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I don’t want to brag, but I’m going to for just a minute: the weather in Vegas is amazing right now. I’m not here for much longer and I’m soaking up every minute of it while I’m here. My favorite part is that while it’s snowing back in the midwest (sorry, y’all!) I’m able to sit out and enjoy evenings on the community patio by the pool with good friends, good food, good conversation, and great wine. I wish I could relocate all of my friends from Chicago and elsewhere here to Vegas and start my own “cool people commune.”
Like I said, one of my favorite Vegas activities ISN’T hitting the strip and winning big at the casinos; it’s hanging close to home with friends and family. This week my friend Molly and I tried a new wine with a fun AR component: Chateau St. Jean’s Living Wine Label bottles. I downloaded the Living Wine Labels app from the Apple App Store (but it’s also available from Google Play), and searched out a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Chardonnay from the folks at Chateau St. Jean. I’m a red wine girl, but I always have a bottle of white on hand, just in case it suits someone’s preference. I love Chateau St. Jean because the quality is consistently awesome and wines themselves are great for any time you’re spending quality time with someone you love; whether it’s romantic, family, or friends. Chateau St Jean wine can be found at Kroger, Ralph’s, and Fred Meyer, so check it out at whichever is closest to you!
Additionally, any great get together deserves great snacks. I’m definitely not an expert on food pairings when it comes to wine nights with the ladies, but I have a few tried and true go-tos that are easy to put together and plate nicely.
Some of my favorite wine night snacks are:
* Cheese and crackers
* Cream Cheese Dip (Blend one block of cream cheese with jelly of choice. I prefer Jalapeno or a spicy red pepper jelly
* Veggie Mix
* Olives
* Cookies (with dark chocolate, of course, because we are FANCY LADIES)
* Fig spread and Goat Cheese (for crackers)
* Popcorn! (Believe it or not)
When we’re grilling on the pool deck, fish is my immediate go-to being a pescatarian. I have a KILLER recipe for a chardonnay baked Salmon, but grilled salmon is awesome as well as spicy grilled shrimp. Yum! But then again, quality time is quality time, and if I want pizza with friends I’m going to pair pizza with my wine. 😉
I’m really pumped about the newest fun “wine pairing” in the form of the The Living Wine Labels app which you can learn how to download for free here. The Virtual Reality component of the wine labels for Chateau St. Jean is really sweet; Vinter Margo Van Staavren “walks” us through the vineyard, telling us a bit more about Chateau St. Jean and how she met her husband working there. 2017 was her 37th harvest at Chateau St. Jean, so Margo definitely knows her stuff.
Molly and I had a blast – not only because it was a much-needed moms-night-in, but also because nothing beats great times with great friends. I also DEFINITELY ran out the next day and picked up another bottle of the Cabernet and will keep my eyes peeled for their Pinot Noir, too! Don’t forget to check out Chateau St. Jean and the other Living Wine Labels compatible wines and let me know what you think!