I realized last year I was stuck in a wine rut. I was grabbing the same labels at the grocery store or wine shop and wasn’t exploring enough. That’s when I was invited to a restaurant wine club and it has opened my palate to wines I might have otherwise missed.

We often see chefs on TV or in movies screaming, throwing things, and acting like dictators in their kitchens. Anthony Bourdain famously chronicled the toxicity of restaurant kitchens in his book Kitchen Confidential. Even recent examples show that not everyone has left these poor practices in the past, saying things like, and I’m paraphrasing, “We’ll beat the next Michelin star out of you.” But many chefs have worked to change their kitchen dynamic and to create a healthy working environment, knowing that passion and patience are equally important to their success.

I came to Seattle for my first solo vacation when I was 25 (we are not going to discuss how long ago that was). I fell in love with the city, the mountains, and the ocean. I came back several more times for vacations over the years, and it became a place where I could refresh, renew, and enjoy. When Amazon acquired Whole Foods in 2017, Seattle became a place I came to work, not play. Sure, I managed to squeeze in a great dinner or wine tasting, but it wasn’t the same.

Today, there are more than 100 wineries in the Texas Hill Country and there are some truly exceptional wines. The quality of Texas wine increased exponentially when Texas winemakers stopped trying to mimic California and turned to the southern Mediterranean grapes that can survive the sweltering Texas summer. Instead of Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay, you’ll find terrific wines made from Tempranillo, Mourvedre, Tourgia Nacional, Viognier, Albariño, Roussanne, and many other grapes that originate from Spain, Portugal, southern France and Italy.

My friend and I have a weekly dinner date. I usually pick the spot, alternating between exploring new-to-us restaurants and revisiting old favorites. A few years ago, I realized I was scheduling heavily to the new places and forgetting to slot in restaurants that are dear to us. I felt terrible.