{"id":518,"date":"2016-01-23T23:11:49","date_gmt":"2016-01-23T23:11:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.venividiedi.net\/?p=518"},"modified":"2016-04-21T16:23:20","modified_gmt":"2016-04-21T16:23:20","slug":"wine-round-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.venividiedi.net\/?p=518","title":{"rendered":"Wine Round-up"},"content":{"rendered":"

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.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. You get discounted prices (10-15%). You get about 3-5 bottles every quarter.<\/li>\n
  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.<\/li>\n
  3. You get a free wine tasting at any given time, usually the new mixes available to keep yourself updated.<\/li>\n
  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.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    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! \u00a0These 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 \u00a0every 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.<\/p>\n

    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<\/a>. 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!<\/p>\n

    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.<\/p>\n

    \"image\"<\/a><\/p>\n

    \"D<\/a>
    D was happy because their wine selection included one of his faves, Cabernet Franc from Messina Hoff.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \"he<\/a>
    he had Pasta Bella Special #3 which was Angel hair pasta with diced chicken, wild mushroom, sun dried tomato and Jalape\u00f1o flakes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \"I<\/a>
    I had chicken piccatta<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \"in<\/a>
    in many of their good reviews, a lot were about the pasta Alfredo, so I decided to have it on the side as well.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    And with that dish, \u00a0I 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 \u00a0each bite was 8,000 calories (because i am pretty sure it was).<\/p>\n

    So with our tummies sufficiently lines with carbs and fat, we set off. Our first stop was Grape Creek Winery<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n

    \"Getting<\/a>
    Getting some sun and wine to warm up on this chilly day.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    We tasted a couple of their new selections and this our loot.<\/p>\n

    \"Merlot,<\/a>
    Merlot, Cuvee Blanc and Grand Rouge Sweet Wine (for me)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Next stop is Alexander Vineyards<\/a>.They have a really good selection of champagnes. French law states that the term \u201cChampagne\u201d 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. \u00a0Theirs are imported \u00a0from the small village of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger near Epernay in Champagne, France.<\/p>\n

    \"Decor<\/a>
    Decor here is minimalist, \u00a0very different from the usual wineries exuding a lot of Texan vibe.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \"Our<\/a>
    Our loot, two Sauternes, (rich sweet wine for me), and Graves (Grand Vin de Bordeaux for D)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Our next stop is a popular favorite : Messina Hof<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n

    \"Tasting<\/a>
    Tasting room<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \"Wine-tasting<\/a>
    Wine-tasting is a token system. You buy a certain number of token and each wine selection has a token value.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \"free<\/a>
    free glasses if you sign up for membership. yey!!!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \"our<\/a>
    our loot: Double Barrel Cabernet Sauvignon, Sparkling Almond, Sweet Sangria and Moscato.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Our next stop is a total gem. We found Chisholm Trail Wineries <\/a>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…<\/p>\n

    \"D<\/a>
    D with the winery’s official mascot, Jack. He is a donkey who roams around the winery with his little pal, Daisy. He is featured in the label of their winning-est wine. He is a celebrity in his own right.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \"Our<\/a>
    Our loot: Almagres (totally awesome port),Bad Ass Blush (note Jack on the label) year 2013 and 2014 and Ghost Rider (sweet red wine)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Bad Ass Blush is hands down the best sweet red that I’ve had. And trust me, \u00a0I’ve had a lot\u2026It’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.<\/p>\n

    Next on our stop is Kerrville Hills Winery.<\/a>\u00a0This is another award-winning winery located just outside of Fredericksburg.<\/p>\n

    \"image\"<\/a><\/p>\n

    \"Our<\/a>
    Our loot: Cake Sera-sera, award-winning Texas Syrah (for me) and D had an American Cabernet Sauvignon (2006). We are short of one bottle, Muskrat Love, an orange Moscato, because they ran out. I should have it in two weeks.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Last stop is Santa Maria Cellars<\/a>, 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…<\/p>\n

    \"This<\/a>
    This winery is owned by an Argentinian couple. Martin Santa Maria used to be a professional rugby player before he became an award-winning winemaker. He will tell you his wild tales on how he ended up in this side of the world during wine-tasting. He is delightful!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \"Our<\/a>
    Our loot: Cab Port, Muscat Canelli, Red Moscato (all for me) and D had a limited edition Cab Sauvignon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    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.<\/p>\n

    \"Our<\/a>
    Our loot<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    From left to right: 14 Hands<\/a> is a Cabernet Sauvignon from Washington. Chain Gang Pitch Black Red s from Monterey County, California. Terra d’Oro<\/a>\u00a0‘s Zinfandel Port from Amador County, California.<\/p>\n

    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<\/a>!!!)<\/p>\n

    The sun was still shining high and bright when we got home. Amidst all these, Beans stayed at home because he had Algebra project\u2026poor kid. We pre-empted a hang-over by having coffee and left-over Italian Cream cake from Pasta Bella.<\/p>\n

    \"image\"<\/a><\/p>\n

    \"My<\/a>
    My cappuccino and D’s super-sized espressso<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \"Added<\/a>
    Added bonus: D made a “bunny” image on the cappuccino foam! So talented!!!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    I’m getting the salmon ready for the grill for our dinner. I haven’t decided which wine to have with that. \u00a0We’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.<\/p>\n

    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!!!<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    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. You get discounted prices (10-15%). You get about 3-5 bottles every quarter. You are also able … Continue reading Wine Round-up<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":519,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fredericksburg","category-i-me-and-myself"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p71dzN-8m","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":55,"url":"https:\/\/www.venividiedi.net\/?p=55","url_meta":{"origin":518,"position":0},"title":"Fredericksburg","author":"certifiedfoodie","date":"September 24, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I will be featuring a lot of food (and wine) experiences from this quaint, but absolutely gorgeous city in the Texas Hill Country. I don\u2019t have enough writing prowess to describe it with justice, so just Google it, and you will be flooded with such delightful information, you will want\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fredericksburg"","block_context":{"text":"Fredericksburg","link":"https:\/\/www.venividiedi.net\/?cat=2"},"img":{"alt_text":"grilled brussle sprouts, season with salt and pepper, grill, add parmesan cheese and balsamic vinegar ","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.venividiedi.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/image-e1443117815274-225x300.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2764,"url":"https:\/\/www.venividiedi.net\/?p=2764","url_meta":{"origin":518,"position":1},"title":"Halter Ranch","author":"certifiedfoodie","date":"May 2, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"We\u2019ve had this house in Fredericksburg for a little more than 10 years now. Imagine that. It was about the same time that I started this blog and I had a kick going to all these restaurants here and making my little reviews. Now, most of those restaurants have closed.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fredericksburg"","block_context":{"text":"Fredericksburg","link":"https:\/\/www.venividiedi.net\/?cat=2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.venividiedi.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/img_5819-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.venividiedi.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/img_5819-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.venividiedi.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/img_5819-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.venividiedi.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/img_5819-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.venividiedi.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/img_5819-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2384,"url":"https:\/\/www.venividiedi.net\/?p=2384","url_meta":{"origin":518,"position":2},"title":"The Bordeaux Wine Experience – Day 2","author":"certifiedfoodie","date":"November 4, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Day 2 is The Medoc Region After a wonderful breakfast of croissants, fruits and coffee, we boarded our bus at 8AM. Today we concentrated on the wines of the Northern section of the Left Bank of the Gironde River. This 40 mile-long peninsula, between the river and the Atlantic, which\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Adventures Around the World"","block_context":{"text":"Adventures Around the World","link":"https:\/\/www.venividiedi.net\/?cat=5"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.venividiedi.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/B7DD8CBD-3AA7-4889-841C-8C014A82706A.jpeg?fit=960%2C720&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.venividiedi.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/B7DD8CBD-3AA7-4889-841C-8C014A82706A.jpeg?fit=960%2C720&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.venividiedi.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/B7DD8CBD-3AA7-4889-841C-8C014A82706A.jpeg?fit=960%2C720&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.venividiedi.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/B7DD8CBD-3AA7-4889-841C-8C014A82706A.jpeg?fit=960%2C720&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":792,"url":"https:\/\/www.venividiedi.net\/?p=792","url_meta":{"origin":518,"position":3},"title":"Mother’s Day Weekend","author":"certifiedfoodie","date":"May 8, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"After almost three weekends of rains, weather finally cooperated for mothers world-wide. We drove to Fredericksburg for Mother's Day. As self-proclaimed exceptional Mom, I didn't think that one day was enough, so I demanded a weekend of festivities. Beans was finally awake in the afternoon and we got ready for\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"While packing, D and Beans gave me this shirt. I am Vikings fan, and my favorite character, Lagertha, is a shield maiden.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.venividiedi.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/image-12-249x300.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":648,"url":"https:\/\/www.venividiedi.net\/?p=648","url_meta":{"origin":518,"position":4},"title":"The Pass and Provisions","author":"certifiedfoodie","date":"April 17, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"We had to change our plans for the weekend. We were going to Fredericksburg \u00a0to pick-up our second quarter wines (already? how time flies!), but weather didn't seem very ideal. Weather channel said that it will be raining all weekend in that part of Texas so we opted out. Deciding\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "H-town (Houston)"","block_context":{"text":"H-town (Houston)","link":"https:\/\/www.venividiedi.net\/?cat=4"},"img":{"alt_text":"The creamer came in a miniature milk bottle! I am loving all the interesting details in this place.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.venividiedi.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/image-18-300x225.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":320,"url":"https:\/\/www.venividiedi.net\/?p=320","url_meta":{"origin":518,"position":5},"title":"Fondue","author":"certifiedfoodie","date":"December 27, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"As I mentioned earlier, the weather in Texas has really been insane. It was high 70's on Christmas Day! I mean, it hardly ever snows in Texas, \u00a0but people were wearing shorts and flip-flops whilst doing holiday shopping! It was unnerving. Anyway, I woke up today and its finally cold.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Stuff I Cook"","block_context":{"text":"Stuff I Cook","link":"https:\/\/www.venividiedi.net\/?cat=3"},"img":{"alt_text":"use about 4 oz of each cheese and 1\/2 cup of white wine","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.venividiedi.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/image-84-300x225.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.venividiedi.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/image-40.jpeg?fit=1280%2C960&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.venividiedi.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.venividiedi.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.venividiedi.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.venividiedi.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.venividiedi.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=518"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.venividiedi.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/518\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":555,"href":"https:\/\/www.venividiedi.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/518\/revisions\/555"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.venividiedi.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/519"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.venividiedi.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.venividiedi.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=518"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.venividiedi.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}