As the weather heats up we’re going to want things to cool us down, and I’m not just talking about drinks. There are also many deliciously refreshing ways to eat your wine!
By now we all probably know that wine and fruit go together beautifully, but have you tried adding wine to recipes? From fruit salads to ice cream and popsicles, it’s so easy to eat your wine. The following recipes are sure to knock your socks off!
I’ll start with one of my favorites – it’s a Giada De Laurentiis recipe I found on Food Network, and I love it because it combines the sweetness of strawberries and cantaloupe with the brightness of mint….and there’s wine in it! How could I not love this recipe?!
Summer Fruit with Wine and Mint
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups dry white wine
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 ripe cantaloupe, halved, seeded, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
1 basket (8-ounce) fresh strawberries, quartered
1 cup seedless green grapes, halved lengthwise
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves
Preparation
Bring the wine and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Chop and combine the cantaloupe, strawberries, grapes, and mint in a large bowl. Pour the warm wine mixture over; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until cold, stirring occasionally, at least 2 hours.
Transfer to the fruit mixture to a wide jar with a tight-fitting lid. Keep chilled.
If you’re really hot, this recipe from Bon Appétit is just the ticket.
Sauvignon Blanc-Infused Yellow Peach and Vanilla Ice Pops
Ingredients
4 ounces organic dark cane sugar
1 1-inch piece of vanilla bean, split lengthwise
3-4 ripe or overripe yellow peaches
7 ounces Sauvignon Blanc (you could also substitute champagne for a Bellini popsicle)
Preparation
Combine sugar and 4 fluid ounces water in a saucepan. Gently heat, while stirring, until sugar completely dissolves. Remove from heat, add cut vanilla bean and steep for 15 minutes. Remove bean and allow syrup to cool completely.
Rinse peaches and pat dry. With paring knife, remove pits and stems. Lightly puree peaches, being sure to leave some texture, resulting in about 16 fluid ounces. Combine puree with cooled vanilla syrup and Sauvignon Blanc, stirring well to incorporate.
Pour into molds, add sticks and freeze until solid (about 4 to 6 hours). Unmold and serve either at once or place in plastic bags for storage.
On the off chance you have some leftover Sauvignon Blanc after making your popsicles, I’m here to tell you it makes a spectacular ice cream float! To bring out the melon notes in the wine, pour it over some honeydew or pepino melon topped with vanilla bean ice cream. It’s a heavenly way to eat your wine.
Enough white wine recipes already, though! Everyone knows I love my Pinot Noir, and what better way to enjoy it in the summer than as a sorbet? Blackberries are the way to go when making homemade desserts right now because they’re sweet, tart and abundant this time of year. They also pair spectacularly with red wines, making them the perfect choice for this recipe from Driscoll’s.
Blackberry-Pinot Noir Sorbet
Ingredients
4 (6 ounce) containers of blackberries
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 1/3 cups pinot noir wine
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Preparation
Combine the blackberries, sugar, wine, and water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool 15 minutes.
Transfer cooled blackberry mixture to a blender and puree. Pour into a bowl through a wire mesh sieve to remove the seeds. Stir in lemon juice. Place in the refrigerator and chill at least 3 hours or overnight.
Pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturers directions. Transfer to an airtight container and place in the freezer for at least 2 hours to allow sorbet to firm up.
I’ll leave you with one final way to eat your wine using Pinot Noir. I love this recipe because of its versatility – it can be served with cake, ice cream, whipped cream, pancakes…use your imagination!
Strawberries with Pinot Noir Reduction
Ingredients
1 bottle of Pinot Noir
1 cinnamon stick
1 vanilla bean (cut lengthwise)
1½ cups sugar
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
4 pints strawberries, sliced
Preparation
Place all ingredients except berries in a stainless steel saucepan and simmer over medium to low heat until reduced by half, about 25 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick and vanilla bean and chill mixture in fridge. Add cleaned sliced strawberries to sauce, let sit for at least one hour but not longer than four hours to preserve texture.
I hope you take the time to try these refreshing recipes, and maybe come up with creative ways of your own to eat your wine!
the bridal showers are usually held in May. Here in Atlanta the flowers are in bloom, the pollen of April is (mostly) a fading memory, everything outdoors is vividly green and bursting with new life, and the temperature is just right! In other words, the setting is perfect for an outdoor bridal shower.
mix with your champagne or Prosecco. If your bubbles are sweet, you’ll want something neutral or not too sweet like a dry gingerale. I like mine with a bit of a kick, and I’ve recently discovered 
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herbs and heat, but have no fear! There’s a white-grape variety from the northwest of Spain called Albarino that, crisp and citrusy, is phenomenal with salsas and fresh chiles. Sauvignon blancs, which are are high in acid, are also a good choice.
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Last week I began exploring the topic of palate diversity, but there’s so much to learn I’m going to continue the discussion.
piece of paper with a hole punched in it – 7mm or 0.5 inches in diameter), a magnifying glass and a mirror. After applying a drop of food coloring and “painting” your tongue blue, place the hole of paper on the top of your tongue near the tip. Poking out from the blue, you will see little white taste buds. Using the magnifying glass, give these a count. Within this circle, the first group, “Non-tasters” or “Tolerant tasters” will have <15 papillae; the “Normal taster” has between 15-35, and “
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