My outdoorsy hike lovin’ granola-huffin’ BF grew up camping, eventually reaching Eagle Scout. I grew up going to Vegas with a slots-machine loving mum. (She didn’t have a gambling problem, I swear, it’s a Filpina thing.) I only started recently camping with Tony after he took me on a perfect Big Sur weekend. Now I’m getting comfortable enough with our routines regarding equipment and food, so guess what! Each camping trip now needs wine parings. I make sure we lug a cooler out to wherever the hell we’re going so at least one night at the campsite, we can have a nice chilled wine after a day of hiking. Here’s a few of our camping sippables – and not all of them were wonderful. But now that it’s 10 PM and the fire’s going, you can’t turn back!
2010 J. Mourat Fiefs Vendeens – A mix of Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc and Negrette; I’ll buy anything with a touch of Cab Franc in it. We ate chili with salsa toppings and chips with queso dip and wow. What a food pairing misfire. It was massively dry when what we needed was something much fruitier and “less serious.” Guzzled at the Redwood Meadow campground, Sequoia National Forest.
2006 Colosi Nero D’Avola. Paired with Trader Joe’s Indian food packets and some naan bread. We had had a long weekend vamping in Arizona before we arrived in Joshua Tree and this wine was still nicely chilled inside our cooler. After a few sips of this dark-fruit-laden wonder while we watched the sun set over the Jumbo Rocks campground, we finally felt relaxed.
Camping in Death Valley, absolutely no civilization around us, the stars were big jewels sparkling in the dark night sky dome. But, we ended up drinking this crap bubbly red from Trader Joe’s. I think we forgot to bring our Govino plastic wine glasses with us this trip and we had to drink it out of tin camping cups. I guess that didn’t help the experience. Still. You’d think I’d have learned my lesson about cheap wines from TJs and what you could end up with. I’m in my mid-30s for the love of flip.
Look at my camping skills now. Cute little French linen towel to cover up scuzzy campground table. Didn’t forget a bottle opener OR the glasses. And this wine is a delicious, unpretentious Santa Barbara Pinot Noir that never disappoints, especially after a little cellar time (a LITTLE, like a year or a year and a half at the most).
Can’t wait to go camping again! Big Sur, September 2011.