Mini Getaway

Charbenay’s Wine on the River

So currently I am arguing with my wife on what we should call this post. My position is that a getaway can be anything that gets you out of the house. If you want to call going to the grocery store a getaway then go for it, it probably depends a little on what you are getting away from. She thinks we should create a whole new category for these little one night escapes. Perhaps I’m stubborn or just not in the mood to create more work for myself but, I’m thinking mini-getaway sounds good for now.

My week always begins the same way, the alarm clock screaming at me, the scale looking back up at me and laughing, and a slight whisper in the back of my mind that, at first is a little hard to make out but as the day, week goes on it unmistakably is saying, ‘Weekend’.

Our mini-getaway this week took us to Charbenay’s Wine on the River. I am not what you would call a wine connoisseur but I do enjoy everything about a winery when it is done right and Charbenay’s is most definitely done right. When I walk into a winery my mind generally goes through an internal checklist, and thankfully by the time Friday comes around that little whisper I talked about earlier is now screaming, ‘WEEKEND‘, so I am happy to occupy my thoughts with anything else.

Atmosphere or ambiance, for me is at the top of my checklist. The way I look at it, if I’m not comfortable I can’t relax, and if I can’t relax than I can’t enjoy anything else. We all know those places right, the building looks like its been condemned but the food is unbelievable. No thanks, I’m just not willing to sacrifice one for the other, call me greedy but I want both. Charbenay’s certainly does not lack ambiance, from the moment you walk through the double set of old world style wooden doors you are greeted with the perfect combination of elegance and charm. On our way to the bar we pass a nice little gift shop situated to our right, although gift shops are not on my checklist they are certainly a welcome addition, we will put them into the bonus category.

We are greeted with a ‘Welcome Friends’ from the bartender. It’s nice to see someone that seems genuinely pleased to see customers as we’ve all experienced the other side of that coin. Our bartender, Chelsea, was quick to wait on us and guide us through our many questions we had about the establishment. I was very pleased to find out they serve beer as well as their own wine, this would be another check in the bonus category. As we perused through the menu we saw some very unique food options which I rarely see at traditional wineries. The menu items reflected the restaurants elegance and the attentiveness of the bartender was enough for me to check the second box off on my checklist.

As the night went on we sampled many wines and I found myself in a rare position; which one to choose. Normally I can weed out most wines by putting them into the ‘too sweet’ or ‘too dry’ column but honestly almost every wine I tried fell into the rarest of all columns; ‘just right’. After some debate we settled on the Dar’s Rose, a deliciously pink wine with just a hint of sweetness, perfect for the both of us as our taste are generally on opposite sides of the spectrum.

We enjoyed our wine for a bit as we fell deeper and deeper into the winery comfort zone. For those of you that may be unfamiliar with this term its because I just made it up but it is, as the name suggest, a place where you strive to be, a place where your mind is finally at rest, a place where you are no longer thinking about work or any of the hassles of the week before, it is simply put, relaxation without hesitation(just made that up too).

Halfway through our bottle we both realized that we hadn’t even thought about food yet. This is truly unusual for me as it is most often the first thing on my mind. Not thinking of the inevitable sarcastic laugh of my scale Monday morning we decided to try a few of their appetizers. We tried the Cauliflower wings and Arancini then, with a little coxing from Chelsea, we finished up with the Raspberry Chocolate Torte. I had never tried Cauliflower wings and never even heard of Arancini but I can tell you I will never forget them. My hats off to the chef for creating such unique and tasteful dishes. Since this was Valentines Day weekend we were choosing from a specially prepared menu which only fuels my desire to go back and try some items from their traditional menu. And with that, the third and final checkbox had been marked off.

We really enjoyed everything about our mini-getaway to Charbenay’s, from the staff to the food, and of course the wine. An added bonus that we hope to be presenting soon will be a recipe for air-fried donuts from our more than helpful bartender Chelsea. Thanks to everyone at Charbenay’s for allowing us to have a wonderful night.