Today was a GREAT day – mainly for Jean because of the way a late afternoon work meeting fell she was home not only before dark, but well before 5:30 p.m. – YEAH!!!!!  This is a rare occasion given her daily commute to Austin.  Even better was the fact that Brian shut his office down early to make the Chamber parking lot available for “Sights and Sounds of Christmas” here in San Marcos.  Indeed a great way to start a Thursday evening – a prelude to the weekend.

As you have probably figured out, we like wine – specifically red wine – but, we know that sometimes you have to step outside your comfort zone and try something new – for the team . . . or in this case, Kathryn.  You see, Jean’s boss’s wife is a HUGE fan of white wine and has been known to in recent months to give us a rasher for not trying enough white wine.  In fact on Day 17 we featured a requested wine by Kathryn (after a throwdown challenge of putting on our big boy and girl panties and tasting a white wine – still waiting for your input on another – perhaps at Vino Vino later this month?) and decided that tonight we should venture back into the land of white wine.

We plucked a 2009 Four Vines Naked Chardonnay out of the rack to sample this evening.  We must admit, we’ve had this one before on numerous occasions and actually consider it one of our all-time favorite white wines.  Kathryn – you should try this one, although it might be a little non-too sweet for you.  Scouts honor, we will sample a major sweet type wine for you before Christmas arrives.

So, back to tonight’s WOC (new term – Wine Of Choice) – when we made our first trip to Paso many, many years ago we discovered Four Vines winery – in fact if memory serves us, it was our FIRST stop on the trip and most memorable.  As mentioned, we are not fans of sweet and buttery wines – so this wine caught us a bit off guard since it was a Chardonnay.  “Naked” as we quickly learned meant the wine was aged in stainless steel barrels and not oak – thereby giving it a non- theater popcorn “buttery taste” and much more of a crisp note on the palate.  The nose on this little gem is best described as a crisp, concentrated Chardonnay with all its natural acid.  The taste is pure apple, white peach, and pear, finishing long with hints of citrus and mineral.  It won’t disappoint whether serving with food or just sipping on a warm afternoon.  Make sure you chill it beyond belief and then enjoy as the flavors change as it warms up.  This is a great little wine for the deck, the dining room table or even the living room couch – it just works anytime – anywhere.  We’ve sampled it with pizza, fish, beef and just cheese and crackers – anything goes.

The cost for this wine is very reasonable – we find it at World Market for under $11 a bottle, and with our nifty thrifty discount card the price goes down even more.  So, our advice to you is pick up a couple of bottles to keep in the fridge and have handy when the “white wine” mood strikes you – we promise you it’s a refreshing wine that  you won’t regret buying, opening and pouring.

As we wrap up Thursday and zip into Friday and the end of the week, please remember to enjoy responsibly and recycle whenever possible.  And more importantly – be willing to take one for the team and raise a glass to good friends who encourage you to try new things – tip of the hat to you, Kathryn!