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Wines that Pair with the First Year of Parenthood

Everyone has their preferred libations, but if you're like me, wine is your game. It takes me back to Dr. Brett Horton's Wine Tasting class at James Madison University (Go Dukes!), sitting in the second floor banquet room of a downtown Harrisonburg brew-pub. Since the JMU campus is dry, we had to shift off-campus to effectively learn about wine (before you laugh, this was an actual course open only to Hospitality and Tourism Management majors). We learned to swirl, sniff, tilt the glass to check for color and opacity, swish, and had the option of spitting it out. But we were 21. Seriously, who wastes wine like that?

No me, I tell you. In the (just a few) years since sitting in that class, I've come to love wine more and more, and appreciate the importance of selecting *just* the right wine for the occasion.

Then came parenthood. And an entirely new gamut of drinking events came about, lending the opportunity to explore new wines and find perfect fits for every parenting mishap milestone. Here are a few of my favorites to share with you today:


 Giving Birth

Congrats on 9 Months Sober having a baby! Or in my case, with a daughter who arrived two weeks late, we closed in on 10 months of pregnancy. But now the baby's here! You can have wine again! (That's everyone's first thought, not just mine -- right? right?)

A really good wine, like a Kendall-Jackson Stature Cabernet Sauvignon, or a bottle of bubbly to celebrate, is recommended for celebrating the birth of your young.



Up All Nighter

I like to pair an Up All Night session with some Reisling or a Moscato. It's got a little extra sugar in it to really keep me up for this nonsense my child is dishing out.

Image result for riesling and moscato wine


Teething Begins

 For teething, we go with a higher alcohol content in our Red Wine friends Zinfandel (red, not white), Syrah, or if you're really in a bind, pour a glass of Sherry or Port. That's right, I said Sherry.




Neon Green Poop

When this happens, you can't unsee this color. So the wine we pair with it has to be as far from this color as possible. Queue the Roses. 


First Trick-or-Treating

Let's be honest. That first Halloween, it's all about the parents' love of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. That's where a robust Bordeaux comes in to play. The bold flavors of this red pair beautifully with the creamy chocolate and salty peanut butter. This is also a great wine to give when going to someone's Halloween party.

Image result for bordeaux wine

Stay fabulous,
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