Anniversary Wine

One of the great things about wine is that it lends itself to special events so easily. There is so much pomp and circumstance surrounding wine, that if you embrace it, a simple bottle can elevate an important evening to something even greater. And even better, its a special experience that you can share with others, some common element of enjoyment to an evening.

Because of all our love of the region, Tina and I were married in the Finger Lakes. The day after our wedding, we ran off into the hills for some time alone at the wineries. Then and there, we decided to start our own tradition: buying a bottle of wine on our anniversary, and saving it for the next year. It gives us another thing to remind us of that beautiful fall day in the hills, and gives us something extra special to look forward to on that important date.

Tina had just started a new job in time for our anniversary this year, so we didn’t manage to celebrate in the Finger Lakes. But we did still make an event of it, at home. We enjoyed a wonderful tasting dinner at Scarpetta, which we have been talking about visiting for years, and the wine pairings that accompanied it were balanced and thoughtful, and made the meal even more spectacular. Later in the week we also took a quiet night, with a home cooked meal, along with our special bottle. We had saved a bottle of 2009 Hosmer Riesling, selected as one of our favorites from our trip to the Finger Lakes last fall and saved for this special occasion. We drank it with a simple meal of Dill Crusted Trout and Veggie Slaw; earthy and sweet flavors that went well with the fruit and minerality of the wine. The best part was spending the evening enjoying each other’s company, lingering over our bottle of wine, thinking about the good times we have shared so far, and looking forward to our future together.