Wine With Friends: FETE Edition

We’re bringing Wine With Friends back this October featuring Chef Valencia George of . For this special FETE we're stepping away from the table for a celebration.

"Wine With Friends" Not quite a wine tasting, not really a dinner party, but a foundation for collaboration and storytelling through the minds of some of Houston’s brightest talents. A quarterly series that will engage the palate and energize the spirit. For this edition we're honoring Caribbean culture and the traditions that unite the African diaspora. This is a journey through the Caribbean inspired by the foods that bring people together across the islands. Each course honors a different expression of Caribbean fete culture, creatively interpreted through REFUGE SOUL. What to expect from the evening:

• A chef-driven food experience: Welcome Cocktail, 3 Small Plates x 3 Hand-Selected Wines
• Welcome Hour sponsored by
• Guided wine conversations and storytelling led by guest Sommeliers Andrea Dannielle of Petite Pours and Alyia Thomas of MyWineKulture.
• Interactive activities designed to get you mingling
• A beautiful, welcoming atmosphere
• Plenty of opportunities to meet new people and enjoy the evening with old friends
• LOMEA Home Marketplace
• Sounds of Soca, Afrobeats and the best in Hip- Hop & R& B by DJ Guby

About our Chef: Valencia George is the founder and culinary curator of REFUGE SOUL, a Caribbean-rooted food + culture experience made in Houston, inspired by the stories, flavors, sounds, and traditions that connect the diversity of the Caribbean with the city she calls home.
For Valencia, culinary instinct is an inheritance—rooted in ancestral Trinidadian traditions and passed down through generations around the table. REFUGE SOUL is her vehicle for carrying those stories forward, inviting the world to celebrate Caribbean heritage through her own creative interpretation of the flavors, memories, and experiences that shaped her.
Much like the Caribbean itself, Houston is a beautiful intersection of cultures. REFUGE SOUL brings those worlds together through bold, soulful food, signature sips, music, warm hospitality, and moments authentically rooted in culture, tradition, and a sense of home.
Valencia invites you to seek REFUGE—where familiar flavors take you somewhere new, the energy feels right, and you’re invited to experience home.

A brief about our Guest Sommeliers:

Andrea Dannielle: Dubbed Beaujolais Dre, Andrea is a Roots Fund scholar and wine specialist known for her love of wine. Through her work she brings a unique perspective to the wine, food, and lifestyle community. Her philosophy for wine is fun and approachable.

Alyia Thomas: Alyia Thomas is a WSET Level 2 Sommelier, wine entrepreneur, and digital content creator who brings wine, travel, and lifestyle together through her platform, Wine Kulture. A Houston-based wine personality, Alyia is passionate about making wine approachable and relatable while using her voice to spotlight the experiences of Black wine professionals and inspire the next generation of wine enthusiasts.
"CaribbeanROOTED.H-TownMADE."

Info: Guests arrive to mix and mingle with bites and cocktails inspired by the beauty of the Caribbean and sparkling pours sponsored by Piper Sonoma

Info: 3 Passed Small Plates by Chef Valencia George and wine tasting pairings led by Monica Jones, Andrea Dannielle and Alyia Thomas. Guests will flow throughout the venue mixing and mingling to the sounds of DJ Guby as each course is introduced and paired with each respective wine.

Event venue & nearby stays

Tachara, 840 West 19th Street, Houston, United States

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.

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