Girls Nite In

It's so very satisfying to have women that you have been friends with for many years. I have several such friends from different pockets of my life. I met many of them through having children of the same age. They all love wine. I wonder if having children makes you appreciate wine more? It was with one of these groups of friends that I enjoyed my wine with on Saturday night. I made my visit to Everything Wine on Saturday morning, with my friend Kathy joining me. My goal for the trip was to stay under $20 but in the end I didn't even go above $15. I bought several bottles from South America and a couple from South Africa and one from Italy and France. It was too easy to just keep putting bottles into my basket. It's a little like being  'a kid in a candy shop' with so many brands and flavours to choose from. I will take months to sample all those wines, and they are continually bringing in new products. Not to mention the Vintage Room that I didn't even venture into....out of my price range at the moment! 
For my evening get together I made a hot artichoke and spinach dip that was delicious. Kathy's expansive granite top island was full of delicious food. Lobster cakes with chipotle sauce, mini quiches, homemade guacomole and salsa. Our first bottle of wine was one that Kathy had bought. It was from Argentina, a Cabernet Sauvignon/Malbec blend by the name of Arrabal, ringing in at $12.99. It tasted light and spicy, but I found it a bit too acidic. The next bottle was on of my choices, called Gato Negro. A Chilean wine, and only $9.99 a bottle. A Cabernet Sauvignon with a soft, fruity flavor it complemented the food nicely. These are, of course, simple, inexpensive wines that are suited to drinking when having a casual visit with friends. The company and conversation overshadowed the taste of the wine as we all caught up on the day to day happenings of our lives. As our children are entering the teen years we all had lots to share....thankfully, we had lots of wine!

Cheers!