When one-of-those-days throws a speed bump in your way, slow down and treat yourself to a well deserved pick-me-up.

We don’t often look to sports for life lessons, but the Winter Olympics reminded us: it’s fine to do just a few things, but do them great.

The Swedes are a case-in-point: between their namesake meatballs and fondue (cheese or chocolate), their strength seems to be the Appetizer Course. But hey — any recipe that can meld with a panoply of wines and make the tribulations of your day fade away is a keeper.

For those days when it feels like things just aren’t going your way we bequeath to you the perfect potion to get you back on our feet: Mom’s Classic Swedish Meatball recipe, and look to our wine recs to ensure your night was better than your day.

Meatballs aren’t really your thing? Share your go-to comfort dish or recipe with all of us on WineFlirt.

Perfect Pairings

For the Dabbler:
Handcrafted in the northwest by the winery with the largest plantings of Dijon clones stateside, this blend of chardonnay grapes will help bring back the hot summer of ’06. A smart blonde.
Argyle Willamette Valley Chardonnay 2006, Willamette Valley, Oregon
$15 at the WineFlirt Wine Club

For the Devotee:
The most distinctive wine from a family who’ve been doing the deal since 1626. A nose of lychee and spice, ripe but dry – sure it goes great with Thai, but it kills with the gravy of the Swedish meaties as well.
Trimbach Gewürztraminer, Alsace, France
$21 at the WineFlirt Wine Club

For the Fanatic:
The name seems girlie-girl, but the plain-jane label is all biz: a wine to showcase all a Cali Pinot can be. Made from the full spectrum of Pinot grape clones and aged in 100% French Oak, it’s got concentrated berries and cherries cut with lasers of acidity, mineral and spice, with some phat tannins to boot. Drink it in now, or save it for a March eve a few years away.
Flowers Pinot Noir, Sonoma, California
$67 at the WineFlirt Wine Club