The Audacity of Sara Grayson by Joani Elliott
A NOVEL PAIRING because I love books and wine.
In this award-winning debut novel, The Audacity of Sara Grayson, Joani Elliott created a lovable character (you guessed it, Sara Grayson) who is blind-sided by the task of writing the fifth book in a series after her mother, a famous author, passes away. Sara lacks confidence as she attempts to push past imposter syndrome to fulfill her mother’s wishes. With support from a surprising source, Sara gains more than self-assurance. She gains self-acceptance. Along the way, family secrets pop us as she unravels mysteries she didn’t even know existed. The audacity of her!
Now Sara wasn’t much of a wine drinker, but she loved her tea. I wasn’t sure where to go with that until I found this website: https://www.plumdeluxe.com/blogs/blog/tea-wine-recipe
I discovered how to combine the best of three worlds: Tea and Wine and Books! All you have to do is steep these Plumdeluxe teas (or teas of your choice… be creative!) in wine for at least two hours or even overnight, then serve over ice, and enjoy. Look for different recipes and ideas in the link above. Choose a tea that has something similar in the flavor profile of the wine. Blending teas with sparkling wines is tricky because the bubbles eventually disappear while steeping, but all you have to do is add some sparkling water to bubble it up. I was tempted to get the Peach Bellini Herbal Tea and blend it with LaMarca Prosecco (my daytime, luncheon go to- you know, so I don’t get red wine stains on the table cloth, or the front of my dress, or god forbid- my teeth!) but since I truly am more of a red wine drinker, I chose their Strawberry Immunity Herbal Tea (doubling up on my anti-oxidants) to steep in a pinot noir (my easily-on-hand fave is Meiomi) for a light autumn cocktail. I found it enjoyable and just very well might try other flavors of tea and wine.
What is the purpose of all this… it’s still wine, isn’t it? Yes, but now you have an adult science project to create your own personal wine flavors. The audacity of it all!
