Date Night at Home: Wine & Cheese Tasting

Now that we have a little one, out of the house date nights are few and far between.  Luckily, this is an easy at home treat that involves two of my favorite things – wine and cheese (well, 3, if you count the hubs).  And if you get everything during your regular weekly grocery trip, it’s quick to pull together after the kiddos go to bed!

 

The wine: 

White – Kendall Jackson Grand Reserve Sauvignon Blanc (around $20).  I think Chardonnay might have been a better choice for the white, but i’m currently obsessed with Sauvignon Blanc. 

Red – Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon (around $14).  I’m new to red, so I needed something not too heavy – I really liked this one.

 

The cheese:

We used Gorgonzola, Gruyere, Gouda, Havarti and Brie.  I loved the Gorgonzola with the white wine, as well as the Brie.  A good substitute for Brie is Camembert – I find them pretty similar, but my husband likes it better.  He also likes red wine better than I do, and thought it was really good with the Gouda.

 

The sides:

Apples, crackers (I like something good and grainy – no table crackers here), fig jam.  If you spread the jam on a cracker and top it with a slice of Brie or Havarti – SO good.  And the last time I visited my friend Molly she had 34 Degree crackers, they’re so light and crisp – I’ll def be getting them next time we do this.

 

If you don’t like to eat the cheese alone and want to cut out the carbs, use cucumber slices instead of crackers – pretty good, especially with bleu cheeses!

 

Throw on some tunes and you’re set – dudes, if you’re doing this as a treat for your lady, pick up some flowers for the table 😉

 

Happy tasting!  Talking about it has made me crave a glass of wine – if only it wasn’t 3pm on a Sunday…