for an earmark — a provision for … more

Sales increased 6 percent in 2010, with consumers buying almost 240,000 cases of Texas wine from grocery and liquor stores, according to the Nielsen survey company.

Apparently, Mayor Park Cities is resigning today to pursue a higher calling — to run for the U.S. Senate. Which, apparently, is not all that interested in him.

The latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll identifies seven potential Republican candidates for the Senate seat being vacated by incumbent Kay Bailey … more