Thirsty Thursday-the first edition

Ok, so let me start off by saying I am no wine expert.  I am relatively new to the wine game. I am partial to the sweet ones...no not partial, those are the only ones I like.  So of course I pair my sweet red or white with anything and everything.    I am also partial to Texas wineries.  Really, what does California have over Texas wineries?  In my opinion, wineries are better here just because they are in Texas!  So I got to thinking, where are the best wineries in Texas?    That's when I stumbled upon this little beauty of a blog called Texas Wine Lover.  This couple have been blogging about Texas wineries for 2 years!  Now obviously, the best wineries are down in hill country around Fredericksburg.  We passed a ton last summer on hwy 290 on the way to Luckenbach ( you know with Waylon, Willie and the boys) but we did not get to stop.  I think it's frowned upon to bring a 12 year old and a 7 year old into a winery.  But I did get to stop in a place in downtown Fredericksburg called the Fredericksburg Winery.  I bought a sweet rose wine called Balanced Rock.  The hubs picked a muscat canelli (he chose it mainly for the picture on the bottle).  

I will say when you pair the sweet rose wine with fudge, you will think you have died and gone to heaven!  I could seriously have that for dinner every night!

Now that we've established where to find good wine (cause there's only one place: the hill country), how do you pair your food with it?  First and foremost, you are going to drink what you like.  I pair my favorites with spaghetti, hamburgers, steak, chicken or a candy bar.  Beyond that, apparently there are "suggestions" of wines to drink that bring out flavors in food.  According to Food and Wine Pairing, there are things to think about when choosing a wine.

Is the food mild or have lots of flavor?

Is the meat fatty or lean?

Is it rich or acidic?

Match mild foods with mild wines.  Match rich foods with rich wines.  Let's say you are still totally clueless (because I still am).  Put wines with the foods they are grown with.  An example would be to match Italian food with Italian wines.

Like I said, I am no expert.  I can barely pronounce some of the wines on the list at restaurants.  Maybe that's why I stick to the sweet ones.  I am going to add some of the wineries from Texas Wine Lover to our next road trip...maybe a road trip without kids.