The Chalk Report

by Andrew Chalk The preamble to part one read… “More people are coming round to the idea that Texas can make good wine as they sample more of it. But the ultimate test of gravitas in, at least red wines, is how they age. How does Texas do in that regard? To find out, I am doing a series of tastings of Texas wines, all 10+ years old, and assessing how they are doing. I am choosin...

FROM THE WIRES... Fans Can Enjoy $1 off Select Hungr-Busters through the DQ App BEDFORD, Texas (May 21, 2026) – In celebration of National Burger Day, DQ restaurants in Texas are giving fans a reason to enjoy a Hungr-Buster®. From May 25 to May 31, DQ fans can get $1 off select Hungr-Busters through a one-time app-only offer at participating DQ restaurants in Texas. The deal hig...

FROM THE WIRES... Bramble Ski by Le Collectionist has curated an edit of four private chalets across Verbier, St Anton and Méribel, perfect for a creative escape this summer. These are spaces designed for focus and stillness, with light-filled interiors, open views, and thoughtful details such as libraries, dedicated offices and reading mezzanines - ideal for writers, artists an...

by Andrew Chalk The advent of Bilt 2.0 upended our Frequent Miler first year valuation method. It valued the Bilt Palladium card at $505, a frankly poor valuation for a card that has an annual fee of $495. Just a cursory valuation showed that the card was worth several times this amount. Our valuation method was simply wrong. We recalculated the value of the card using our Frequ...

FROM THE WIRES... Valdobbiadene (Treviso) Italy, April 29th 2026 The stunning hills of Valdobbiadene DOCG, a true paradise nestled between two other jewels of the Veneto—Venice and the Dolomites—are renowned worldwide for their historic winemaking vocation. Part of the UNESCO World Heritage, they form a cultural landscape rich in excellence, stretching from the scenery itself al...