However you're celebrating, make it special!
Happy Valentine’s/Galentines day, lovebirds! Whether you’re coupled up, flying solo, or want to celebrate your love with friends, we’re all for celebrating love in every form possible. Chances are your celebrations may look a little different this year, with social distancing and all, but that doesn’t mean what you organize will be any less fun. You can either recreate some of your favorite V-Day traditions, or have fun with new and exciting ones.
(Read on if you want to spice it up with some new ideas, we sure do!)
For those choosing to have an at-home date, the benefits are endless. No traffic to deal with, reservations to plan, or social distancing rules to abide by. At home, you can make your own rules.
In the spirit of fuzzy feelings, friendship hugs, and self love, we’ve put together a guide to help you celebrate Galentine’s or Valentine’s Day however you choose to; with your special someone, alone, or with a group of loved ones.
Valentine’s Date Ideas
Virtual or At-Home Wine Tasting
If you were able to order in time, we are hosting Virtual Wine Tasting Event to celebrate Black Girl Magic Day on Monday, February 15. Missed out? Join our mailing list here to get exclusive emails and first chance opportunities to join us for events like this. Sign up because we’ll be hosting many more in the future, that you won’t want to miss!
For your own virtual tasting event with friends, pick up a couple of different McBride Sisters Collection wines at a store near you and pair them with a delicious cheese board. For a party game, cover the bottles in foil and see what flavors you and your partner or group are able to pick up on from each individual wine, without revealing the bottle.
Get a Birth Chart Reading With Your Valentine’s Partner or Crew
Dabbling in astrology is always a lot of fun, especially when it comes to determining your love or friendship compatibility with those around you. You can find out how your planetary alignments affect your life, and what your sun and moon signs are. Book a reading with Wanica Dunn, an intuitive astrologer and teacher on her site, or Adama Sesay, founder of lilithastrology.com, who also offers readings via her site.
Host a Karaoke Night in Your Living Room
Mariah, Whitney, Christina, eat your hearts out. Are you ready to belt all of the love song classics virtually with your love gang? Singing releases endorphins, creates a sense of community, and most of all, is a lot of fun! Set up a mic and download an app such as Singing Machine Karaoke, which can be downloaded on your phone and streamed via Google Chromecast. Alternatively, if you’re hosting a virtual Gal’s day, you can use Houseparty to video chat and karaoke simultaneously.
Catch the sunrise (or a sunset) with a picnic
Spending time outside in nature can reinvigorate your soul, while providing the opportunity to connect with those around you. Whether you choose to embark on an all-day hike in a national park, or opt for a shorter local hike or beach walk, your body and soul will thank you for it.
If your team are earlyrisers, plan to get up an hour before sunrise, pack a thermos of hot coffee and some sweets and watch the magic of the sun rising on a new day. For those who prefer to sleep in, you can set out in the afternoon to catch the sunset (be sure to check the closing times if you’re visiting a national park or hiking location, as they often shut before sunset) on top of a mountain or sitting on the beach. Pack a few snacks, fill your thermose with our McBride Grandiosa cocktail, our twist on the classic mimosa!
McBride Grandiosa Ingredients
- 1.5 oz Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge
- 2.5 oz Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
- 1.5 oz McBride Sisters Black Girl Magic Sparkling Brut
Tag us @blackgirlmagicwines and @grandmarnierusa in your cocktails pics!
Plan an at-home paint night (with a sexy twist)
What can be more intimate or fun that getting creative and gifting your artwork to your beau or friends? Implement a theme, such as famous historic love stories (platonic or romantic), or love destinations around the world. For something a bit more risqué, try drawing some nude portraits of your partner and seeing how long you each can last without touching each other. If you’re flying solo, try sketching a nude portrait of yourself while sitting with a glass of wine and looking in a mirror. This will be fun.
Build a fort, for adults!
For the perfect feel-good Galentine’s celebration, gather up all your pals and release the imagination and wonder of your inner children. Build a blanket fort, hang fairylights and play all the nostalgic flicks from your childhood. Top this off with some childhood snacks, be it s’mores or pop tarts, you decide. Just make sure you bring the wine in!
Pamper Yourself
Nourish your soul and give yourself some TLC. We often get so busy with our lives that we forget to take a moment to love ourselves, and this is your chance to do so. Spoil yourself with a bottle of bubbly, our Black Girl Magic Sparkling Brut would be a delicious choice, light a few candles and incense, and relax to some soothing music with a face mask. We love the Oh Whale Aqua Mask by Nolaskinsentials, a Black-owned business that has developed a cult following online. If you have a bath, get those bubbles flowing and let yourself sink into the water and ease out any tension.
Food & Drink
If you’re in the mood for hors d'oeuvres and nibbles, check out our cheese board recipe. If you’re in the mood for something pre-made, check out one of Karla Ahmed’s beautifully designed grazing boards (available to those in the Bay Area/Tri Valley area). For something more filling, check out this delightfully pink recipe for strawberry ravioli with balsamic and basil or indulge with a plate of creamy masala mussels. For dessert melt into the decadent chocolate fondants with salted caramel sauce.
Wine, of course!
A bottle of Black Girl Magic Rosé is the perfect pink drink to celebrate love. No matter who you're celebrating with, pour a glass of wine to match the occasion. Rosé pairs perfectly with some of our favorite foods. Pick up your favorite tacos to go, order from your favorite Italian resturant or even just make your best mac n cheese recipe. Your rosé will taste delicious with all of the above.
Red wine is for the lovers. There's nothing more romantic than a great bottle of red wine, even if you're just enjoying it on a night of self-care with yourself. The deep berry, plum and cedar notes of the McBride Sisters Collection Red Blend is the cherry on top to a perfect night. It'll pair with your perfectly cooked steak, grilled lamb chops or even that great lasagna recipe you have. The wine to end every date night, you always want to have a bottle on hand.
If you're wanting to shop locally, find a store near you here.
Valentine’s Day Love Spritzer Recipe
In the mood for cocktails? Looking for the perfect love-themed drink to get you in the mood? We’ve got the spritzer for you. This love spritzer is the ideal mix of light sparkling brut with fruity flavors to get you feeling pink all over!
Image via 2cookinmamas. View the full recipe here.
Ingredients
- Raspberry infused vodka or raspberry liquor
- 1 bottle McBride Sisters Collection Black Girl Magic NV California Sparkling Brut
- Raspberry cocktail juice (or cranberry as a substitute)
- ⅛ teaspoon of vanilla extract (per glass)
- Fresh raspberries, for garnish
Instructions
- Add 1 shot of raspberry juice, 1 shot of raspberry infused vodka, and the dash of vanilla extract into each champagne glass.
- Top off each glass with McBride Sisters Collection Black Girl Magic NV California Sparkling Brut.
- Add a couple of raspberries to each glass to garnish.
Tip: if you’re looking to turn your drink into an instant dessert, change the champagne flutes to wine glasses and add a dollop of raspberry or strawberry sorbet. Yum!
And with that, we're going to get our Valentine's/Galentine's Day plans ready. This entire weekend we're celebrating Black Girl Magic is prepartion for Black Girl Magic Day on Monday, February 15th. If you were unable to join our virtual tasting event, sign up for the mailing list next time to be the first to know about events. If you want to try more wines, check out our seasonal and quarterly wine clubs here. Perfect for the wine lover who never wants to run out of wine! We hope you have a safe and lovley weekend!
Xo,
