I literally just turned 26 yesterday, and I don’t know if my palette instantaneously matured past cheap beer and cocktails, but all I ever want to drink is wine, specifically straight prosecco or champagne in mimosa form. I went to the most fabulous wine tasting with S while in Middleburg, VA earlier this year, and since then, I’ve become a completely illegitimate connoisseur of all things vineyards. As we sat on the patio of with our homegrown Virginia wines, assortment of fruit and cheeses, and, of course, a superfluous amount of chocolate, my idea of the perfect picnic completely shifted. Since the 4th is notorious for beer-filled coolers as refreshments,  I’ve decided to class up this year’s festivities as a more mature 26-year-old.

Instead of defaulting to 4 Rivers barbecue catering, which by the way is amazing (definitely not knockin’ the Texas Destroyer), my family has decided to opt for hand selected and crafted appetizers for our annual 4th of July firework party. Since my domestic skills aren’t exactly fine-tuned just yet (understatement of the year), I’ve opted for Red, White, and Blue Freedom Skewers instead of a more complicated 4th of July snack. I would lie and say that I put some amount of effort into this “recipe,” but I didn’t even need to do any baking. These take approximately 5 minutes to make and are always a huge festive hit.

All you need are long wooden skewers, strawberries, blueberries, large marshmallows, and a few boxes of Entenmann’s Little Bites Brownies. If you choose to go above and beyond, by all means, bake your own brownies and cut them into tiny squares. However, beware that their lack of adequate density may cause them to break apart mid-skewer preparation. God bless America and our amazing easy-to-make recipes!

In my family, we pair dessert with wine. Actually, we pair virtually all food with wine, so it was up to me to find a creative pairing for my dish. Based upon a personal recommendation on taste and price, I decided to give CK Mondavi a try as a candidate for my 4th of July picnic. CK Mondavi is run by the legendary Napa Valley wine icon, Peter Mondavi Sr., a World War II veteran, and it’s remained a family-owned fine wine business since the 1940s.

Low and behold, after a great deal of wine tasting with actively eager family and friend participation, we’ve concurred that CK Mondavi literally is the perfect wine for America’s birthday, as it’s the only wine in this affordable price point to be 100% American made, grown, and manufactured. They produce the only American made and grown wine in the “Supermarket Wine under $10” category, and no, a bottle isn’t $9.99; they’re all under $7.

More importantly for me, a percentage of their sales goes to supporting veterans, and I think that’s fabulous. To be more specific, a percentage of each bottle sold between May and August is donated to Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund (IFHF), an organization funded entirely by public donations which supports the men and women of the Armed Forces and their families, specifically serving the U.S. military personnel wounded and killed in service to our nation and their families. You can’t really get much more patriotic than that.

Everyone’s palette is different, but I chose to pair my dessert skewers with CK Mondavi’s Chardonnay, although the CK Mondavi Blondie Five pairs delectably, as well. The best part about their wines is that they cost under $7 a bottle, so you have the liberty to try as many of their wines as you wish for very little money. My mom decided she’s a huge fan of their bold Scarlet Five, which incorporates the backbone of Cabernet, the finesse of Merlot, the structure of Petit Verdot, the floral essence of Cabernet Franc, and the boldness of Malbec in one glass. Lastly, basically all the men in my life are fans of the bold reds, like the Scarlet Five and Cabernet Sauvignon, since they’re too manly to admit they enjoy sweet dessert wines. 

Have you ever tried CK Mondavi? Any suggestions for the 4th? And do you have a favorite 4th of July snack?

_{I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.}