Spent the better part of the day doing what I love most (food and shopping) at the Fredericksburg Trade Days. There’s no other way to describe this place except as a flea-market on steroids. It boasts of 350 vendors selling everything from antiques, collectibles, furniture, and of course, there’s the food. They’re on every third week of the month and I swear, each time we go, there seem to be more food stalls than before. Having all sorts of food makes a lot of sense because being the biggest  trade show in Texas, there’s literally miles of stores to cover—one needs the nourishment (deep fried Twinkies will give you enough calories to walk all the way to the moon). Oh and since there’s a biergarten (beer garden), there’s live music and dancing too. Now tell me what flea market has all that?

This is what we came here for. The wine barrel wood-work and furnitures.

Now for the food…  The main stays here are the taco stands, burger stands, and German hotdog stands. I am only featuring the quirky ones because, you know, I like weird…

And now for our  loot…we ordered most of the furniture so we we’re walking around almost empty handed. Well…almost…

It’s days like these that are imperfect (it rained) yet turned out to be perfect for us. The rug was more than what we were going to spend for so it was time to call it a day anyway. Nothing beats Mother Nature in telling you it’s time to put the Amex away….

 

We get our winery membership wines at every start of the quarter. We have a couple in Napa and Sonoma and a butt load in Fredericksburg. For those unfamiliar with the concept, let me start with the good stuff.

1. You get discounted prices (10-15%). You get about 3-5 bottles every quarter.
2. You are also able to purchase selections which are limited in quantity most of which are the award-winning wines, not readily available to wholesalers.
3. You get a free wine tasting at any given time, usually the new mixes available to keep yourself updated.
4. For those wineries that have restaurants, you get priority seating or dedicated areas usually with prime view or front and center if they have entertainers which is almost every weekend.

The last two applies if you would rather pick them up from the winery as opposed to having it delivered. Now if you opt for the delivery, like we do with our California memberships, it gets kinds gnarly. As much as I would want to, we can’t go to California every three months; we both have the dirty w-word: work!  These wines (and mortgages) don’t’ pay for themselves. This option gets you 3-5 bottles of their selection that will fall under your preferences (cab, merlot, syrah etc). In some ways, its nice because  every delivery is a surprise. So if you are truly adventurous and want to partake as much variety as the winery has to offer, then this is a good option too.

January marks the beginning of the quarter so we already got notices that we can now go ahead and pick up our bottles. This is not our first rodeo so we know that the key to “longevity” in a wine-filled day is a full stomach. We decided to have a nice early lunch at Pasta Bella. They haven’t been open for long but already I am hearing a lot of good reviews. We tried to have dinner here a couple of months ago with Steve and Ginger but the wait was too long. This time, we came in as soon as they opened for lunch so we were seated immediately. Yey!

The place is not much to look at. In fact, as soon as the doors opened, I can already whiff some cooking-smells from the kitchen. The first thought that came to me was “oh no, my hair will be smelling like spaghetti”. However, it did remind me of the fact that during my long stint in Italy, the best food I had were always from hole-in-the-wall places like these.

And with that dish,  I have officially fallen off the wagon from my low-carb diet. But let me just say that it was totally worth it. I would fall all over again for that pasta. It was cheesy, creamy, decadent and tasted like  each bite was 8,000 calories (because i am pretty sure it was).

So with our tummies sufficiently lines with carbs and fat, we set off. Our first stop was Grape Creek Winery. This winery is one the prettiest here in Fredericksburg. Their dedicated section for members is right next to the vineyards. They also have a gorgeous outdoor trattoria. If it weren’t for the fact that it chilly today, we would have started out here with pizzas.

We tasted a couple of their new selections and this our loot.

Next stop is Alexander Vineyards.They have a really good selection of champagnes. French law states that the term “Champagne” is exclusively used for wines that come from this region. So this is one of the unique wineries in the area whose grapes are not from Texas or any part of the US.  Theirs are imported  from the small village of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger near Epernay in Champagne, France.

Our next stop is a popular favorite : Messina Hof. This is our latest membership because being very popular, each time we come here, it’s always crowded. Some time last month, we were able to beat the crowd and realized why—their wines are fantastic. You see so many bottles of their stuff in HEB and Specs but those are not even close to what they have in their wineries.

Our next stop is a total gem. We found Chisholm Trail Wineries by accident. We were looking for authentic pizza made from a wood burning oven, and Google led us to this. It is tucked amidst hills and rivers, the last thing you would expect is an award-winning winery. And they do have a chef making Napoli-style pizza in a wood-burning oven in the back…

Bad Ass Blush is hands down the best sweet red that I’ve had. And trust me,  I’ve had a lot…It’s a double gold medal winner, and rightfully so. The wacky name is consistent with that of the winery’s vibe; fun, unpretentious, in-your-face-Texas without the brassiness. If you can appreciate the long and winding road that leads here, this is one place you wouldn’t want to miss.

Next on our stop is Kerrville Hills Winery. This is another award-winning winery located just outside of Fredericksburg.

Last stop is Santa Maria Cellars, a stone’s throw from our house. Our house sit on top of a hill and this winery is literally on top of another hill next to ours. This area is not called Texas Hill Country for nothing…

We went to HEB to grab something to cook for dinner. Here’s another delightful treat: their HEB here offers wine-tasting of Non-Texas Wines.

From left to right: 14 Hands is a Cabernet Sauvignon from Washington. Chain Gang Pitch Black Red s from Monterey County, California. Terra d’Oro ‘s Zinfandel Port from Amador County, California.

One of the wonders of being here in Fredericksburg is that time always seems to be on a crawl. We did all this in less than 5 hours! There are a lot of miles in between but there isn’t really much traffic. I cannot believe how productive I am being here. I can’t do three things back in Houston without spending most of my day and consuming most of my gas! (hello…10MPG beast of a G-wagen!!!)

The sun was still shining high and bright when we got home. Amidst all these, Beans stayed at home because he had Algebra project…poor kid. We pre-empted a hang-over by having coffee and left-over Italian Cream cake from Pasta Bella.

I’m getting the salmon ready for the grill for our dinner. I haven’t decided which wine to have with that.  We’ve done this kind of round-up for a couple of years now. If you include those from California, all the bottles can really add up, so choosing one for dinner is not exactly simple. “An enriched life is one that is filled with options”— I like that.

Speaking of not-easy choices, we are heading out early tomorrow to make in in time for the Brady-Manning showdown. I’m still not sure who to root for. Either way, it should be fun. Can’t wait!!!