Tonight, on Wine Wednesday, I had a wonderful opportunity to host guests for a wine tasting in my backyard. It was too hot to be inside my house, but it was cooling off outdoors and becoming quite pleasant. I feel quite fortunate that mosquitos don’t seem to hang around my yard so we can safely enjoy ourselves out there.
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My friends had already eaten dinner, and could not be talked into dessert or snacks. That made my hostessing job easier, actually. All I had to do was clear away the remains of my own dinner, sweep off my outdoor furniture and plump the cushions, turn on my LED pillar candles, bring out wine and water glasses, and select some intriguing wines from my collection.
I set out the Cascade Cliffs “Paisan” I’ve had for a few weeks, but I was fairly certain it would be much improved by food and quite wasted if we were to drink it now. Just in case, though, I left it out as an option. My guests hadn’t yet been to the new Panther Creek tasting room in Woodinville, so I brought out a Pinot Noir I got at my tasting last week. One of my friends particularly enjoys Grenache and Garnacha, so I prepared to open the 2012 bottle from Smasne I picked up this weekend. I also made a Ryan Patrick Reserve Syrah available in case someone was in the mood for syrah.
No, we weren’t going to drink four bottles between three people in one evening! But I didn’t mind if we opened them all and tasted everything – it’s easy enough to recork the wine and enjoy it tomorrow too.
I use LED candles to bring a cheery glow to my outside sitting area – they don’t give off a scent that would interfere with the taste of the wine.
My guests arrived just as darkness fell. It was too hot to light a bonfire, so we just sat around in my outdoor lounge drinking wine, laughing, sharing stories, and wishing Seattle’s skies weren’t so cloudy so we could see more stars at night!
-Carrie
RESOURCES:
Cascade Cliffs Vineyard & Winery
STYLING:
Beaded placemat: Pier 1 Imports
LED candles: Pier 1 Imports
Purple wine glasses: Crate and Barrel circa 2003
Water glasses: Vintage Hazel Atlas juice tumblers, circa 1960
