Red Wine Wednesdays

This summer I decided to take Wednesdays off to spend some time with the kids.  Each year seems to pass faster than the last, and before I know it (to be cliche) they'll be 'all grown up.' I figure I'll never get this summer back, so I might as well make the best of it.  Coincidentally, one of my good friends, who has a kid the around the same age as my girls, also recently cleared up her schedule on Wednesdays. When talking over our plans for the summer we agreed that we should hang out together more often and soon after we came up with the idea of "Red Wine Wednesdays." Essentially this is what happens on Red Wine Wednesdays (RWW):

Step 1: Take the kids somewhere to do something fun.
Step 2: Come back to her/my house and drink wine.

There are many benefits to the RWW program.. First, we get to spend time with the kids and feel like productive moms.  Second, the kids get to spend time with each other and expand socially.  Third, my friend and I get to explore new wines and engage in meaningful conversation. Its really a win-win.

As far as selecting the wine goes, there are two guidelines; It must be red.  It should cost at least 8 bucks a bottle. Now that you know the way it works, here is the first weeks review...

Red Wine Wednesday #1: Snapping Turtle Merlot

For our first Wednesday we decided to take the kids to Pecos Park for water play. Soon enough it will be too hot to be outside no matter how much water is involved, so this was the perfect activity for a late May day.  As we arrived at the park neither my friend nor I seemed to notice that none of the kids were playing in the water.  We walked up to the 'start button' and pressed it about ten times before someone hollered from afar, "It doesn't work.  They're gonna try to fix it by this weekend." I suggested we start a riot.  My friend suggested we go back to her house and spray the kids with the hose.  Better judgement prevailed and we headed to her place.  It's really a crap shoot when the number of kids is odd, but this week they got a long really well, which was refreshing. 

As for the wine...

The selection for week 1 was Snapping Turtle Merlot. As she popped the cork and began to pour, my friend owned up to the fact that she didn't follow the '8 bucks and up' guideline.  This particular bottle only set her back a 5 spot.  My mouth said, "It's cool," but I must confess that a small part of my brain was thinking pessimistic thoughts. First sip, and....."Not bad."  Nothing about this wine stood out as particularly fantastic, but at the same time nothing stood out as particularly awful.  It was completely pallet-able with an absence of remark-ability.  Sometimes in life it's okay to ride the current of mediocrity and that is precisely what this wine does. The conversation that went with the wine, however, was extraordinary.

..