Stay At Home Date Night Idea

Can’t get out for a Date Night? Stay at home! You’ll have more fun (and tasty food and drink) with this date night idea anyway!

It wasn’t so long ago that Jon and I seemingly had a life. You know, before we had three kids.  Before I started working again full-time.  Those were the days, and we took some awesome vacations.  One of our favorites was a trip to Napa and Sonoma, back in 2010.  We visited wineries across the area, took in the scenery, and ate and drank to our heart’s content. Which apparently can withstand quite a bit of food and drink.

We plan on bringing back a little bit more fun into our life – in fact we plan to go to Italy next month to celebrate our 10 year (10 year!!!!) anniversary.  But, what we’ve learned over the last five years is… you don’t have to go far to enjoy a romantic evening together.

After looking through photos from our California trip, I decided to recreate a favorite moment – one from our visit to the Gloria Ferrer Winery.

Anyone that knows me, knows that a good time in my book starts with a champagne glass in-hand.  And so, the setting is set for the perfect stay-at-home date night!

With the beautiful spring weather, our date started on our deck.  Jon put the kids to bed; I was in charge of food.  I lucked out with that one.

In my (humble) opinion, nothing goes better with a glass of sparkling wine better than a fabulous cheese and charcuterie plate.  And, if I do say so myself, I put together a pretty darn good one!

Sure, it’s more than we could should eat, but isn’t it pretty?  (Leftover cheeses can be used in this fab Macaroni & Many Cheeses recipe!)  Oh, and I like to bring the cheese to room temperature before serving.

And then, my piece de resistance: Gloria Ferrer Sparkling Wine.  Exuberant (oh yeah, we’re getting creative with our wine notes) and fruit-forward, these are perfect wines to go with the cheese plate I crafted!

There’s no better sound in the world than a cork popping out of a bottle! (Ok, that and a baby laughing – I am a mom after all.)

Cheers to an awesome date night.  Sure, it’s not quite as breath-taking as the views from Gloria Ferrer, but it’s mine, and I love it.

Want to recreate the fun?  Snag some pics and enter the Gloria Ferrer Spring Photo Contest.  Lots of fun prizes up for grabs!

Here are some trip pics from our 2010 visit:

Interested in visiting the winery yourself? A bit about Gloria Ferrer Wines:

Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards is Carneros’ original sparkling wine house, owned and founded by the Ferrer family of Spain. Named for José Ferrer’s wife, Gloria, the winery opened in 1986 in the breezy, now-famous region in southernmost Sonoma County. Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards was the fulfillment of a longtime family dream: to make world-class méthode champenoise sparkling wines in an exceptional New World terroir.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.