Clink & Drink Pink! The Rosé Report

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The dog-days of summer mean vacations, backyard BBQs and hitting the beach to escape cool down. Whatever you’re doing, you’ll find a glass of these refreshing Rosé wines are both refreshing and delightfully surprising.

Our Savvy Sommeliers discovered five wonderful Rosé wines made in Ontario to feature in this month’s Bouquet of Rosés. Mark our words…you’ll love how they pair with everything that defines your summer:Image may be NSFW.
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– Aure Wines White Gamay – award-winning Rosé
– Back 10 Cellars “Rose Coloured Glasses” – this is not a whimpy Rosé!
– DiProfio Wines Gamay Rosé– Rich and fruity
– Palatine Hills Pinot Gris – easy drinking (maybe TOO easy!)
– Rosehall Run Pixie – a perfect summer sipping sparkling
– Trail Estates Winery Pinot Noir Rose – A gem from The County

Your Bouquet of Rosés is EXTRA special, as none of the wines are available at the LCBO.

If you would like to order additional bottles or other hard-to-find Ontario wines (we do craft beers, too!), contact me at 613-SAVVYCO (613-728-8926) or debbie@savvycompany.ca.

I’ll be happy to arrange a special delivery for you.

Here’s to summer!

Debbie & the Savvy Team

In this Bouquet of Rosés you will find…

~ Tasting notes by Savvy Sommelier, David Loan ~

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Clik here to view.Aure Wines White Gamay VQA 2014

$15.95
Beamsville Bench (Niagara)

Did you know? This wine won a Bronze Medal at the 2015 National Wine Awards. Well deserved!

 Savvy Sommelier Tasting Notes: Spicy and savoury, sweet and sour – the descriptors just kept coming as we tasted this. With a peach colour, just tinged with orange, it offers ripe honeydew and rose blossom notes. There’s honey, too, which pairs perfectly with its high acidity. The finish is quite complex, with honey and melon and tangerine.

Suggested Food Pairings: When our Savvy Team got together to sample the wines, Savvy Sommelier Debbie knew just what she wanted with this wine – Prosciutto Wrapped Cantaloupe (very simple recipe follows).

Back 10 Cellars ‘Rose Coloured Glasses’ VQA 2015Image may be NSFW.
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$18.95
Beamsville Bench (Niagara)

Did you know? The wine’s fun name was inspired by one of the winery owners’ daughters, who always wears her sunglasses with rose-coloured lenses, “because it makes the world a prettier place”.

Savvy Sommelier Tasting Notes: Blended from Pinot Noir and Gamay, this wine offers the best of both. It has a spectacular pomegranate juice colour and aromas of sour cherry, smoke, watermelon, and mint. The flavours surprise, with candied red fruit, slate and tobacco. Barely off-dry, with medium acidity, it finishes with red cherry notes that won’t quit.

Suggested Food Pairing: Go ahead and challenge this food with big, bold flavours
such as Buffalo chicken wings or ribs slathered in BBQ sauce; this wine will handle it.

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Clik here to view.Di Profio Wines Gamay Rosé VQA 2015

$14.45
Twenty Valley (Niagara)

Did you know? Gamay is best known as the grape of Beaujolais Nouveau, but it has a growing reputation as a true Ontario star! Thriving in our cool climate, Niagara Gamay balances bright, fruity cherry and raspberry notes with lively acidity.

 Savvy Sommelier Tasting Notes: There’s an explosion of red currants when you sip this, tempered with great minerality, orange blossom, and pomegranate. At 13 per cent alcohol by volume, it’s medium-bodied and has a hint of sweetness. It’s a big, complex rosé that’s ready for the dinner table.

Suggested Food Pairing: This will stand up to spicy food, such as Mexican food.

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Clik here to view.Palatine Hills Pinot Gris VQA 2015

$15
Niagara-on-the-Lake

Did you know? Palatine Hills is located on land that was once a battleground during the War of 1812. An historic artifacts display in their tasting room shows some of the relics found in the vineyards, including officers’ buttons, clay pipes and musket balls!

Savvy Sommelier Tasting Notes: Not labeled as a Rosé, but winemaker Jeff Innes has let the skins of the lightly-purple Pinot Gris grapes bleed into the grape juice giving it a lovely copper colour. This shines with typical Niagara minerality, strawberry and gorgeous pink grapefruit flavours. It reminded us, too, of Juicy Fruit gum. This wine is just off-dry, with a pithy and white pepper finish.

This Pinot Gris is so new that at the time of writing it isn’t even on Palatine Hills’ website yet. You are the first to enjoy it. A true Savvy discovery!

Suggested Food Pairing: This accommodating wine easily accompanies summer dishes ranging from grilled peaches to BBQed Pizza (recipe below).

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Clik here to view.Rosehall Run Pixie VQA

$19.95
Prince Edward County

Did you know? Sparkling wines made by the “Charmat Method” become bubbly through secondary fermentation in a large tank, in contrast to “Champagne Method” where it takes place in the bottle. Either way, bottles are initially capped with beer bottle-like “crown caps”, and more and more winemakers are choosing to leave these easily removed caps in place.

Savvy Sommelier Tasting Notes: Oh, boy, do we love this wine! Blended from Riesling and Chardonnay, it has just enough Zweigelt (one of owner/winemaker Dan Sullivan’s signature grapes) added to give it a lovely gold hued peach colour. The bubbles are light and fun, and this is gently sweet with some bracing lemon acidity for balance. And the flavours! Rhubarb, peach, strawberry, and lots of lemon on the finish.

 Suggested Food Pairing: We’d love to share this with friends in the backyard over a bowl of  Chilled Cucumber Soup – check out our recipe below.

Trail Estates Winery Pinot Noir Rosé VQA 2014

$21.95
Prince Edward County

Did you know? Trail Estate is one of the newer wineries to enter the scene in Prince Edward County, and they have wasted no time making a name for themselves. Hildegard & Anton Sproll had just retired from running Sproll’s Fine German Bakery in Kitchener-Waterloo for 30 years.  Then, as the story goes, on a trip to The County, they fell in love with region.  They never intended to start up another business, but…

Savvy Sommelier Tasting Notes: Beautiful pale pink colour. Wild strawberry and an interesting clover flower notes on the nose give only an illusion of sweetness to come. There are hints of cherry vanilla, tangerine, and orange blossom, and a spice one taster thought was cinnamon.

The palate starts slightly sweet vanilla-cherry, with a slight roundness before going to rhubarb and cranberry for a crisp finish. The 6% Gamay adds some nice structure to the 94% Pinot, and the neutral barrel ferment gives that roundness noticed.

Suggested Food Pairings: A very versatile wine that will work with many dishes including summer salads (grilled lettuce), light appetizers, and grilled salmon.

• Rosé Recipe Box •
Summer time favourites enjoy with your Bouquet of Rosés

Chilled Buttermilk-Cucumber Soup

Recipe and photo from marthastewart.com
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients Image may be NSFW.
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2 cucumbers (14 ounces or 400 grams total), peeled, halved, and seeded, plus thin cucumber rounds, for serving
2 cups (500 mL) buttermilk
Coarse salt and ground pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil, for serving

Method

Roughly chop 1 1/2 cucumbers; dice remaining cucumber half.

Place roughly chopped cucumber in a blender with buttermilk and

blend until smooth, 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.

Divide soup among four bowls and stir in diced cucumber.

Scoop out into bowls and top with cucumber rounds, a drizzle of oil, and more pepper, if desired.

Grilled Pizza

Recipe and photo from: Simply Recipes

Serves 4

Following these directions you can make this summer pizza as simple (frozen crust, bottled sauce) or complicated (everything from scratch) as you want.

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Pizza dough or frozen pizza crust

Olive oil

Standard toppings of tomato sauce, herbs, cheese (fresh buffalo mozzarella is the best!), and maybe some thinly sliced onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, or pepperoni

Some flour or corn meal for dusting the cookie sheet or pizza peel

Method

Make the pizza dough or use prepared pizza dough.

Prepare the grill for high direct heat. Prepare a small bowl with olive oil for greasing the grill grates and for brushing the pizza. Prepare the toppings so they are ready to go on the pizza—tomato sauce, cheese, and anything else you wish.

Shape the pizza dough by flattening it with your hands on a lightly floured surface. Either use your fingers to stretch the dough out, or hold up the edges of the dough with your fingers, letting the dough hang and stretch, while working around the edges of the dough.

Once you’ve stretched the dough, let it sit for 5 minutes and then push out the edges with your fingers again, until you have a nice round shape, about 12-inches in diameter. Do not make a raised rim, it will interfere with the grilling process.

Once the grill is hot (you can hold your hands an inch over the grates for no more than 2 seconds), dip a tightly folded up paper towel in olive oil and use tongs to wipe the grill grates. Then place a pizza dough round on a lightly floured (or you can use cornmeal) rimless cookie sheet (or pizza peel if you have one). Let the dough slide off the cookie sheet onto the hot grill grates. Close the lid of the grill and let cook for 2 minutes.

After 2 minutes, open the grill and check underneath the dough to see if it is getting browned. If it is on one side, but not another, use a spatula or tongs to rotate the dough 90 degrees and cook for another minute. If it is not beginning to brown, cover the grill and continue to cook a minute at a time until the bottom has begun to brown. It should only take a couple minutes if you have a hot grill. The top of the pizza dough will start bubbling up with air pockets.

Once the pizza dough has browned lightly on one side, use your cookie sheet or pizza peel to remove it from the grill. Use a spatula to flip the dough over so that the grilled side is now up. Keep the grill covered so it retains its heat for the next step.

Paint the grilled surface of the pizza with a little olive oil, then cover with 1 ladle of sauce – no more, or you’ll end up with a soggy pizza. Sprinkle on your toppings, ending with Mozarella cheese (if using), and if using meat, put that over the cheese. Remember to go light on the toppings, or your pizza will be heavy and soggy.

Slide the topped pizza back onto the grill. If you are using a gas grill, reduce the heat. If working with a charcoal grill, close the vents on the cover almost all the way. Close the lid and cook for 2-3 minutes more, or until the bottom begins to char and the cheese is bubbly. Pull off the grate with a spatula onto a cutting board or other flat surface and let rest for a couple minutes before cutting into slices.

Slice and serve!

Red Curry Lentils

Recipe and photo from Pinch of Yum

Serves 6

IngredientsImage may be NSFW.
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1½ cups (300 g) lentils, rinsed and picked over
½ large onion, diced
2 Tablespoons (30 mL) butter
2 Tablespoons (30 mL) red curry paste
½ Tablespoon (4.5 g) garam masala
1 teaspoon (3 g) curry powder
½ teaspoon (1.5 g) turmeric
1 teaspoon (3 g) sugar
1 teaspoon (3 g) minced garlic
1 teaspoon (3 g) minced ginger
a few good shakes of cayenne pepper
1 14 ounce (385 mL) can tomato puree
¼ cup (125 mL) coconut milk or cream
cilantro for garnishing
rice for serving

Method

Cook the lentils according to directions. Drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add the onion and sauté for a few minutes until fragrant and golden. Add all the spices (curry paste, garam masala, curry powder, turmeric, cayenne, sugar, garlic, ginger) and stir fry for 1-2 minutes. Add the tomato sauce; stir and simmer until smooth.

Add the lentils and the cream. Stir to combine and simmer for another 15-20 minutes (the longer, the better)!

Serve over rice and garnish with cilantro.

Prosciutto Wrapped Melon

Recipe from Savvy Company
Photo credit: Pinterest

Serves 8 (hors d’oeuvres)

Ingredients Image may be NSFW.
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One cantaloupe
4 oz (112 g) paper-thin prosciutto

Method

Peel and seed the cantaloupe. Cut it into cubes or wedges.

Wrap each piece of cantaloupe with a slice of prosciutto.

Serve and enjoy the rave reviews!

Have your fridge full of Rosés all summer long…Image may be NSFW.
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Always have refreshing Rosé wines on hand this summer. To order additional bottles of your new-found favourite Rosés from this assortment OR to receive a Bouquet of Rosés next month call the Savvy Team at 613-SAVVYCO (728-8926) or order online at www.savvycompany.ca/rose.

The August Bouquet of Rosés will have a completely different selection of hard-to-find wines.

To order the August Bouquet of Rosés, call the Savvy Team on 613-SAVVYCO (728-8926) or order online www.savvycompany.ca/rose

 Cheers & Enjoy your summer!

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