Weekend Wines

The Weekend is Coming!!

It’s almost Friday and somewhere between catching up on our mundane chores, children’s activities and family obligations we really should sneak some time for us.

After the children have been fed or carpooled to their evening’s location, which I try and get the drive to, not pick up, it’s time for us. There’s nothing better after a long day than putting together a variety of no-fuss appetizers and opening a bottle of wine. Depending on how much we snacked during the day or what our “food mood” is, we can usually go with what we have in the house. A plate of cheeses and pepperoni, a nice Artisan bread and fruit can be quite satiating when paired with a good bottle of wine. I try to always make sure that we keep some of these on hand. I always have walnuts and almonds and if you through in some Craisens, there’s another snack. Pop in a movie, some relaxing music or catch up on your TiVo. For us this evening included a movie. All I was hoping for was a couple of house to unwind.

The wine of choice was a 2005 Louis Jadot, Pinot Noir Bourgogne, a red burgundy table wine. We were in the mood for a red but didn’t want anything heavy because of our dinner choice. The wine was very nice and was light enough for our appetizers but very flavorful. The cheeses we had were a Havarti, a hard cheese and marinated mozzarella balls, they paired up perfectly with the wine. We also had marinated olives and mushrooms that the wine complimented wonderfully. Along with the bread we put out some garlic infused oil which melded nicely with the slight spiciness of the Pinot Noir. We took our time sipping and picking at the appetizers, it turned out to be quite filling and very relaxing.

For dessert I put out Godiva chocolates, Hershey kisses and a really nice dark chocolate I bought in Napa. For those of you who have not experienced a good wine and a good chocolate, you are truly missing something. My husband is not a big fan of dark chocolate so I always put out a variety. He has come to discover the fine union of flavors that a piece of dark chocolate and a sip of wine produce together. The chocolate has a tendency to pull out the flavors of the wine and intensify them. As the chocolate warms on your tongue and combines with the flavors in the wine your taste buds reach another level of satisfaction.

What a perfect way to end a busy day!