Weekends Were Made For Bubbles

On Labor Day weekend we were fortunate enough to spend a couple of days with our friends Mike and Brenda at their cabin near Danbury, WI. More friends, Bob and Lynnette also came along for the ride. After puttering around most of the day in the pontoon boat we got down to the serious business of food and wine. Bob and Lynnette made dinner and paired it with one of my favorite summer wines, the Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc/Viognier. The wine is crisp and clean with hints of citrus. It stays fresh on the palette and drinks easy. It was paired with a balsamic and rosemary marinated grilled chicken breast served with brown rice, asparagus and a dinner roll. It was delicious, the dinner was balanced, the flavors were superb and everyone was satisfied. The next day after puttering around in the pontoon boat (do we see a pattern here) we started the cocktail hour at around 5 with a Laurent Perrier Grand Siecle Brut Champagne, a cream cheese/chipoltle sauce appetizer garnished with fresh picked blackberries (Mike picked them minutes before serving) and a chicken and cheese crostini that Brenda whipped together using leftovers. The snacking was great and the champagne was divine. It was clean with a slight hint of lemon, I was sad I only had one bottle. Dinner was a grilled pork tenderloin with a pineapple, chile and lime glaze served with quinoa, brown rice and pineapple. It was paired with Bella Lily Hill Zinfandel. Everything Bella makes is marvelous. It had perfect weight, enough fruit and tannins to linger on the tongue for moments drifting into minutes. The pork was a smash as was the pairing. Dessert was a cabernet ice, this is an old family favorite which is essentially a cabernet sorbet, simple yet delicious. We capped the night off with a glass of Choco Vine which is a red wine mixed with Dutch milk chocolate. It tastes a lot like Baillys. It's very good but I'm sure if one drank too much they would pass on M&Ms for a few weeks. Moderation is the key. Good food, good wine and good friends, do they have that recipe in Betty Crocker?