Valentine's Dinner at Home

Valentine's Day is crazy around DC with all the amazing restaurants to choose from and the process of trying to get decent reservations that aren't at 10pm. This year, we stayed in and prepared a great meal and shared a bottle of wine.

My most recent favorite entree is lamb chops. Anytime I see it on the menu, I gravitate towards it. Up until now, I've only ordered it at restaurants, never attempted to prepare it myself. Well Valentine's was the night. I had a great Pinot Noir I had been saving for something special (since it is considered one of my 'special occassion' wines) so it just clicked in my head, why not Valentine's Day at home.

On the menu: Rack of lamb with sweet potato puree and brussel sprouts with bacon. MMM mmm. Oh and of course, a big glass of Ken Wright Pinot Noir from Oregon.

After perusing many recipes for rack of lamb, I realized it was neither labor intensive nor time consuming, perfect for a Monday evening supper. Overall the whole menu was simple and dinner was on the table within 45 minutes, minus the brussel sprouts. (They took longer so we saved them for the next night's dinner).


The Oregon Pinot that I had been saving paired perfectly with the tender rack of lamb. It's earthy tones with light floral and red fruit complemented the entire meal. The delicate lamb with soft sweet potatoes helped balance the fruitiness of the wine.

Ken Wright is by far one of my favorite Pinots and of course it has a hefty price tag, especially for a Pinot Noir. Averaging around $60/bottle, I consider it a special occassion wine. It also doesn't need food or a meal to compliment. It's soft, medium bodied palate can easily be drank on its own.

Pick up a bottle at Bell's Wine Shop in DC!

Cheers :)