A Rose' by Any Other Name is Still Delicious!

Rose's are Red
Strawberries are Sweet
June's Gulp Meeting was really neat!!!

I know I am pretty cheesy but I can't help be nostalgic about the last gathering.  On a stormy Sunday afternoon over 20 fellow winos got together to see what Rose's were all about.  The cool thing about this group was the number of new faces in the group.  Welcome everyone, especially Bridgette who provided extra wine expertise. You made the tasting all the sweeter for your input!

click on Bridgette for more pictures

The usual suspects must be acknowledged for providing food, wine, location and fun facts...Thanks Coreen, LeBeau and Andy, you guys rock!



Onto the pairings:
(note:  We had some troubles with the camera on Sunday so some items we lovingly styled did not make it on this post.  They are in the gallery in all their slightly fuzzy glory!)

First up was a brie and Mango Cutney quesadilla with poblanos and cashews and a honey drizzle.  Holy sweet heat Batman!  This was delicious!  The Houchart Cotes de Provence 2010 was a lovely salmon pink.  There was very little nose but the taste was lovely with raspberries and I think rose water.  It had a nice balance between acid and sweet which really brought out the flavors in Charle's awesome chutney...yum!

Next on the table was a pairing between an heirloom tomato caprese bruscheta and a Sauvion Rose' D' Anjou.  The bright freshness of the basil and tomato paired well with the light crisp wine.  Again, not much on the nose, and someone mentioned that it isn't unusual for rose' not to have a lot of nose but don't let the lack of aroma fool you.  This rose' had a lot of kiwi, strawberry and peach flavor.  The mozzarella mellowed out the little acid in the wine making for a wonderful sweet savory match.

Following the caprese was Deb's food offering of  a sausage-potato quiche and a sausage-cheddar cheese biscuit.  It was paired with Cat and Jeffrey's offering of Sangue di Giuda .  This sweet Italian red wine was bursting with the aroma of jam.  With a slight effervescence blackberries, plum, and blueberries filled the mouth.  The finish was a little spicy that nicely matched the spice in the suasage of Deb's food. 

The next two wines were not paired with anything specific.  A Planeta Rose' followed the di Giuda and I think that was a little too bad.  This old world wine is from Sicily.  Mineral, grapefruit and strawberries create a refreshing dry very drinkable wine.  Following the previous wine brought out a little bitterness that disappeared after cleansing my palate with a piece of bread.  I tried some of the caprese and thought the light bright flavors played nicely together.  My actual quote Sunday was "mmmm, Me likey."

Then came the blind tasting.  I am proud to say I finally have developed my tasting skills enough to figure this one out.  Mezzacorona Pinot Grigio is a light straw colored wine that's light on the nose and flavor too.  Light green grass and pineapple taste with a minerally finish. I have to be honest I was not a fan of this wine.








The food pairing returned with kabobs.  Coreen took chicken, marinated in pineapple and strawberry juices then put them on skewers with the same fruit chunks and grilled them.  I think there was a little onion include on the skewers too.  This is a perfect summer picnic dish and paired with the Angoves Nine Vines Rose' from Australia kicked it up another notch.  First let me say I loved the bottle for this wine.  With the neon pink label and the raspberry colored wine it was a party all by itself!  The floral nose and light sweet strawberry flavor brought it all together for me.

Okay this next wine was another special inclusion thanks to Cat
and Jeffrey.  Vin Gris of Pinot Noir from Robert Sinskey  makes me happy and sad all at the same time!  I am ecstatic over the opportunity to share in another delicious bottle of wine from Mr. Sinskey.  This salmon colored wine smells like a basket of berries and roses.  It tastes like strawberries and pomegranate.  It is made with organic and biodynamic grown grapes and fermented in stainless steel fermenters so all you are getting is the flavor of the grapes.  It is a really lovely wine.  Now for the sad part....this was probably Cat and Jeffrey's last Gulp pairing event.  Their lives have taken a turn.  Cat is turning West and Jeffrey to the East.  When the summer ends they will be together again but who knows where they will end up.?Suffice it to say they don't think it will be back to West Palm......dang it!!!  I know this isn't goodbye but so long for now.  Who knows if they land back in California we will have a bigger excuse for a wine trip!!!  This blogger is going to miss her friends and I know I speak for the Gulp community when I say WE LOVE YOU GUYS!!!

Enough of the mushy stuff!  Here is the last pairing and it is a doozy!  Coreen made a sweet perfect bite with a strawberry in a phyllo cup with a little dollop of whipped cream on top.  It was paired with a Mumms Napa Brut Sparkling Rose that was happy birthday pink in color, light berry on the nose and, oh yeah, black cherry and raspberries on the tongue.  Add bubbles and Coreen's desert for a very happy ending to a terrific day!

Next month's pairing will feature Chardonnay.  Believe it or not we haven't done those as a one style pairing event.  So mark your calendar for July 17th @ Andy's and join us for Chardonnays Around the World!