Wine Club Hearts Valentines Day!

Last week, Wine Club had its annual Valentine's celebration, minus two for work and illness (that's just how February goes, it seems). Without even planning it, most of us turned up in red dresses, which is just a sign of our sisterhood vibes. For fun, we used this cool website to draw names for secret valentines, our own love-themed spin on Secret Santa. We set a limit of $15 and got the cutest little presents, from fancy hair-ties to gourmet sugar cookies to a feather pen fit to write a senator!

We chose wines with "love" labels, and sampled:

• Salvatore Principe Unity Cabernet Sauvignon: This was a dry Argentinian cab sav with notes of juicy berries.
• Prophecy red blend: Layers of red fruit complemented with hints of vanilla and spice.
• Forever Vineyards Pinot Noir: This was a lovely red with notes of cherries and spice and flavors of raspberries, strawberries and cocoa.

• Georges Deboeuf Beaujolais-Villages: The internet tells me Deboeuf was at the forefront of the Beaujolais movement among growers in France, so it was fitting to sip his fresh, fruity and flavorful wine.
• Loveblock Sauvignon Blanc: Ashleigh brought this crisp and refreshing New Zealand sauvignon blanc with notes of peach and citrus.

Erica prepared a beautiful spread, with spinach dip and our favorite — Fritos.

She also made a lovely strawberry and chicken salad and hand-dipped chocolate strawberries, plus petit fours, rock candy stirrers and gummies.

And of course it wouldn't be a Wine Club without a fruit-infused wheel of cheese! We also nibbled on mushroom pastries, garlic pastries and puff pastry bites stuffed with camembert and cranberries.

Love to you and yours on this made-up (but delightful!) holiday!