When I think about summer and wine, I go to rose. Delicious, crisp, light, a beautiful color, oh I could go on and on. Some turn up their nose at it but it is so darn good!
I had stopped at Kowalski’s (a great grocery store in the Twin Cities) to get some meat and cheese for our snacking summer dinner and they had a wine tasting going on at the liquor store. Free wine tasting? I’ll be right there!
They were pouring summer wines, from a light crisp Italian white to this rose to a beautiful Italian red. I wanted all three but knew our wine racks were full. Just one bottle. This rose! A quick chill in the fridge and I had a long lazy evening ahead of me.
I grabbed one of our nice glasses, poured myself a good serving and sat out by the pool. This L’Orangearie Rose has that perfect blush color with notes of raspberry, a hint of currant/plum and a tiny bit of citrus. It was a summer night and I was happy!
Served with some proscuitto, salami, raw veggies, hummus and bits from the cheese bin. Yes, the cheese bin, when higher end grocery stores have smaller pieces left over from the really really expensive cheese I don’t normally buy, they package and price those. Usually $1-$5 dollars for a small piece, perfect for tasting. I buy 4-5 and make a pretty platter with the meat.
What would probably cost $20-$30 in a restaurant is doable at home for less than $15. Sometimes you can even ask at the cheese counter if they have anything special/extra delicious.
