Friday Night Wine Tasting @ Colorado Wine Company (& Date Night)

"So what's the plan for tonight?" asked Uwe.

Date Night
See it's Friday night - our date night. After 5 years of marriage, 7 years of being together, and 2 years of being parents - we decided that we needed to have a weekly date night. (Believe it or not - We really do enjoy each other's company.) Our weekly date night started out originally with a babysitter (Jill a college student who's getting her PhD in psychology) coming over every Friday night to babysit. Recently we added Wednesday nights as well. Wednesdays we usually go to a movie, or to some event. Lately Fridays have been reserved for wine tasting and dinner afterwards.

TGIF
My first impression was that Uwe was upping the ante to make it more bearable for me to stay at home with the baby. Ya know - getting me out of the house so I keep my sanity and all that good stuff. I thought "how sweet." But it's become evident that Uwe looks forward to our date nights even more than I do - and there's real meaning in that old adage - "Thank gawd it's Friday!" He likes being able to watch movies, but the main attraction is our Friday night wine tastings.

The Perks

• Get to spend time quality one on one time with the spouse - Check!
• Get to chat without having to entertain our toddler (and feel like we're DINKS again - dual income with no kids)- Check!
• Get to drink wine and lots of it - Check!
• Get to bring home numerous bottles of wine - Check! (this one is for Uwe)

Yeah it's pretty much pure bliss for us old timers.

Decisions....Decisions
Tonight being our Friday wine tasting night - We could have gone to a champagne tasting at Red Carpet Liquor, (taste all 6 for $37), or head back to what has become our local hangout - Colorado Wine Company for their Friday night wine tasting (taste all 5 for $15) - featuring 4 wines and a Bellini (made with Prosecco & white peaches). Doesn't that sound refreshing?! We opted for Colorado Wine Company (better ambiance and crowd).

Prior posts about both wine tasting establishments
You can read my prior posts by clicking on the links below:

I Heart Colorado Wine Company
I was happy to see that after my last post where I listed some recommendations on how to make the place nicer - the owners actually made those changes. (Added more tables and seating, and redid the ceiling to give the place more ambiance.)

Wine Tasting @ Red Carpet

Good Decision
I'm glad we chose Colorado Wine Company because we discovered a new wine that we really enjoyed. It was the first wine of tonight's tasting.

Martin Alfaro Santa Cruz Chardonnay - Golden straw color, citrus and tropical fruits, vanilla, and a hint of butterscotch. Refreshing acidity on the finish.

The owner Jen said it was a bit hit tonight (aka lots of people were buying bottles to take home).

It's a refreshing white wine that's perfect for a warm summer night (like tonight!), and you can really taste the trace of butterscotch. (Different and yummy.) Uwe and I were both surprised we liked it so much because we're both red wine lovers.

Inside Joke
After I mentioned to Uwe that I liked the wine he agreed and immediately said:
"Okay - let's buy a case."
"No, better yet - let's buy every bottle they've got in this store."
"Even better, let's buy the whole friggin store. "

These remarks had me in stitches.

It goes back to when I was pregnant and I abstained from all alcohol. Now I'm not preacher's wife, and I see no harm in having a glass of wine when you're preggers - so I didn't stop drinking because of the principle itself. But the idea of drinking made me nauseous, as did the smell. I literally couldn't stomach it. Must have been the hormones. Even after I gave birth, I couldn't drink for a long time because the hormones must have messed with my palate and wine tasted gawd awful no matter what kind. Uwe kept bringing home bottles of wine for me to taste, hoping (praying) that we'd find one that I liked so we could enjoy wine together again (after over a year of waiting). I really wanted to like it - but everything tasted so horrible, that rather than having to hold my nose to drink an expensive bottle - I just said "forget it - don't bother - it's not the wine - it's just me."

Slowly but surely I started to get my palate back (although seafood is still an issue), and I can now enjoy wine (Cheers!). So the inside joke is - anytime I say that I like a particular wine - Uwe wants to run out and buy a case for me. Tonight I said just to get one bottle - but he got 3 instead.

Recommendations Needed
With that said, in part due to the delay in my wine drinking, we still haven't purchased a wine to commemorate my daughter's birth. Something that we really need to do. Does anyone have any recommendations for a spectacular 2005 red wine (like a Syrah) that will age well? Uwe and I would like to purchase a case, so we can open the wine to celebrate on her 21st birthday (and for her to have a bottle as a keepsake).

We're also looking for a great 2001 red wine (to commemorate our wedding anniversary). Again, same thing, it needs to be able to age well.

Wolftrap - South African Wine
I also spotted a South African wine - Wolftrap, which intrigued me. It's the only bottle of wine from South Africa in the entire store. The owner, Jen said this wine is amazing.
Region: Coastal Region, Stellenbosch
Winery: Boekenhoutskloof (founded in 1776)
Type: Red wine
Grape: Syrah, Cinsault, Mourvèdre, Viognier
Vintage: 2005

Origin of the Wolftrap Label Name
It's name comes from the fact that when the Dutch moved into the area back during their colonial phase, they brought a fair amount of wolf traps in order to protect themselves. There was only one problem with this: There are no wolves in South Africa. So you have a wine so named because it pokes fun at the Dutch.

Tasting Notes
Dark red-black color with spice, bacon and wood on the nose. Smooth, smokey bacon and spice flavors overshadow subdued, mellow cherry and blackberry fruit. Dry, light mouthfeel with good structure and a black currant finish.

I Can't Wait to Open the Bottle
Of the reviews I've read online, people either love it or hate it. So it'll be interesting to see to which camp Uwe and I belong to - the lovers or haters.

Back At Home
So when we got home, I confirmed with our babysitter Jill that we'll see her again next Wed. I told her it's really nice to have date night twice a week. Jill replied that it's also nice for her and gave me a big smile. I guess she can use the extra money being a student. A win win situation. =)