What wine goes with chicken, again?

My upbringing was a pretty strict Southern Baptist one. The way my mom put it: “if it’s fun, then you can’t do it—for religious reasons.” This means that there was never a drop of alcohol in our house growing up.

It wasn’t until I was in college that my dad found out from his doctor that a daily glass of red wine is good for his heart. I had to inform him, though, that the jury was still out on the benefits of Mad Dog 20/20, so he should probably throw that out bottle in the back of the freezer.

“Deacon Brazzell” still gives me a hard time any time I order a margarita (please note that the first time I did that in his presence, I was over the age of 25!), but he sure wants to “taste” it each time—you know, to see why I wanted to order one…

Anyway, I tell you this to preface my shopping trip this past Saturday. My friend, Emily, came to pick me up so we could check out her Aunt’s new store, Wine Styles—a cute little wine & gift shop (on Line Ave—definitely worth checking out! www.winestyles.net ). I talked to her Aunt Mary about my wine preferences (namely, anything that doesn’t taste like rubbing alcohol…I like Pinot Grigio and fruity Zinfandels). I held back the detail that my wine choices are usually based on the attractiveness of the label. She recommended something “crisp” for me that she was sure I’d love. (Side note: they also have a monthly wine club you can join as well as wine tastings on Friday nights if anyone is interested!)

I felt so sophisticated walking out the door with the long, custom bag with twine wrapped around the top…but with it was a naughty feeling of : "I'm getting away with something"... almost like: "it’s against the rules to have this in my home—out in the open!" Because I was feeling brazen, I later decided to make a trip to World Market and get myself some proper wine glasses. I ended up getting a cute little wrought iron wine holder for my kitchen, along with a couple more wine choices--I couldn’t pass ‘em up; the bottles were adorable!

Seeing my newest collection displayed proudly in my kitchen makes me feel like I’m announcing the fact that I’m an adult who makes her own decisions (!).
…but I still have room in the closet for them, in case I chicken out when my parents visit. ;)