The exit to the farmer’s market comes into view. Bags full of produce weigh down our hands. The last vendor appears before our eyes and the weight of Astro’s hemp sack of turnips, potatoes, and spinach shift over to Naut.

“Oh yeeeah!”

Astro dashes into the vendor’s tent. Naut lingers back. The sign reads “Blue Jacket Winery” written in a delicate font. Five minutes later, Astro returns:

“I found our next adventure.”

Our tires peel out of the parking lot as we head home to trade our fresh produce for a basket complete with a blanket, assorted fruits and cheeses, and our favorite snacks & crackers. As the sun begins its long descent from the sky, we load up in the car and hit the road.

It’s golden hour when we find the perfect parking spot along the dirt and gravel in front of the vineyard. Basket in hand, we lock up the car and follow the twinkling string lights toward the sounds of laughter & music.

The band is playing on the patio outside the barn; the tables are full, the lawn is peppered with couples, families, and dogs. After finding the best spot, Naut fans out the blanket and pulls out our snackle box.

Tucked under everything in our basket is our delicious concoction of snacks, brilliantly organized in our traveling charcuterie board made out of an old tackle box:

Holding down the fort while Astro picked out a flight of wine, they trade places as Naut heads into the barn in search of the perfect pairing.

“What can I get for you?”

“I would like to try your best red that would pair well with cured meats. Oh, and a good white to pair with pretzels. What’s your most popular dry wine?What about sweet wine? Awesome, I’ll take those . . . and can you please give me the house wine as well.”

“Great! A Flight of 5 local wines will be $16. Would you like any cheeses or crackers with these?”

“No thanks!”

Back on our slice of heaven, we carefully tuck our flights on the flattest section of the picnic blanket and sink into the moment.

The lead singer of the band finishes the song:

“Woo! Thank you all for coming out today! We’re just gettin’ started.”

Right on cue, we pull out the last item to complete our wine tasting experience—a tan journal with a burgundy wine glass silhouette embedded on the front cover.

Page after page is filled with wine brands and varieties. A ranking system from 1-5 sits next to the name of the wine; our notes scrawled underneath. A Zinfandel has the words: sweet, pear, vanilla! below it. A poorly aged Merlot reads: Dry. Tastes like battery acid.

We sip the first glass in our flights and eagerly exchange an idea of what we taste: Hibiscus. Fig. Ginger. Smoke. Cream. Plum.

“I only taste the tannins.”

“Oh, yeah. I’m getting a smokey, smooth flavor.”

We sip from each other’s glass and echo some of the same notes, but we discover a few new ones as well: Cigar box. Autumn leaves. Cherry.

As the oranges and purples from the sunset disappear, the string lights are all that’s left to illuminate the stage and picnic areas. We scramble to write all the names and flavors we can muster under the last rays of sunlight.

“If only it were a full moon tonight, this experience would never end.”

As the darkness creeps in, it creates a cozy ambience under the twinkling lights & starry sky. Instead of our 5-step wine tasting process that we learned from Elissa in her class: How to Taste Wine Like a Pro, the sunset has whittled it down to a single fluid step: sip-n-savor.

Embracing the magic of the moment, we pack away our wine tasting journal and listen intently to the brass instruments being carried through the air.

A deep breath releases pent up gratitude, “Aww, what a beautiful night! We need to do this more often. My favorite was the wine that tasted like beets.” 

“I’m all for the clay one.”

Astro dives back into the basket to retrieve the notebook. Eyes strain and squint, then Astro turns to Naut, “That was the one that tasted like beets!”

Naut replies with a shrug, “You remember Elissa’s wine tasting class, she said we’ll all taste different things in the same glass. That’s part of the fun!”