As a couple, you want all of the romance, but none of the stress. Wine, cuddling and conversations of the future make for a night to remember. If you want to make your night at home something a little fun, demonstrating a bit of effort without forcing the night, try creating your own wine pairing party. Use this as a jumping off point for a romantic evening for two.

Set The Mood

One reason that wine and romance go together is that they both require the same balance of seriousness and fun, never being demanding nor frivolous. To do a private wine tasting, you will need a sampling of wine. You will want a red, a white, a rose and something sparkling. No, you will not be finishing each bottle lest your romantic night turns to a hungover morning. Have food in small, sampling sizes too. Decide what you are going to wear. Though formal attire lends elegance, pajamas for two make the night intimate. Get some roses and dim the lights to let your evening begin.

Not Everything Goes With Chocolate

Grosvenor Market has a great chart of wine pairings. If you scan down, you will notice that chocolate only pairs with one wine; Cabernet Sauvignon. Lovingly called Cabs, this wine is fully bodied and high in tannins. Put into lay terms, it is a relatively strong flavored wine that leaves your tongue feeling dry. It also has a high alcohol content. Because of this, Cabs work well with foods that have their own distinct flavors, like chocolate, red meats and sharp cheeses. Use the chart to come up with proper food pairings for the wines that you have. Remember only to pour small amounts to be able to appreciate the flavor.

Have Some Proteins

Chocolates are wonderfully romantic, but an evening diet of alcohol and sugar is a recipe for disaster. Cheeses are some of the safest foods to pair with wine and romance. Since they come in different intensities, it is easy to pair some of the sweeter wines like Prosecco without the food overwhelming the wine. Since this is your dinner and you do not want to be bloated when the romance leads to other activities, cheese is a good source of protein in a dense package. Its enzymes also help settle the stomach and counteract some of the disquieting effects of the wine. A good rule of thumb is to kiss after each of you has had a bite of the same cheese to avoid any mispairings of your own.

Learn What You Like

One of the prime reasons to do a wine tasting is to begin to discover what you like. Understand that this is not a static situation since both your tastes and the wine will change over time. Wines, especially reds like Cabs, change their flavor as they sit in the bottle or barrel. Likewise, they will change flavor as air reacts with it in the glass. Use this time to identify the characteristics that you enjoy.

Don’t Drink And Drive

You may not be leaving the house, but the rules of alcohol still apply. A little wine can lead to other, more amorous activities, but too much can derail them. If you begin to feel lightheaded, move to water and let some time go by before continuing with the pairing.

With a Bachelors in Physics and a MBA, Paul Reyes-Fournier worked in aerospace and education, but his passion to do something good for the world led him to a career in the non-profit sector where he has served as the CFO of a multi-million dollar rehab agency. Paul has lobbied Congress for funds to help homeless individuals and served on the BOD for social service organizations. He is a published author and has written for JG Wentworth, Walmart, and LifeLock.