First and Foremost
Cova Hand - Selected Wines is about
“Experiencing Wine”.
Brought to life by Certified Wine Educator and Houston wine guru Monsterville Horton, IV, this unique concept offers everyone from beginners to experts a truly exceptional experience into the multi-faceted world of wine.
You can shop with confidence, pair wines with expertly prepared cuisine in the evenings, and attend unique and educational events all geared toward providing the best and richest experiences the world of wine has to offer.
At its core, Cova is a world-class wine shop. “Hand-Selected” means that we only offer juice that we put our stamp of approval on. Every bottle is personally tasted and selected by Monsterville, himself. And yet, our selection is over 1,200 wines, and growing! Rest assured, that the wine will certainly be a quality expression of the grape and region from which it was harvested not simply what Monsterville personally prefers.
Hand-Selected doesn’t necessarily mean that our customers have to pay a premium, either. Our special relationships with wineries all over the globe translates to fantastic prices that are lower than warehouse prices, guaranteed!
But don’t just take our word for it. According to the Houston Press’ Robb Walsh,
“He [Monsterville] has hit on an ingenious marketing scheme of his own: a combination high-profile restaurant, wine bar and wine store. The stellar food he's serving is generating lots of publicity and great reviews. And so the wineries and their distributors are eagerly giving him preferential trendy-restaurant treatment.”
In addition to normal wine shopping, Cova also offers a variety of wine clubs to give you the inside track to good juice. Three, six, or twelve bottle cases of hand-selected wines are set aside for our club members to be picked up at the store, or shipped to your desired destination. And check out Monsterville’s Inner Circle an exclusive club that brings you complimentary monthly tastings, a personally engraved mahogany locker, and unlimited corkage fees for wines consumed on-premise.
Click here for more information about Cova’s wine clubs.
The Wine Bar Experience
Come in seven days a week to enjoy over 40 wines served by the taste, glass or wine flight, and after 5 pm, be our guest to dine on world class tapas expertly prepared by our full-service kitchen. But don1t feel limited by our “by-the-glass” menu, you can pull any bottle from our shelves and pair it with hot menu items such as: Beef Tenderloin with Brussel Sprouts, Bacon and Caramelized Onions; Smoked Salmon w/ Shallot Crème Fraiche & Caviar; or the local favorite, Braised Oxtails w/ Thyme Mozzarella Potatoes.
Click here to see our latest menu.
Rated as one of the TOP TEN NEW RESTAURANTS IN TEXAS for 2006 by Texas Monthly Magazine, food critics from all over know a good thing when they see it! The critical accolades are racking up! Wine & Spirits, Gourmet Magazine, Houston Chronicle and Houston Press all echo Texas Monthly’s high praise.
The Monsterville Wine Experience
At Cova, wine is to be experienced not simply to be hoarded, or put on display to impress your friends. Thus, The Monsterville Wine Experience was born; an ongoing series of classes, dinners, and other events under the direction of Monsterville Horton that serve to increase your knowledge and excite your senses. We promise to provide a unique experience, with compelling wines and expertly paired foods in a fun and interactive setting.
We are fortunate to have one of 130 Certified Wine Educators that exist around the globe, right here in Houston. Monsterville has worked and lived in nearly every major wine-making region in the world.
He translates that experience by designing and delivering some of the most memorable wine experiences in the country.
Regarded by the Houston Chronicle as “...owner of one of the city’s best palettes...” Monsterville’s themed wine and food seminars will excite your senses and broaden your knowledge. His famous Cova Boot Camps will put you through training that only a top sommelier can appreciate, and his Progressive Wine Dinners will whisk you around in a private coach to several of Houston’s top restaurants all in one fantastic evening!