Depending on where you live, picnic season either has arrived or will arrive soon. We owe it to ourselves to make the first picnic of 2011 a special occasion.
How do we transform an ordinary picnic into a memorable one? One word: wine. That means your first order of business is to find a picnic location where wine is allowed. Lots of public parks prohibit BYOB, so be sure to inquire before heading out.
The next thing to consider is glassware, and the first decision one should make is to avoid glass. A picnic is no place for your finest stemware because table surfaces rarely are flat, meaning spills – and breakage – are tough to avoid. Opt for stainless steel glasses, or the indestructible polycarbonate barware that can be found at Crate and Barrel and Williams-Sonoma stores.
Another good investment is a wine tote, which will carry one or two bottles of wine so you don’t have to worry about those bottles slipping out of your hand. (And if you’re not worried about looking “stylish,” a backpack works just as well.)
The type of food and the type of wine you bring along are personal decisions. But if you happen to have bottles on hand that are topped with screw caps, they’re very convenient… and you can leave your corkscrew at home.
Watch out, ants – here we come!
