Parducci Pinot Noir

Getting back to basics is something that I need to learn how to do more often. Life has a funny way of getting a little crazy and soon you can lose perspective. Sometimes all it takes is a simple reminder to get back to the things that make you who you are. For me, my most recent moment of clarity came in this wonderful bottle of wine. It was a reminder that wine can take you to different places. This Pinot Noir was delicate and fruity, but had depth of flavor and a beautiful color. It was an opportunity to be pretend to fun and mysterious at the same time. The longer I let the wine breathe, the more it revealed itself and the depth of flavor. This was a great introductory red wine and a reminder to not judge a wine before you give it a try. Cheers to fresh beginnings and never forgetting the simple things are sometimes the best things!

Red Truck

I am still trying to acquire a real taste for red wines. Since I am not a fan of the big, bold reds, I have been trying some Pinot Noirs. I found this Red Truck Pinot Noir for a budget friendly $10 at Trader Joe's. I think that this is a wonderful introduction to red wines, as it is full of fruit and not very tannic. It is a great wine with food or one its own. The interesting part is that it has paired fairly well with chicken and seafood, even though those are the not usual food pairings for red wines. If you are looking for a lighter red wine, this is definitely one worth trying.

Wine Shakes

As I was reading the Houston Tidbits update email, there was a blurb tucked in the bottom corner that caught my eye. The Counter was advertising their seasonal wine shakes. Yes, you read that correctly...wine shakes. I am all for trying new things and who would turn down a free sample of anything. So I grabbed a friend and headed over to The Counter for lunch. The Counter is  more upscale your own burger place, with tons of toppings and cheeses for all kinds of burgers, and super yummy parmesan garlic fries, sweet potato fries, and onion rings.

The samples of the wine shakes came in these cute little glasses and were topped with a dallop of whipped cream. The first one we tried was a cherry Pinot Noir shake. It had a subtle cherry hint and wasn't overly sweet. You could definitely taste the wine, but it wasn't overpowering. It was surprisingly delicious and definitely made me reconsider how versatile wine could be. The second one was a sweet peach Reisling shake. The wine was much subtler in this one, where you caught the wine note at the very end. It was fruity and light, though the wine wasn't as prominent. I can say now that I am definitely a fan of the wine shake and will have to work on finding out how to recreate them at home. These shakes are only here today, so stop by and try it before they're gone.