Wine Wednesday: Wine and Ice Cream Pairings

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Photo Credit: Baskin Robbins

It’s hard for me to believe, but I became a contributing member of society 21 years ago this summer by starting my first job at Baskin Robbins. I’ve since transitioned over to the aviation industry but the lessons I learned scooping ice cream will never leave me. Working in retail is something every person should have to accomplish to fully understand the experience of people on the other side of the counter. My favorite ice cream then and still is their peanut butter and chocolate…I wish I had some now as I type this up! 

Recently Baskin Robbins teamed up Rosenthal – the Malibu Estate Wines to create a wine and ice cream pairing guide. What?! My two favorite things, not including sushi got together?!?! Let’s discover these amazing pairings together and I’m absolutely open to anyone who wants to come over and do a taste test! What’s your favorite?

Pinot Grigio or Grenache Blanc with Vanilla: A refreshingly indulgent combination, the buttery vanilla flavor of the ice cream brings out the crisp, green fruit notes in the wine.

Riesling or Gruner Veltliner with Pralines ‘n Cream: The praline pecan and caramel flavors in the ice cream pair well with the apple notes of the wine. The ice cream also helps to round out the fresh green notes of the wine.

Rosé with Rainbow Sherbet: The citrus and berry flavors in the sherbet bring out the floral, fruity notes in the wine.

Pinot Noir with World Class Chocolate: A world class ice cream with a world class wine. The silkiness of the ice cream complements the vanilla and fruit notes of the wine and rounds out the mouthfeel.

Chardonnay with Old Fashioned Butter Pecan: The sweetness of the ice cream complements the honey, buttery and oaky notes inherent in the wine.

Cabernet Sauvignon with Jamoca® Almond Fudge: The robust flavors of the cabernet bring out the nutty, coffee notes of the ice cream.

Sauvignon Blanc or Albariño with Raspberry Sorbet: The fresh raspberry flavor of the sorbet brings out the crisp accents and refreshing quality of the wine.

Merlot with Chocolate: A classic, indulgent flavor pairing. Chocolate rounds out the mouthfeel of the merlot, and the pairing is reminiscent of a chocolate-dipped red berry.

Earth Day: 3 Sustainable Companies

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Earth Day is Sunday, April 22nd and what better way to celebrate than shopping with a company who is making the Earth one of their priorities?! I have found three companies who are working hard at bettering our environment and have fantastic products! Rum, wine and bikinis…what more do you need?! Probably just the beach!

Eco-friendly Ron Barceló is the first Rum to reach the carbon neutral status based on the Bilan Carbone® License.

Conscious of growing climate change, Ron Barceló implemented several different measures to reduce its’ emissions, introducing the use of renewable energy (solar and biomass), as well as reusing and recycling manufacturing waste; both organic and inorganic. The plan for reducing emissions and the desire for a more sustainable product also foresaw the rethinking of some packaging materials based on eco-friendliness, giving preference to suppliers who recycle and who are situated closer to the rum maker’s distilling, aging and bottling operations. 

Unreducible emissions are neutralized through a global offsetting program that is registered and certified within the framework of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS). This program is made possible by the assignment of carbon credits derived from three different global projects – waste processing in Mexico, wind production in Honduras, and forestry conservation in the Amazon. By offsetting their emissions with these carbon credits, Ron Barceló promotes environmental protection through the use of clean technologies in other regions of the world.

ONEHOPE Wine is working towards creating a happy planet. Their equation is Thoughtful Wine Production + Smart Wine Packaging + Strategic Wine Shipping + Office Sustainability = A Happy Planet! How do they make this happen? It’s actually quite simple…they work to minimize water used in growing grapes. Their wine bottles are made up of 30% recycled glass. Packaging is made up of 99% recycled materials and are 100% recyclable. Recycled water is used for cleaning barrels and equipment. The office culture is reduce, reuse, recycle! Label vendors recycle 100% of their paper waste and lastly all of their coffees exceed commodity market pricing and fair trade minimums. Holy cow that’s a ton of stuff! On top of all of that…a portion of their profits go back to help the earth…the Sauvignon Blanc plants trees, the coffee helps provide clean drinking water, and it’s all done using recycled products!

I’m so excited to introduce you to Selvaggi Swimwear. Selvaggi Swimwear is a Mexican brand, offering sustainable swimwear for men and women; with prints and unique, reversible designs to have 2 swimsuits in 1, created by the designer and founder Norma GaLo. Italian fabrics are used with the best technology, SUSTAINABLE (regenerated nylon) a new fiber called ECONYL®. The fabrics that are used come from waste of fishing nets that they collect from the oceans, which pollute the ecosystem and harm the animals; they are taken out of the sea by releasing animals trapped in them or in corals; to then transform these fibers into new ones and create a new fabric.

They are collected from the sea to return to the sea made swimsuit! A whole process that helps our planet and marine life. Let us love our oceans since they are the lungs of our planet.

They are an eco-conscious brand committed to helping the environment. If we do not do it now it will be too late. Selvaggi means “Wild” in Italian, because we all have a wild and free side, we are leaders, independent, travelers, fitness addicts, lovers of the ocean, we are wild souls, free spirits. We are Ocean Soldiers, join this movement to clean the beaches of Mexico and make this country more beautiful.

For every purchase made, Selvaggi Swimwear donates 1 USD to the Healthy Seas movement to continue supporting this process of cleaning the seas and saving animals. 

 

Thirsty Thursday: Summer Cocktail Jams

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Predicting the “summer jams” is a seasonal rite of passage, but equally important is determining what drinks will be your jam.

Song: All in the Invasion of Privacy album by Cardi B

Cocktail: The Zing Ting

Cardi B’s Invasion of Privacy, the No. 1 album on the charts, pairs perfect with The Zing Ting, which would easily top #1 the Cocktail Chart – if there ever was one. The drinks combination of Gran Añejo Barceló, muddled ginger, lemon juice, apple cider and honey syrup creates a taste as fierce and spicy as the female rapper.

The Zing Ting
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Ingredients
  1. 1.75 ounces Gran Añejo Barceló
  2. 1 ounce fresh lemon juice
  3. 1 ounce apple juice (cider)
  4. 1 ounce honey syrup (25% water to 75%honey)
  5. .25 ounces fresh ginger juice (or muddled ginger)
Instructions
  1. Shake and strain over ice into rocks glass
  2. Garnish with lemon zest wrapped around luxardo cherry
http://www.mysimplifiedlife.net/
Song: IDGAF by Dua Lipa  

Cocktail: Norman’s Revenge

Hold your head high and your glass of Norman’s Revenge higher, as you belt out IDGAF by Dua Lipa  – aka, your new breakup anthem. Created by Miami’s No.3 Social, the drink mixes tequila, agave nectar, lime juice and jalapeño for the most requested taste of the summer.

Norman's Revenge
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Ingredients
  1. 2oz Tequila Reposado
  2. 1oz light agave nectar
  3. 1oz fresh lime juice
  4. 3 slices of jalapeño
  5. Glassware: rocks glass
  6. Ice: Kold-Draft
  7. Garnish: jalapeño lime flag, gunpowder salt
Instructions
  1. Add ingredients in tin, shake vigorously and strain over fresh ice.
http://www.mysimplifiedlife.net/
Song: X (Equis) by Nicky Jam & J Balvin  

Cocktail: Yellow Tail

Sweet and zesty, Seaspice’s Yellow Tail is the perfect cocktail jam as it has a perennial effect much like the upbeat pop sounds onNicky Jam and J Balvin’s X (Equis), which you will inevitably keep on repeat.

Yellow Tail
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Ingredients
  1. 1 ½ oz. Pisco 100
  2. ¾ oz. lime juice
  3. ¾ tablespoon sugar
  4. 1 oz. passion fruit juice
  5. Basil
  6. Jalapeño
Instructions
  1. Muddle basil and jalapeño in the shaker. Add in all the ingredients and shake vigorously. Strain contents on the rocks and garnish with jalapeño and a basil leaf.
http://www.mysimplifiedlife.net/
Song: Perfect by Ed Sheeran

Cocktail: Piscine Mojito

For crisp summer nights, whip up a Piscine Mojito, which infuses Rosé Piscine with elderflower liqueur, lime and mint lives, as you mellow out with the most requested song – Perfect by Ed Sheeran.

Piscine Mojito
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Ingredients
  1. 1 Bottle of Rosé Piscine
  2. 6 Mint Leaves
  3. 1 Lime
  4. Elderflower Liqueur
Instructions
  1. Place 6 mint leaves and 2 quarters of lime into glass.
  2. Grind lime and mint together.
  3. Add 2 ½ ounces of Rosé Piscine
  4. Add 1 ounce of Elderflower Liqueur
  5. Add ice, and shake well.
  6. Pour into wine glass, decorate with mint, and enjoy!
http://www.mysimplifiedlife.net/
Song: The Middle by Zedd, Marren Morris & Grey

Cocktail: El Biembien

A bonfire in a glass, Ron Barceló’s fiery drink El Biembien uses Barceló Gran Platinum, Barceló Añejo, Barceló Imperial, lime juice, passion fruit, pineapple juice, syrup and velvet falernum to keep you energized as you dance to The Middle by Zedd, Marren Morris & Grey.  

El Biembien
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Ingredients
  1. 1 oz Ron Barceló Gran Platinum
  2. 1 oz Ron Barceló Anejo
  3. 1 oz Ron Barceló Imperial
  4. .5 oz lime juice
  5. .5 oz passion fruit
  6. .5 oz pineapple juice
  7. .5 oz simple syrup
  8. .5 oz Velvet Falernum
Instructions
  1. Shake and strain into a tiki mug over crushed ice
  2. Garnish with a half lime inverted into a cup filled with a sugar cube soaked in overproof rum, light on fire and serve
http://www.mysimplifiedlife.net/

Wine Wednesday: Whispering Angel Rosé

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One of my favorite ways to relax and not think of anything is to watch Real Housewives on Bravo. It’s silly but it’s my guilty pleasure. On a recent episode of Beverly Hills, Lisa Rinna went to Tokyo with Erika to see her daughters model. At dinner she ordered a rosé and specifically asked for Whispering Angel. I’d never heard of it but of course now wanted to find it and try it! Imagine my surprise and excitement to find it at Costco AND for under $19!!! I checked Total Wine’s website and they have it for the same price as well!

I love a good happy hour…that’s obvious by now, but I love it even more when it’s unexpected and great friends just swing by. Friday night was exactly that with our friends Cindy and Mike. Even the kids get excited since Uncle Mike lets them climb all over him and Aunt Cindy feeds them crackers. We had some wines we wanted/needed to try for blogging purposes (yes, that’s a legitimate reason to drink wine!). I put together a delicious charcuterie platter with salami, prosciutto, soppressata, brie, brie with truffles, havarti, olives, bread and crackers, along with roasted garlic on the side. The brie with truffles and havarti we picked up at V Sattui Vineyard last weekend in Rutherford, more on that in another post!

On to the Whispering Angel…a light, pale pink in color, it’s best served very cold. It’s a dry, crisp rosé and paired perfectly with the truffled brie. We later had the V Sattui Rosé which was a completely different taste and fun to compare. Whispering Angel is a Côtes de Provence Rosé meaning that the grapes come from Côtes de Provence which is the largest appellation of the Provence wine region in south-eastern France and covers roughly 50,000 acres. We all felt this was a refreshing, light rosé and would definitely enjoy it again, especially as the weather gets warmer.

Sipping Saturday: V. Sattui Winery

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Last Saturday, we took a quick road trip to Rutherford, which is less than 2 hours away and filled with wineries and the most gorgeous vineyard views. We arrived just before lunch time and with two toddlers in tow, we had to find a place with food…and wine! 

We spotted V. Sattui Winery which had a sign advertising they had a deli and decided we would try it out. The scenery was breathtaking with vines as far as the eye can see, gorgeous green grass, wine barrels and benches. 

Vittorio Sattui started the business in 1885 after emigrating from Genoa, Italy.  The law-abiding Vittorio was forced to shut down when Prohibition went into effect, and the winery would lay dormant until 1976, when Vittorio’s great-grandson, Dario, would realize his dream of resurrecting the family business in the town of St. Helena in Napa Valley.

The main tasting room has an amazing deli with fresh sandwiches, a variety of salads, dips and spreads and cheeses for days! Wine tastings start at $25. Wine tasting with hungry toddlers didn’t sound like a great idea so we opted to buy a bottle to go with our picnic lunch. One of the awesome V. Sattui employees saw my look of amazement at all the wine choices and offered to have me taste some so I could decide on one…hooray for this treat! 

We decided on the 2017 Rosato di Sangiovese. It has the most amazing deep pink color and is made with 100% Sangiovese grapes primarily sourced from the winery’s Hibbard Ranch in the Carneros region of the Napa Valley.  The juice was given minimal contact with the skins before gently pressing and was cold fermented in stainless steel. It has a slightly sweet flavor which nicely showcases hints of cherry, strawberry and watermelon. Retailing at $29, it is a treat to enjoy! 

If you’re in the area be sure to stop in and have a picnic, enjoy some delicious wine, watch the Napa Valley Wine Train go by and make some memories.