Saturday evening presented a spur-of-the-moment date night for me and my husband. Struck with the last-minute, “what do you want to do?” scenario, we searched online to discover a myriad of events, live concerts, food festivals and theatrical performances around the metro. Our normal routine is typically dinner and a movie close to home, so this time, we decided to step out of our comfort zone and do something we’ve never done before – wine tasting.

I have to admit, wine is not my favorite spirit and my husband tends to prefer a certain beer where the mountains actually turn blue on the bottle. But, since we were experimenting with new date night options, we jumped in the car to begin our wine tasting journey at Wines by Jennifer® in Parkville, Missouri.

Parkville is located in Platte County about 30 minutes from our house, so it made the perfect date night day-trip and offered us a glimpse of unique things to do within the Kansas City region beyond our own backyard. Even the drive along the Missouri River was a picturesque addition to our evening.

As the sun was setting, we arrived at the 1903 historic home nestled in the beautiful tree-lined Main Street just a couple of blocks from downtown Parkville. I’ve heard of wine tastings at local vineyards, but never in a house. What a pleasant surprise it was walking in the front door to be greeted with stunning hospitality and warm, welcoming smiles.

The ambiance of this place starts at the curb and I was impressed from the minute we arrived. The house has been carefully restored with themed rooms decorated to represent wine regions from around the world. The Art Gallery on the lower level displays pieces by Midwestern artists and seating is available in the tasting room, on the front porch, outdoor wine garden or on the balcony.

After admitting that we were first-time tasters, our host was pleased to escort us down the hall to the tasting room where we met others having a sip of Sonoma Valley. From the décor to the specialty appetizers (and let’s not forget the wine samples), we felt instantly comfortable and agreed this would not be a one-time stop for us, but rather a new tradition of day-trip or date night excursions.

Wines by Jennifer® offers a weekly tasting of six different hand-selected wines based on a theme or region. This week, we were treated to samples from the Sonoma region, along with a printed hand-out of the flavors and intricacies of each selection.

Al and Rita, our wine enthusiasts, answered all of our questions and gave recommendations for an upcoming meal we are planning. For just $14 per person ($10 for wine club members), we enjoyed a fun evening of wine tasting and education.

As we finished our samples and our tasting drew to an end, it was clear, I’m a white and he’s a red. But, one thing is certain, we’ll be back and who knows where our next date night, day-trip will take us.

Karen Crane is the director of the Merriam Visitors Bureau in Merriam, Kansas.