Wino Wednesday: Birthday Edition

As most of you know, yesterday was my birthday. My awesome husband planned a dinner with a handful of our good friends at one of my favorite Italian restaurants in Seabrook, Tx. While service was sketcy, we were at an awkward table and it was a bit toasty in there, we had a great time. One of the best things about this place is that you can bring your own wine. They don’t charge a cork fee, either. Conveniently located two doors down is a small liquor store with a minimal, but adequate wine selection.

We left the friends to settle the kids and get the table situated and walked to the liquor store. I immediately went for the California Zinfandels like I always do and CW (hubby) darted off to find the obscure. That’s what he does. That’s one reason I love him.

I found an interesting bottle of zin and he came over with a bottle that had a generic white label with black lettering that said “House Wine.”  He was so proud of his find so I conceded and we bought both bottles. Of course, before we checked out he found a tequila shooter shaped like a pistol.

“How much will you take for this,” CW said with a sly grin.

The guy behind the counter is unimpressed. “Um, it says $23, so probably $23, but I’ll check.”

Somehow, during the process of negotiating a reasonable price for this glass pistol shooter thingy, the register stopped working. It began to beep over and over and the cash drawer kept opening and closing. It was like the register was blatantly denying my husband’s haggling skills.

So, we had to wait a few minutes before we could actually buy what we came in for in the first place.

After a good laugh, we walked back to the restaurant, ordered our food and began opening bottles. We started with the “House Wine.” I was nervous. How could something so generic looking taste good? Well, quite simply, it just did.

I didn’t take the time to read the label. If I did, I would have found out that this was a blend from the Columbia Valley in Washington state. If you are ever at a loss when picking out a red, you can’t go wrong with anything from this region.

So, this mellow red is a mix of ???68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 4% Malbec, 4% Syrah, 2% Petit Verdot. And it is the perfect mix. The blueberry and cherry flavors were predominant over a bit of licorice and wood or bark. It was a perfect match to our Italian dishes with mostly tomato based sauces. And it was only $12.

If you come across the “House Red,” don’t let the generic label fool you. What’s hiding inside the bottle is a force to be reckoned with.

Cheers!