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Although it is technically not the end of summer just yet, it is starting to feel more and more like summer is absolutely coming to an end.
Almost all of the kids in the valley have started going back to school (including the kids at the school Adam works at), and the city has gotten a little bit louder now that all of the college students are back in town now than summer break is over. The intensity that comes with the Phoenix desert weather has begun to calm down a little bit, and we are no longer face-to-face with consistent weeks of temperatures in the triple digits with high humidity. Now that monsoon season is coming to a close and the city has started to feel full again, fall will be here before we know it. Which is all the more reason to celebrate the end of summer!
This year, Adam and I are saying 'cheers' to the end of summer with an affordable, easy-to-plan picnic date night! Today, I am sharing all of the essentials that you need for this end-of-the-summer picnic idea, including JaM Cellars wine and all of the light bites that made our happy hour picnic taste incredible!
End of Summer Picnic Date Night Essentials:
#1 Wine
The best kind of picnics have wine!
After all, what would our happy hour date night look like without a glass of JaM Cabernet or JaM Butter Chardonnay to cheers with? Ever since the beginning of this year, Adam and I have been stocking up on JaM Cellars wine and we always try to keep a bottle of JaM Butter Chardonnay chilled in our refrigerator in case we have company.
With both the JaM Butter Chardonnay and the JaM Cab in our picnic basket, we can sample a taste of both summer and fall all in one sitting (and we have a feeling we will continue to enjoy JaM Cab all autumn long, too!) The JaM Butter Chardonnay is so rich and bold in taste, it is truly a great end-of-summer wine! The JaM Cab is a perfect summer-to-fall transitional wine since it is packed with darker fruit flavors like blackberries and black plums, and it has a soothing oak and vanilla taste.
After all, what would our happy hour date night look like without a glass of JaM Cabernet or JaM Butter Chardonnay to cheers with? Ever since the beginning of this year, Adam and I have been stocking up on JaM Cellars wine and we always try to keep a bottle of JaM Butter Chardonnay chilled in our refrigerator in case we have company.
With both the JaM Butter Chardonnay and the JaM Cab in our picnic basket, we can sample a taste of both summer and fall all in one sitting (and we have a feeling we will continue to enjoy JaM Cab all autumn long, too!) The JaM Butter Chardonnay is so rich and bold in taste, it is truly a great end-of-summer wine! The JaM Cab is a perfect summer-to-fall transitional wine since it is packed with darker fruit flavors like blackberries and black plums, and it has a soothing oak and vanilla taste.
#2 Blanket
Sure, the weather may be too warm in the end of summer to get wrapped up in a blanket and cuddle together, but having a blanket for your picnic date night outdoors is ideal for sitting on!
Rather than have to pack up a couple of folding chairs and lug them around everywhere, you can sit anywhere on the ground with a durable and cute picnic blanket. We love this blanket that has a red buffalo plaid pattern on it, and we always keep it in the trunk of our car in case we decide to have a spontaneous picnic outdoors.
Rather than have to pack up a couple of folding chairs and lug them around everywhere, you can sit anywhere on the ground with a durable and cute picnic blanket. We love this blanket that has a red buffalo plaid pattern on it, and we always keep it in the trunk of our car in case we decide to have a spontaneous picnic outdoors.
#3 Picnic Basket
No picnic is complete without a traditional, wicker picnic basket! We picked up our basket while we were thrift shopping a few months ago, and when we are not using it for picnics, it sits on our floor in the living room and holds extra blankets and pillows when we're not using them. Having a functional and decorative basket is an essential for every home!
#4 Tapas
Besides the wine, every picnic needs to have some kind of array of delicious bites to enjoy. Our new neighborhood has a great cheese shop, so we stopped by to pick up a variety of goodies for our picnic charcuterie board including a Swiss cheese and also a cheese that is infused with merlot! The merlot cheese tasted phenomenal with our JaM Cellars wine and some fresh watermelon!
#5 Bluetooth Speaker
Finally, we always enjoy bringing our portable bluetooth speaker with us when we have our date night picnics.
For our end of summer picnic date night, we ended up listening to some indie playlists we had saved on our phones and had the volume on low just to have some extra background noise. After we were done eating, we moved our JaM Cellars wine and basket off of the blanket, and then we laid down and cuddled for a while listening to music. It was totally relaxing and definitely elevated our picnic date night!
Speaking of music, we also learned that our friends at JaM Cellars wine will be giving away a fly-away trip to New Orleans to go to the Voodoo Music and Arts Experience to see headliners like Mumford and Sons, Childish Gambino, and the Arctic Monkeys! You can learn more about the sweepstakes that JaM Cellars is having for the Voodoo Music and Arts Experience in New Orleans on their website here!
Don't forget to save this date night idea on Facebook and Pinterest!
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
I love the idea of having just a simple picnic with my husband. Sometimes the simplest dates are the best.
ReplyDeleteAn end of summer picnic date sounds like a great idea. I haven't been on a picnic in ages and it's a great way to mix date night up a bit.
ReplyDeleteI would love to go on a picnic with some nice wine and food.You seem very prepared and your picnic has all the essentials.
ReplyDeleteThis would be such a fun idea! I've always enjoyed picnics and it's been ages since I've had one. I'll bring it up with my husband.
ReplyDeleteWe love end of the summer picnics and starting with a big blanket to throw on the ground it the way to start. Only thing we don't take is music. Just conversation time.
ReplyDeleteI love your idea of having a end of summer date night. Can't wait to give JaM Cellars wine a try.
ReplyDeleteThat's such a cute date idea! I love the picnic spread you created. Everything looks so cute and delicious and inviting.
ReplyDeleteOhhhh I love a good cheeseboard... and a good date night!!! This is the perfect pairing, and a great idea right about now :)
ReplyDeleteLove the idea of a date-night picnic! And just have to say: The labels on those wine bottles are fantastic! (I'm such a sucker for cute labels...)
ReplyDeleteThis is such a romantic idea, simple but really lovely as well. I love the list of must haves for the perfect date night! My husband and I should plan something like this soon!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! This sounds the perfect end of summer date night!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun date idea! It's too hot here to do picnics in the summer so this is the perfect time of year for us to plan a picnic date.
ReplyDeleteIt's so nice to be able to go out before the summer ends and plan a romantic date night with the hubby! These are all awesome ideas! Love Tapas and it would be nice to have that!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an absolutely lovely way to bid. The date night sounds really a romantic way to relive the memories of the summer that has gone by.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a wine drinker but this would be good for my mom.
ReplyDeleteMy family members are huge fans of this wine! I'll have to pick some more up for them soon.
ReplyDeleteThis is brilliant and romantic! It's great to do this this summer.
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