Weekend in Review

So there is this Corpus Christi tourism commercial on every now and then with the most catchy song ever. I loved it so much and had it stuck in my head for so long that I finally tried to find out what song it is, but I couldn't find a darn thing on it. Soundhound and Shazam had no idea either. I decided it was just a jingle.

WELL. Today, I saw Vitamin Water's new commercial... with the same song and different lyrics! This time, there are articles written about it and a YouTube video and all sorts of things! Woohoo!

Here is the actual song, which is used in the Vitamin Water ad:


I still can't find a single online item referring to the Corpus commercial, so if you're not in the Texas tourism market... the alternate lyrics are something like:

Oooh-oooh, it's a summer full of fun yeah
So come on and feel the sun yeah
Go and tell everyone yeah baby
Oooh-ooh (*bah-bah-bah BAH BAH*)
Oooh-ooh it's a summer full of fun yeah!

And now it's in my head again. Whew! I thought "Despacito" would NEVER get out of there.

Spent the weekend in College Station. It was superfun! We hit Mad Taco for Friday night dinner, then sat outside and had really amazing drinks at the hotel.

Oh, the hotel was fabulous! The Stella is really modern, but warmed by what I call Hill Country decor. (They probably call it Brazos Valley chic.) Lots of wood and warm colors, but a very modern vibe overall. I took a photo of the hotel room doors, because they are so pretty! Go to the website and see the photos!

Our view was over Lake Atlas and the golf course. The other view is College Station and Kyle Field, which is also cool. The bars were friendly and beautiful. The meeting spaces were upscale and modern.

My one minor complaint was an issue we had with the room service hours. The room service menu clearly states on the cover that room service goes until 11 pm. Inside, there are various times listed for the different meal menus. Dinner ends at 10 pm, but the snacks page (including sandwiches and other substantial fare, if you need it) says it is available until 11pm. We came back from town at 10pm Saturday night and called down at exactly 10:04 to see if the restaurant was still open. They said no. I said I would just order room service. The guy at the restaurant said the kitchen closed at 10. When I said the room service menu says 11, he said that was a typo. Well, it would have to have been two typos.

It sounds like some people wanted to go out an hour early on a Saturday night to me. We had to get back in the car and go into town to find something to eat. Not. Fun. Confirm room service hours when you arrive.

We visited Messina Hof winery on Saturday evening. We did a historical tour and also a wine blending class. I learned two new things at Messina Hof, which is a lot, considering how many wineries I've visited and toured.

1) Almost all wineries purchase most of their grapes from independent farmers. Many don't grow ANY of their own grapes. Even if they do have a vineyard, they don't grow all the grapes they need to make all the wines they produce. I've always wondered why so many "wineries" don't have vineyards. I figured you grow your own grapes to make your own wine. Not so. It's the processing of the grapes that makes you a winery.

2) Almost all red wines are mixtures of different wine grapes. There are rules for what percentages of the mother varietal grape have to be in your blend to call it Merlot or Malbec or whatever (usually 75% or higher), but varietals are mixed with other grape types to create the masterpiece that is your brand's bottle of that type of wine. You can also have blends with no specific type, which gives you your Sweet Red or Rioja or Rosé sorts of wines. Whether a varietal or a blend, the blending is the art of enhancing some flavors and dampening others for a perfect taste.

We broke into 4 teams of six people each for the class. We blended three pure red wines- 100% Mourvedre, 100% Merlot and 100% Cabernet Sauvignon (that's Cab Sauv to those in the biz)- to create our own wine. The four teams submitted their entries... and we won!! Whoop! Our prizes were bottles of our very own winning blend. Supercool.

I definitely recommend that tour/class combo. There is also a separate tour where you can taste wine from the tanks. That one's next on my list!