Life should be filled with as many  random, exciting, jubilant, and inspirational moment as possible.  You can throw in all the superlatives, synonyms, and dangling participles you can.  It’s supposed to be fun.  It’s short, it’s long, and everything in between.  This one is about all of that and so much more

A chance encounter with a long-time friend lead us to meet in glorious and historic Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.

I was born in Alexandria and that adds to my sentiment.   We don’t choose where we’re born but it does choose us.  And each time I wander around this town I’m more and more grateful that I was one of those chosen ones.

This town fits me.  I appreciate it more as times goes by and I get older.  The cobblestone streets, the small shops, the walking paths, the mom and pop restaurants, the museums, the water, and everything else gives me that feeling of peace.  There’s plenty of beautiful towns in this country and world, and I’d love to explore more.  But this one is mine.

How I ended up here on this day I’ll chalk up to the universe. And the universe can be so kind. I’ve wanted to meet my friend several times over the past year or so, but circumstances and timing prevented it.  It all lead to this one.  And thank goodness, because this will likely be the last one for a while.

He suggested a tea shoppe but that sadly closed unceremoniously.  There’s the downside to local business.  Rent may be too high to justify attempting a new venture.

However, there’s a plethora of wine bars in the area and we walked into the first one we saw. That would be Sonoma Cellar on King Street, the heart of everything.

We walked in a few minutes early but the staff didn’t seem to mind.  We literally had no sense of time or direction which makes sense in context.   The wine literally took us where we were meant to go.

After some careful deliberation, we took a seat outside in their wine garden.

The menu is loaded with all kinds of fun and excitement.  And with that comes some pricier options.  Fortunately, we were only coming in for a glass and a small bite to eat.  I understand the location and prices, but some did look a bit steep for my taste.  Thankfully this was happy hour and there’s affordable options to be had as well.

I love that the majority of the wines are from California.  Makes sense of course.

My choice was the 2012 Chardonnay from Bluewing Vineyards.  My pal went with the 2015 Rose of Sangiovese from Barnard Griffin. Yes this is one of those rare posts where I talk about two separate wines from two separate wineries.  Very exciting I know.

I’ll let the menu do the talking on the descriptions.

The Chardonnay was good but I didn’t find it particularly memorable.   But I could tell right away that it was aged in stainless steel.  I dig that.  I couldn’t tell that it was finished in oak but it’s all case by case.   I may not always want my whites to be too oaky   That’s a matter of taste more than anything else.

Lemon meringue on the nose?  Hmm, I don’t know.  Apple and lime blossom flavors? The former I could taste.  The latter?  Well, maybe next time.

I was grateful to get a sip of the Rose of Sangiovese and this was the winner.  That color stood out immediately.  It looked even rosier than your typical rose.   I was happy to taste the cranberry and pomegranate before I even looked at the synopsis.  That made me happy. This is a wine you can drink all the time.  The weather encourages it even more so now.

Great wine means great food.  A cheese and charcuterie plate was the perfect second to our glasses.   It’s contradictory to say that the food never had a chance.  Wine and small plates are meant to be savored.  But I suppose we were hungry.   The rosemary focaccia bread was a brilliant touch.

Speaking of brilliant.  I love this place.  Our server was kind of enough to allow me to take pictures where I could.

There’s an aura and energy of a pricier experience, but I would love to come back.   Money shouldn’t always be an issue.    If you’re with good company, having a good conversation, and enjoying yourself you forget about finances.  And you can’t put a price on great experiences.

Life is short, it’s long too, but it’s also very short.   I’m grateful to have spent a little bit of time with a friend I may not see for some time.  It’s not a goodbye, more of a…

We’ll be seeing ya,

Ideen