Snow day

Today is a snow day. I was determined to treat it exactly as such: my plan was to sit around, watch tv, eat cupcakes, drink something yummy, and generally be a slug. After many years in grad school when I never had a true snow day, always being able to do schoolwork from home, and never having a break from the revising, I would dream about what it would be like ONE DAY when I was done with school and could enjoy a snow day properly.

Whenever snow days occur, my Facebook feed floods with posts about how people are stocking up on alcoholic beverages. As someone who did not really drink at all until my thirties, I never understood the draw. Can't you drink beer and wine anytime? Well, not ANY time, but certainly you don't need a special day for it.

As someone who now enjoys wine, I understand a bit more. It's nice to be able to enjoy a glass of wine, or perhaps a splash of bailey's in my coffee, and not have to drive anywhere or have any real responsibilities. 

On my way home one day this week, knowing that the snow day was imminent, I stopped at the local Home Goods looking for a basin for a foot soak to go with the pedicure I was planning, and I noticed a mix for chocolate lavender cake. I love lavendar flavored foods, so I could not resist this. I knew I had my snow day snack food.

This morning, I decided that, in honor of the cupcakes, I would enjoy a dessert wine. I had a few in my cabinet that I wanted to try. One was a port, and another was a wine that I didn't know anything about - I had never tried this one before. I think I bought it on a whim when at the local wine store, lured by their description of it. I can't really remember. 

I first learned about dessert wines several years ago when I ran a 5k at a local winery, and a tasting came as part of the registration fee. Unlimited tasting of all wines was free for runners, except for the port. That was a dollar per tasting. I asked why and was told that ports and dessert wines tend to be a higher alcohol content of regular wine (16-20% as opposed to the 12-13.5% of a regular red), and more goes into making them, so they can't afford to give away the tastings. I asked what you would pair port with, and the lady said that ports are lovely with sweets of any kind, but are especially good with chocolate. Sign me right up.

So, needless to say, I knew a dessert wine would be just the thing to go with those cupcakes and with my lazy day off. 

The cupcakes did not disappoint, and neither did the wine. It's dark brown (which is a bit startling and off putting at first, but it's a characteristic of port-style wines), very sweet, and thick, almost with the consistency of syrup. I would have thought the sweetness would be too much with the sweetness of the dessert, but no. It just works.