jacquieandryan If you’ve been following along with us for a while now, you already know how much we love a good picnic date. We seriously, never get sick of them! Why? Because they can be so easy, simple, and romantic. A good picnic doesn’t have to be extravagant, and the location is up to you. Being the foodies we are, the most important aspect of a picnic to us is what we eat and drink.
Our mainstay when it comes to picnics is a good snack or meal and the perfect wine pairing. For this picnic we wanted to experience different German wines so we planned our picnic around that theme (we love a good themed date)! We all have something to celebrate this summer and Germany’s diverse array of grape varieties and styles are sure to provide an unwinding escape or energizing adventure. The wines we tried are all available at Binny’s Beverage Depot – they have sales and special offers on select German wines at all Binny’s locations and at Binnys.com!
So let’s dive into how we plan and execute some of our favorite dates ever.
What to pack
If you are having your picnic away from home, you will need to pack a picnic basket or cooler with a few essentials. We recently bought a picnic basket that can hold our cheese, fruit, crackers/bread, and up to two bottles of wine. In this case, we packed two Rieslings from Germany that pair perfectly with our charcuterie board. If you aren’t sure which wines pair well with what foods, you can visit this link here and take a quiz to get some pairing inspiration! We also always pack a blanket, some sort of card game or conversation starters, and a small speaker for music.
What to eat and drink
We believe picnics are for finger foods! We typically eat some sort of charcuterie during our picnics. They are easy and tend to pair really nicelywith a variety of wines. It’s also fun to taste your cheeses, fruit, and jam combinations along with your wine to see what you like best. We ordered our wine from Binny’s, and it was super easy and fast! And for more information on German wines, check out the German Wine USA website!
Germany’s wine grapes are especially suited for production of sparkling wine. We started off with a Sekt, or German sparkling wine. We tasted the Fitz Ritter Riesling Sekt which paired so nicely with our cheese and fruit spread! Then we enjoyed a still Riesling, the St Urbans Hof OckfenerBockstein Riesling Kabinett, which we loved for the nice bright acidity it brought – it makes my mouth-water just thinking about it. Thanks to its cool climate, German wines usually have a higher acidity that makes them light, refreshing, and perfect for food pairing.
What to do
We touched on it above, but you might want to plan a few games or activities to enhance your picnic date. We love conversation starter cards, which include prompts that we probably wouldn’t naturally think to ask one another, as they can spark some deep and connecting conversations. We also really enjoy bringing board/card games along – like scrabble, monopoly, uno, etc. You can even download and watch a movie on your laptop or phone and cuddle up.
Where to go
Now that you know what you’re packing, eating and drinking, it’s time to decide on a location. This one is totally up to you. We’ve had picnics in our living room, parks, balcony, any large grassy area and even on top of a hill to watch the sun set. The only requirement for a good picnic location is that it is one you love and are comfortable in. You just need enough space for yourselves, food and wine.
We had a blast planning our picnic date. It was laid back, yet it felt celebratory because we picked a fun theme and enjoyed some new wines. We’ll have to try more themed wine picnics for the summer! We highly recommend giving Germany wines a try to mix up your date night or to enhance a meal or celebration this summer. We know you’ll enjoy some of the hundreds of grape varieties Germany produces!
Prost Every Moment!
XO
Jacquie & Ryan
