It’s been months since your initial order…and your second order…and for some, even your third order (who can blame you, you have to support these young entrepreneurs!)– but at long last, the Girl Scout cookies have arrived!  These magical cookies have the power to transform even the most powerful of healthy eating advocates into chocolate, coconut and peanut butter crazed individuals. So as the tagalongs, samoas, and thin mints make their way to your home you’re probably thinking one of two things– 1) I need to hide the cookies from the rest of my family, or 2) What can I put in my glass that will complement the delicate flavor of these little bites of heaven?  Fear not, we have the answer (and no, it’s not a glass of milk)!  While there are several wine and Girl Scout cookie pairing guides out there, we believe that ours is top notch– simply because, we are pairing all of our Girl Scout cookies with Virginia wines!  

The 2016 Virginia Wine & Girl Scout Cookie Pairing Guide

1. Thin Mints paired with 2012 Paradise Springs Winery Meritage.  These mint-flavored cookies with a delicious and light chocolate coating are perfectly suited for a nice, smooth red blend.  The 2012 Meritage is a blend of all 5 Bordeaux grapes, aged for 10 months in American oak.  It drinks wonderfully with notes of cherry and a soft tannic structure that lingers on the palate.  Saddle up to the fireplace for a long night with this one– thin mints only have 40 calories each!
2. Savannah Smiles paired with 2012 8 Chains North LoCo Vino. The Savannah Smiles are zesty, with a punch of lemon and draped in powdered sugar.  To appreciate the full flavor, we’ve paired this wine with a blend of Vidal Blanc, Traminette and Sauvignon Blanc.  The LoCo Vino is light, crisp, and is fermented in stainless steel giving it a tropical finish, complementing the cookie perfectly.  Downside?  You’ll need a lot of napkins to cover your tracks.  
3. Samoas paired with 2013 Greenhill Winery and Vineyards Blanc de Blanc.  Yes– Bubbles!  It’s not a cookie pairing without a sparkling wine. These caramel and toasted coconut favorites pair perfectly with a creamy, flavorful, and bubbly wine.  Hints of green apple and pear will come through while the bubbles dance on your tongue as you savor every bite.
4. Tagalongs paired with 2013 Barns at Hamilton Station Petit Verdot.  For those who know us, you know that Petit Verdot is absolutely our favorite varietal in the world of wine.  Naturally, we must pair our favorite cookie with our favorite type of wine.  Tagalongs, meet Petit Verdot, we’re sure it’s going to be a wonderful friendship.  The chocolate and peanut butter blend needs to be paired with a big, bold red and the dense fruit flavors and dark characteristics of this grape are ever present in the 2013 varietal from the Barns. In fact, it just won a gold medal in the 2016 Governor’s Cup!  While these cookies are typically the first to go in our house, as adults we’ve learned to stock up on our supply due to traumatic experiences throughout childhood– don’t act like you didn’t have a meltdown when the box was mysteriously empty (dad, we know it was you)!
5. Trefoils paired with 2012 Two Twisted Posts Chardonnay.  These signature shortbread cookies are so easy to eat that we wanted to pair it with something that is so easy to drink!  We had the pleasure of meeting Theresa (winemaker) last year and sampled her 2012 Chardonnay, a gold medal and case winner in the Governor’s Cup in 2014.  This rich, creamy, and oak-aged white features tropical fruit flavors and a slightly buttery, but not overpowering finish.  We like to think of this pairing as the perfect afternoon snack– cue the flashbacks of your grandmother enjoying her afternoon butterscotch crumpets. 
6. Rah-Rah Raisins paired with 2014 Stone Tower Winery Wild Boar Pinot Noir.  Made with fruit from one of our favorite wine regions right now, Willamette Valley, this is a classic Oregon Pinot exhibiting a deep garnet color with flavors of light berries (cranberries, strawberries).  The berry flavors match up almost perfectly with these crunchy cookies featuring oats, raisins and yogurt!  Plus, with this combination, you double your recommended servings of fruit for the day!  Side note, we love this wine so much, we even recommend drinking it sans cookie.

There you have it, the ultimate guide to #VaWine and #GirlScoutCookies.  Didn’t order any cookies this year?  No worries, pretty soon you won’t be able to enter the supermarket without being accosted by these mini-saleswomen.  They won’t take “no” for an answer, so you may as well just get one of everything to accompany your 5pm happy hour.  At least now you have another reason to support the scouts!