10 Weeks 10 Dates #1: In Vino Veritas

It's no secret, it's no lie—Steve and I love to go out, and having recently moved to a new city, more often than not it's just the two of us. We have come to believe that this makes us sort of "dating experts" nowadays—despite the fact that we've known each other for nearly twelve years and have been in a relationship for nearly two years. Because when you're constantly going out on what can only be called dates, you learn what works and what doesn't. Which activities draw you closer together…and which activities make you end the night with the desire to sleep on the couch rather than with your significant other.

But I digress.

When I mentioned to Steve that we had the opportunity to take place in a "10 Weeks, 10 Dates" challenge, he made a not-so-positive face and asked, "Wouldn't something like that be better for a newer couple?" To which I replied, "Please, it's old hands like us that need to try this stuff out and advise those new couples." He shrugged and went back to playing on his computer, which in Steve language signifies "Whatever, I'm game." Or more likely, "You're going to make me do it anyway, so I guess I'm in." I'd prefer the former, but hey, what can you do?

Thankfully, we had an easy pick for our first date attempt - wine tasting! There is a great local wine shop on the West End of our city, and one of their employees runs a sort of after-hours wine tasting at a historic downtown home. For a small cover charge, one has the opportunity to taste to their heart's desire—with the knowledge that they will likely wake up with a headache the next day, mind you. There is also general mingling with other local wannabe wine connoisseurs, and on a good night—like last night—there may even be a live acoustic jam session.

After chatting with some more knowledgeable people, we picked our first tastings and dove right in. There was swirling, there was sniffing, there was us pretending that we knew more about wine than we actually do. I stuck with the whites, but Steve was more adventurous and tried some of the reds. The price point range of the wines we were tasting was also great—everything from $5 bottles of the new Barefood Reisling (yuck) to $30 bottles of Beaujolais (according to Steve, yum). After about four or five tastings each, we settled in to listen to the live music for a while.

The wine tasting itself was a great success. I found a new French white which—according to the host—has "hints of lime and other citrus notes" and "is a great summer table wine." And as dates go, this is definitely tops on our list and we will absolutely do it again. We rate it a solid 9 out of 10 for established couples.

However.

Wine tasting—especially one of this variety, with no spit buckets and the "tastings" actually being full glasses of wine—is probably not the greatest option for a first, second, or even third date, mainly because there is simply too much alcohol involved. But if you have been dating for at least a couple of months, and if you and your partner enjoy doing new and different things and learning something in the process—wine tasting is tops in our book!

About the Authors
Nearly a decade after being introduced, Steve and Tara finally fell into a relationship together in September 2008. After braving three months of the dreaded LDR (that's Long Distance Relationship), Tara moved to Connecticut for work and they commenced living together. In October 2009, Tara was forced to re-locate again, this time to South Carolina. She dragged Steve with her and that's when they started their blog, as they became Connecticut Yankees in South Carolina. They divide their time between the mundane workaday world (Steve as an engineer, Tara in finance), exciting vacations, relaxing at home with their two dogs and four cats, and exploring their [now] beloved city of Greenville.