*AD  but all opinions are my own

Pride month is officially here and is a celebration for accepting the LGBTQ+ community. During June, colors of the rainbow are everywhere to represent different sexualities. As a community member, this month is personal for me, not only for the representation. But, I also met my partner five years ago at the pride parade in NYC. In celebration of meeting each other five years ago. We come up with the idea of doing something romantic to honor our love. Homemade dinner and a wine tasting using Teneral Cellar’s “love is love” three-pack collection.

 Teneral Cellars

Teneral Cellars is a women-owned newly launch wine company supporting social change. Representing equality, whether it be race, sexuality, and justice for women. It is refreshing to find a wine producer that truly stands for something. It makes one rethink what it means to be a wine brand and what a supplier can do to give back.

The three bottles of the “love are love” collection incorporate special edition images in honor of pride month. In addition to the special edition images, proceeds from the collection are donated to the Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative Safe Spaces Designation. ($10 of each collection sold). The collection will continue through August.

Teneral Cellar’s wines are created by sustainable wine-growing and production methods in northern California. The collection comes with two red wines and one white. The red wines are Merlot and Barbara. White wine is Chenin Blanc. Before trying the wines, my partner and I made a hearty meal to match. Next, we prepared a vegetarian-friendly meal including yellow seasoned rice, cilantro mash potatoes, and tomato and basil pizza patty. Once we finish making dinner, we headed over to the balcony and enjoyed the summer breeze while trying the wine.

WINE TASTING TIPS 
  1. Evaluate by sight- look straight down into the glass, then hold it to the light. Then give the glass a tilt. The purpose is to see how the wine rolls toward its edges. This will allow you to examine the wine’s complete color range, not just the center.
  2. Swirl– give the glass a good swirl. Notice if the wine forms “tears,” also known as “good legs.” Wine tears are a ring of clear liquid near the top of a glass. Wines with “tears” represent more alcohol and glycerin content, which generally indicates that they are riper and more mouth-filling than those that do not.
  3. Evaluate by sniff- don’t bury your nose inside your glass. Instead, you want to hover over the top of the glass. Take a series of quick sniffs. Afterward, hold the glass away from your nose to let the information filter through to your brain. Please note what you pick from the wine is not wrong one might taste the vanilla spice, another person might taste black fruits. Each wine taster has a unique experience due to sensibility memory. Enjoy it as much as you can.
  4. Evaluate by taste-Take a sip, do not gulp. Instead, think of it as sipping the wine into your mouth and try sucking on it as if pulling it through a straw.