This post was sponsored by Teneral Cellars as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
I love wine. I love wine with a story and purpose even more. When I learned about the Teneral Cellars Love is Love collection, I had to try it and was excited to get to introduce some of my good friends from my book club to the collection as well. Teneral Cellars is a California based winery focused on women’s causes and inclusion within the industry. Their wines are sustainably farmed, so love that it’s such a clean alternative.
Teneral Cellars has no tasting room, so that means they’re focused on bringing all the elements of that tasting room to their customers regardless of location. I especially love that each of their releases is linked to a cause, with 10% of profits going to support women’s empowerment causes.
Teneral Cellars Love is Love Collection
The collection is live now and is available through the end of August. For each set sold of the Teneral Cellars Love is Love collection, they’re donating $10 to The Stonewall Inn Gives Back. I love that the company is so vocal, clearly standing for equality, equity, and humanity in all they share. One glance at their Instagram and you’ll see what I mean!
The wine in the collection is an interesting set including some of my favorite less common wines Chenin Blanc and Barbera along with a Malbec. I love that when you order their collections, you receive a high summary with links that go behind the collection, including links to tastings with the featured sommelier on the release. Here’s Master Sommelier and Chair of the Court of Master Sommelier’s Board of Directors Emily Wines discussing the Chenin Blanc.
I first tried the Teneral Cellars Love is Love collection in a tasting in a small group with one of the founders, Jill Osur. Her passion and enthusiasm for wine was instantly noticeable and infectious! The energy carries through in the way they approach their collections and supporting information shared on their website. (They used to include all these details in the packaging but moved online as a more ecofriendly option – so smart.) I love how approachable they are trying to make wine! No more you must taste notes of this fruit or leather or certain spices. It’s more about everyone enjoying good wine and discussing what they are experiencing. That’s an approach I can get behind.
Pride Book Club Pick
I wish for my child, for all our children, a world where they can be who they are and become their most loved, blessed, appreciated selves.
Laurie Frankel’s This Is How it Always Is
The next week, I got together with my book club for the first time in months for some sweet treats, wine and conversation. I know cheese and wine is a bit more common but I love a quick and easy dessert/wine pairing! It’s a perfect option for those times when you just don’t have the opportunity for a fresh appetizer and want something that’s a crowdpleaser. What’s there not to love about a cookie? Both the almond cookies (which are slightly less sweet) and the iced cookies paired well with wine. We were outside in the evening so fruit didn’t make sense to bring out with the bugs in full force. Think some fruit and cheese would be an excellent add next time.
I introduced my book club to the wine as we discussed Laurie Frankel’s This is How It Always Is, our selection for this month. Most of us were only part of the way in but we chose the book to complete our Pride-themed evening. The book focuses on a family with several boys, one of which likes to wear dresses and decides he wants to be a girl when he grows up. Such a big concept to tackle with a small child (in the book, the child born as Claude begins to wish this before age 5.) Although the book is fiction, the author’s child is a trans woman. I think it’s this personal connection to the topic that enables the book to be so powerful as it approaches such an emotional subject.
It’s so easy for us to say we are allies but much harder to think through how that allyship would evolve if it were in support of our child’s expression of their true self. And is the case in the book, how you handle that when there are other children in the family experiencing these thoughts, changes and feelings as well.
It’s also something to consider as we think through the language to use with our children as we begin to teach them how to be allies, too. One of the biggest lessons for me over the last year has been to not only think through how to approach sensitive topics myself but also how to explain them in approachable way for our children so they can be educated and sensitive allies themselves, too. I still have a bit to go to the book and am very curious to see how it all turns out. It was a perfect selection for this month with the wines from Teneral Cellars and the tie-in the Pride Month collection.
Good to the Last Drop (An Easy Recipe!)
We talked so much at the book club that I’ll admit there was a bit of wine leftover. If you ever find yourself in this amazing position, definitely don’t let a drop go to waste! My husband and I managed to turn the second half of the Teneral Cellars Chenin Blanc into another meal! We found the flavor had some added depth after the bottle was open for a few days. My husband and I were able to each enjoy a glass and a meal using the last bit of it in the sauce.
Want to make it yourself? It’s super simple! All my husband did was put 1 tablespoon of butter, 1 clove of garlic (minced), diced white onion and some seafood seasoning — oh and some of that great leftover wine, of course.
This post was sponsored by Teneral Cellars as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
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