About

 I originally went to college at the University of Houston on scholarship to study music (I was All-State in high school), but an early come-to-Jesus moment with my teacher made it abundantly clear that I’d never be good enough to catch on with a professional orchestra.

After some soul-searching (and guidance from my wife), I looked to print journalism. I got jobs with the Houston Chronicle (2 ½ years as a gopher, printer-handyman, fact-checker, proofreader, feature writer, etc.) and spent some time as an editor for my college newspaper, The Daily Cougar.

Upon coming to the realization that making $35 per 8-12 hour shift to edit copy at the Cougar was less-than-desirable, I decided to take a “temporary” retail job while I looked for something more “permanent” in print ( ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ).

I started on a cash register at Spec’s in 2010 and quickly worked my way onto the sales floor, where my interest in wines took grasp. I tried to read, taste and learn as much as possible whenever I could, and before long I was working at the flagship Smith Street location. With 68,000-square-feet and 16,000+ wine SKUs at the time I started, there really was (is) nothing quite like it.

Now I get to buy wines for the company, which affords me more opportunities to talk about wine and share my experiences with guests who want to learn. I am fortunate to travel to some amazing places and taste some incredible art; passing on my accumulated knowledge is the most rewarding aspect of such tours.

My goal for this website is to provide accessible content to anyone interested in wine, regardless of knowledge level. No matter where you are on your personal wine journey, I hope you can always come here to learn a thing or two

Cheers,

Alan R. Dennis